soil fertility

If you're curious about what exactly grass stockpile is and how it can reshape your ranching practices, you are in for a treat. Come on over and let's take a deep dive into the world of grass stockpile! We will break down all the important details and check out the many things it can do for your land.

As farmers plan fertilizer applications for this fall or in the spring, Corteva Agriscience nutrient maximizer strategic account manager Ty Stender says there are many factors to consider.

He tells Brownfield timing will be important, and so will choosing the right nitrogen stabilizer.

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Unveil the extraordinary benefits of creating leafy pastures by managing our livestock. Beyond their picturesque charm, these verdant landscapes hold the potential to revolutionize your ranch's success. Join me as we dive into the symbiotic relationship between leafy pastures, livestock performance, and soil health, uncovering a harmonious cycle that propels your operation forward.

Today, we're delving into a topic that lies at the heart of successful pasture management – overgrazing. Understanding what overgrazing is and learning effective strategies to avoid it is crucial for maintaining healthy, productive lands and thriving livestock. Join me as we uncover the ins and outs of overgrazing and equip ourselves with the knowledge to prevent its detrimental effects.

Have you ever pondered what's holding back your forage production? Could it be the persistent presence of weeds and brush? Or perhaps it's the way you manage grazing? Or maybe a combination? As we step into this topic, we'll address these questions and open the door to comprehensive solutions.

In this podcast, we will embark on an enriching journey to enhance your pasture improvement, exploring the power of effective mowing, mastering the ability to stop overgrazing and uncovering the secrets to make your pastures great, now and in the long run. 

Have you ever felt that there is more than what you are doing at your ranch or farm to improve today’s and the future's productivity?

Have you wondered why is it that the livestock genetics of around 60 to 80 years ago was easier to keep in good body condition than modern genetics?

Then, there is the matter of environmental degradation. The more one travels the world, the more convinced we will be that environment is degrading at a very fast pace worldwide. Besides that, livestock prices have not been in sync with input costs which means that livestock owners are struggling to make a profit.

Moaning and whining will not help us. What we can do is start enhancing what nature gives us for free, and that is sunlight, rainfall, and adapted genetics.

Today, I am going to describe what are the 4 pillars of Real Wealth Ranching and how, together, they will help you achieve spectacular results in environment productivity, resilience, biodiversity, and profitability.

You may be wondering: how is it that such huge improvements can be achieved with an online course?

Or maybe it's hard to believe that we can achieve such great results at such low cost without chemical fertilizers.

This is why I'm going to share with you the results of the Robbins Ranch in Mena, Arkansas.

Matt and Mark Robbins have applied very well, and with common sense, the teachings of the online courses: the Total Grazing Program and the Adapted Genetics and selection guidelines.

Last month, when we started the face-to-face course at their farm as the place where we do the practical part, we were able to see how implementing this is working for them.

What is nutritional adaptation determined by genetics?

It is a very interesting topic because it explains how the expression of a gene is turned on or off by marks in the genes due to the environment.

It is what explains how a cell can develop an eye, or hair, or hands, or a heart. This is so because all the cells of an animal contain the necessary information, genes, to do so.

But, did you know that the environment in which the animal is found will determine which genes will be expressed and which ones will not?

Furthermore, we now know that these changes in gene expression are inherited for up to three generations.

Interesting, right?

Epigenetics, buzzword? Or reality that we can use to our advantage?

Surely you have heard this word and how what happened to our parents or grandparents has an impact on our lives and behavior.

It turns out that it has to do and that the memory of events or the environment is in each of our cells.

So how is it that in the Adapted Genetics course and selection guidelines, we are able to obtain very superior animals for a given environment?

Do you want to be a minimum-cost producer?

If that is your goal, there are many things you need to consider.

First is that most beef or mutton producers have been led to higher and higher production per individual animal and this increases inputs and costs dramatically.

Peer pressure is real and what most producers talk about is individual animal performance and not profits per acre or per ranch per year.

Do these sound familiar?

Whenever cattlemen gather at the local coffee shop, they discuss the weather, politics, local economy, and weaning or slaughter weights. None of these subjects leads to maximum profits and certainly not to a minimum cost of production.

So how can we be a minimum-cost producer without diminishing our productivity per farm or ranch?

If we have lived for long enough around ranches/farms, and are observant of what is happening around us AND have listened to old cattlemen or ranchers, you can relate to what I am going to tell you.

First, let us picture how the land must have looked like and produced when the first white men came to America.

We can find historical records of the abundance of game and the rich deep soils that they encountered.

We can also read how the wildlife became depleted and how the soils and grasslands have degraded since then.

Why has this happened?

Trent Roberts from the University of Arkansas shares his experience growing rice in the mid-south. The unique crop needs special attention to water and nutrient management.

To discover the latest crop nutrition research visit nutrien-eKonomics.com

A sponge will hold water and be absorbent, right?

We want our soil to absorb a lot of water and to hold it and allow plant growth for a much longer time.

Creating a soil sponge is crucial for microorganisms that allow our forages to produce more, both in quantity and in quality. 

Besides microorganisms, we know that the gas interchange in our soil with the air above it needs to be enhanced and it is another reason we want a soft or spongy soil.

When we can walk on spongy soil after walking on compacted soil, if we are good at observation, we will feel it in our feet and will see the huge difference it makes in grass production, biodiversity and soil health.

So, what happens when we create a spongy soil?

Did I tell you I love complex subjects? I really enjoy building new businesses and projects and regenerating ranches or farms with livestock which requires complex and in-depth knowledge for it to work properly.

To be able to give such advice, it is essential that one has the experience and success record in these matters to show and to give confidence to oneself and to others. We need to have integrity and a passion to help others.

Today, I will speak of the importance of explaining complex subjects in a digestible way.

If you are thinking about your future plans, maybe it is time to start making them reality. 

I usually start by changing my management to the way I would manage when I accomplish or reach my goals. 

It is important to plan ahead and consider alternatives so that when the time comes we already have the answer and the experience to make it achievable.

Today, I am going to talk about the unintended consequences of our actions and decisions. 

Every action we make has a reaction, and every decision we take has a consequence. The same happens when we do not act or we choose not to make a decision. Not taking a decision or not acting is in itself of our choosing. 

What does this have to do with raising livestock and managing our grasses?

On this week's episode we will be discussing the importance of taking a 'soil first' approach in all of your home and production plant activities.  Is soil just the cold dead substrate under your feet or something more?  Just don't call it dirt!  Listen in to hear more about this important topic.  

USDA Soil Survey

University of Kentucky Soil Testing Services

Taking Soil Test Samples

Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@l.uky.edu

Do your livestock come to you when they see you? Or do they try to get away? Or even worse, do they attack you? 

Today, I will talk about low-stress stockmanship 

Low-stress stockmanship means that your livestock is handled and managed by you, in such a way, that they feel confident and trust you. Their cortisol levels which are called stress hormones are low and their oxytocin levels which are called content hormones should be high or level. 

Did you know that when we manage or handle our livestock in a stressful manner they will lose, at least that day’s gain? Their health will also suffer and if managed badly they can lose the whole week of gain or performance.