Fall Weed Control: Musk thistle: It’s not too late to do something.
Name: Philaenus spumarius
The issue: Broadleaf plantain
Name: Anabrus simplex
This bug is creeping around your property. He may be friend or foe.
Sometimes cattle must be restrained for medical or management procedures (treating an injury, dehorning, minor surgical procedures, etc.) and there are ways to keep them calm without having to resort to tranquilizers or other drugs that would take too long to be effective, especially when pu…
The difference between good hay and poor hay (with less nutrient content or moldy and dusty) is primarily timing of harvest.
Name: Oulema melanopus
If it were possible to clone human beings from history, what would they be doing today?
Mother gave me a small box of old pocket watches and a book entitled “A Practical Course in Horology.” It was a Christmas gift. A family heirloom, of sorts.
Animal Bonding
I wanna tell y’all a true story that happened to a friend of mine. Big Jim was judgin’ the rodeo at Burlington last year. They call him Big Jim ‘cause he’s big as a round bale and twice as tough. But he don’t move quite as fast as he did in his ol’ bronc ridin’ days.
With Memorial Day approaching, many people are shopping for garden mums and potted plants to adorn the graves of loved one who have passed away. From a gardening and flower perspective, there are many ways to honor and remember the dead.
Throughout the gardening season I receive gardening questions related to what to do at the current time of year, and I thought it might be good to address some common questions.
There is nothing, (in my humble opinion), as interesting and enjoyable as spending time in the forests or mountain areas in Idaho. Whether it’s the beauty, the quiet, the trees, the interesting rocks, the shade, the adventure, or any of the infinite reasons to go out and get away from the wo…
Living in the potato state and being surrounded by fields of potatoes, most people take this humble tuber for granted. Adding to their commonness, they are also inexpensive in the grocery store, and so ultimately the good old spud just isn’t as respected as it should be, especially when it c…
The issue: Cutleaf Nightshade
The issue: Common lambsquarters
The issue: Prostrate pigweed
Name: Prionus Californicus
Name: Aphodius spp.
My first 2021 shipment of fly predators recently arrived and was distributed. I’ll bet the poor little bugs are shivering in this cold, wet spring.
Now is the time to start planning your horse camping adventure.
When I was a child my dad would s take a taste of his food, and if he thought it needed salt he not only salted what was on his plate but every plate within his arm reach. So I developed a taste and love for salty food. We now often have salt blocks sitting in our garage in the valley ready …
As we were going to the ranch the other morning, pulling a trailer with cows and calves to summer pasture, Boyd, my husband, and I discussed the importance of the color green in our lives. We were noticing an acreage of ground that had been in the Conservation Reserve Program for many years.
I got up this morning at 5:45 and just sat in the recliner in my living room, enjoying the peace and quiet of the farm. The birds start singing early, and that is such a beautiful and upbeat sound to start the day with. We did have a couple of cows bellering through the night and a dog barki…
“Doctor, I’m here because I’m a . . . I’m a . . . “
Tall larkspur (wild delphinium) grows in patches in moist areas along streams and in aspen groves. It is more of a problem for cattle than the low larkspur that tends to grow all over the foothills.
When building barbed-wire fences, many people like to put one or two stays between each post, to help keep the wire tight and maintain proper spacing, which can also keep cattle from reaching through the fence. The stays make it harder for cattle to put their heads between the wires and stre…
I grew up in a county that was 65% Spanish-speaking. The biggest distinction between races was not color, it was Catholics and Baptists. My first experience with prejudice was the summer I spent on a job in Kansas City in 1978, the year after the city burned itself down.
When it’s springtime in the Rockies
“Where were you born?” The reporter asked one of my Colorado cowboy friends.
For those of you who forgot how easy it was to get started in farming let me tell you about my friend Con. Many years ago, he bought a farm in the wilds of Minnesota. The feller that sold him the farm had his farm sale the day Con arrived to take possession of the land.
“It’s for you,” his darlin’ told him as he lay back in the chair
The issue: Yellow and white sweet clover
Name: Manduca quinquemaculata
Name: Eriophyes pyri
Name: Malacosoma californicum
Spring is a time of new birth. The flowers immerge from the frozen earth in all of their glory. How I look forward to the first crocus and tulip. There are many baby animals born in the spring.
What is a ‘professional, and what qualifies one as such? In checking I find that a “professional” is a person who is: competent; efficient; experienced; licensed; qualified, and skillful. I wondered about my friends’ use of the word “professional.” And if we perhaps think differently.
The issue: Lupine
The issue: Yellow and desert alyssum
The issue: Soil solarization
Name: Trionymus haancheni
Name: Dermestes Lardarius
The issue: Tansymustard and flixweed
Name: Dendroctonus ponderosae
A while back I was asked who has had the greatest influence on my life. I hadn’t ever given it much thought, like most folks, I guess. After considerin’ for a while, I came up with five people that I could say actually affected the direction of my thinkin’. My dad, Doc Brimhall, John Basabe,…
Name: Autographa californica
“Have I got a deal for you! Got this horse on a trade.
The issue: Oxalis or yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) is a weak perennial, native to eastern and central U.S. that is more of a lawn, yard and garden weed, but can invade woodlands, meadows, and field crops as well. It prefers moist soils but tolerates dry soils once established. Oxalis is…
Flame weeding: Flame weeding
The issue: Tumble mustard
Name: Globodera pallida
I was reading a book recently about a man and wife and their experience managing a lighthouse. A lighthouse is a tower with a bright light at the top, located at an important or dangerous place regarding travel over the water. The two main purposes of a lighthouse are to serve as a navigatio…
