It was a severe case of vegetable defamation, the makin’s of a landmark case of harassment and abuse.
Recently, while driving to an early morning appointment my thoughts turned to how much I enjoy this time of the year! I love the nippiness of the air in the early mornings with frost on the ground and I need to wear a jacket or sweatshirt. Then, as the day progresses, I enjoy the warm aftern…
Name: Rhopalosiphum padi
Name: Phidippus johnsoni
Name: Ips spp.
Sheila and Eric Hasselstrom have a dryland farm in north-central Idaho on the Camus Prairie near Winchester — 45 miles south of Lewiston. It was originally his grandparents’ farm.
Mike Lowry grew up on his parents’ ranch near Jordan Valley, Oregon. After graduating from high school he worked on cattle ranches in Nevada and California. His first exposure to Murray Grey cattle was in the mid 1990s after his parents began to use Murray Grey bulls on their first calf heif…
Cattle are often given injections — vaccines, antibiotics, medications to help reduce inflammation, injectable vitamins, etc. These should always be administered properly, to minimize residues, injection site lesions and to reduce the risks for reactions and side effects. Withdrawal times sh…
The issue: Meadow hawkweed
The issue: Meadow knapweed
The issue: Mediterranean Sage
The issue: Milium (spring millet)
R.C. is an animal lover. Maybe not the kind of animal lover that the term has come to mean in this era, but the kind that requires a greater commitment.
Now and then I get to thinkin’ I should quit this feedlot job.
Astrology is one of those wonderful pseudo-sciences like naturopathy or cattle futures that anybody with an imagination can rapidly become an expert in. I have taken it upon myself to devise my own astrological symbols. If there is some question which sign you were born under, just ask a fri…
I’ve got a mule deer hangin’ on my wall from northern New Mexico so I could relate to Rafael’s story.
Do you ever give much thought to where your weaner steers and heifers go when you load’em on the truck or take’m to the sale?
On our way to the ranch there is an area where two trees grow out in the middle of a field. I don’t know what species of tree they are, but they are too small to be cottonwoods and aren’t quaking aspens. I always look for those when we are on that road. Sometimes, if cattle are grazing the f…
Transitioning horses from pasture to dry feed must be done carefully to protect the horse’s delicate digestive system.
Name: Phenacoccus spp.
I try not to make this column too educational but sometimes there is a need that can’t be ignored. When ranchers and cowmen work their cowherd, they are often under pressure to cull cows that they have developed a peculiar fondness for. Their excuses for keepin’ the ol’ darlin’ can be pretty…
Name: Petrobia latens
Fall is coming, which means potatoes are getting ready to be harvested.
The issue: Jointed goatgrass
The issue: Quackgrass
Name: Spodoptera exigua
When you take a seat in the waiting room of a veterinary clinic, a feedlot office or an animal health store, you occasionally notice a body sitting there who looks out of place. They are often dressed in a more formal attire than most clientele. They may be doing their times (two times two i…
Weaning calves is a delicate process for producers and a risky one for the cattle, but it can also set both calves and mothers on a course for better health in the long-run. With feed prices rising, establishing a plan for weaning is especially important now.
Name: Musca autumnalis
This summer many parts of the West are experiencing record high temperatures and very little rainfall. By early July these conditions had already taken a toll on pastures and hay crops and many stockmen are already looking at potential alternative feeds. There are a number of non-traditional…
Most internal parasites of horses are worms, but bots are the larvae of a fly that needs a horse to complete its life cycle. This parasite spends most of its life fastened to the inside of the host horse’s stomach, spending the winter robbing nutrients (from blood) of the host via the stomac…
1. If the new boss’s hat isn’t sweat stained, you can pretty much figger whose will be.
The issue: Iberian starthistle
The issue: Giant knotweed
Name: Polistes spp.
In the fall, most cattle are vaccinated. Cows are vaccinated at preg-check time, and calves are vaccinated at weaning. Almost every cattle producer will include a seven- or eight-way clostridial vaccine in these vaccination programs.
Yes, that time of the year is upon us. How fast time flies! Many years ago this was a really busy time for me, getting seven children ready to go to school. I sewed a lot then, so shortly after July 24, my friend, Dena Johnson, and I would take a day off from the ranch and go to town looking…
The issue: Hydrilla
Name: Petrobia latens
When I hear a truck pull up in front of the house and the pandemonium of dogs barkin’ would wake a hibernating mastodon, I relax. It’s only my neighbor, D.K., come to borrow something of his back.
Cows need different nutritional levels at different stages of gestation. As the fetus grows larger, the cow’s nutrient needs increase. If a cow is lactating, feeding her calf, she needs a much higher level of protein and energy than when she is pregnant.
Name: Polistes spp.
Corn country landscape — painted late summer — high clouds, heavy with moisture waiting for afternoon to thicken and darken and start raising Cain.
The issue: Giant hogweed
The issue: Hoary alyssum
The issue: Johnsongrass
Name: Sitona hispidulus
American mustangs are paired with 4-H horse club members to offer experience and opportunity for both.
We have been watching the Olympics and I am amazed at the stamina and strength of the young participants involved.
Name: Chionaspis pinifoliae
Some might wonder why prehistoric cave drawings weren’t more detailed. Surely there were artists capable of rendering intricate representations of the circulatory system of aurochs or the dentition of a Saber Tooth Tiger drawn to scale.
“Mama, when’s Daddy comin’ home? Is it time to worry yet?”
Some ranchers have wild, aggressive cows and other ranchers have mellow animals that are easy to handle. The difference is mainly in how they are handled and trained from the time they are young.
I was born and raised in Ammon, which at that time was a quiet small farming community. When I was a teenager I became acquainted with youth from Idaho Falls area/ Our Idaho Falls friends referred to us as “hicks from the sticks.” We laughed at that with them, knowing we couldn’t argue with …
The issue: Povertyweed
