Introducing “The Grazing Book”

You might have been aware that I’ve been working on a new eBook the past few months. Well, the time has finally come and it’s DONE! You can buy the grazing book by going here or clicking on the picture. http://agriculturalinsights.com/tgb/

The Spring Grazing Checklist

Spring Grazing Checklist

What Do You Need To Do Before You Start Grazing This Spring? Ahhhh spring is upon us! The air is fresh and the smell of rain (or snow) is letting me know that it’s springtime. Spring is also a challenging time for grazing because there are so many things we need to think about. You …

The Future of Agriculture

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I’ve been thinking a little bit about the future of Agriculture. I think there are two different paths for two different types of agriculture. Sustainable Agriculture will continue to get more profitable and popular. Industrial agriculture will still be dependent upon outside inputs and free government monopoly money in the form of grants, handouts and …

Nature VS Stupidity

It’s amazing to me that some humans think they can outsmart nature. Really? Sure we have sent rockets to the moon, cured disease, built the great wall of China and the Pyramids of Giza. But when it comes to our ignorance about nature, that is one our “greatest” feats. Make no doubt about it, we, …

Industrial Agriculture, Printed Money or You. Who Will Win?

As of writing it’s March, 2013. The future for most things in America is starting to look pretty grim. Increasing food prices, drought, money printing, a fluctuating stock market, high unemployment, consumer and national debt, and interest rates are rising. This is a very difficult time to stay in business let alone start one. However, …

Characteristics To Consider When Looking For Land

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“Chris, what are some characteristics you should be aware of when looking for land?” I’ve gotten this question many times over the past month. Today I’d like to take the time to address that question. Many people out there have the ideal farm/ranch in their head. This is great, I have the same thing! However, …

Part Five: Grazing Management Styles – Herding

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Here we are, part five of grazing management styles. I bet you thought we were done with this series of posts! I did too until I remembered herding. Herding might be something that most of us will never practice but we need to consider the benefits and downsides of herding. What is herding you might …

Farm Here, Ranch There?

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A lot of people say that “X is the best place to ranch in the world!” So, naturally if you are like me you are attracted to the “best” places for doing the thing we all love, grazing, healing the soil, raising animals etc. However, the “best” places for ranching/grazing/farming are not places that I …

The Agricultural Insights Giveaway!!

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Would you like to win some free stuff!? Welcome to the Ag Insights Giveaway! To enter the Agricultural Insights Giveaway you need to do the following, starting on Monday, Febuary 18th. Fill out the form. I will provide a link to this form starting on Monday. You need your name, phone number and email address “Like” …

Cattle Are Smarter Than You and I

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Today’s post is about an observation Ian made on his ranch with his cattle. Thankfully he shared his story with me. If you are one of those people who needs scientific proof and research papers put out in a peer reviewed journal, skip this post. This story is about a farmer/rancher making real world observations …

The Agricultural Insights Giveaway

I’m very excited to share some news with you all. Over the past few weeks I have been organizing a contest that will take place here at Agricultural Insights during last two weeks of February. Here’s how it will work: I will do a video review of a product You will have to enter the …

Rainfall VS Effective Rainfall

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A lot of people have been talking about rain the past three years, and understandably so. However, what a lot of people are not talking about is effective rainfall. What is this? Effective rainfall is moisture that the land is actually able to make use of. It makes no sense to get 4 inches of rain …

I’m Crazy and You Are Too

Yep, the title is 100% accurate for both of us. You already know that I’m crazy. Now I’m telling you that you are out of your mind too! What am I talking about? I now live in Greeley, Colorado. A big agricultural community and home to 100,000 people. There are a lot of crop farmers, …

How Close Should You Be to Leased Land?

I’ve found myself thinking about where I want to lease land now that I’m back in the United States. Ideally, I’d like to lease land that is 5 minutes away. That would be great! However, most of the land around the area where my wife and I want to live is in crop production. This …

Burning Every Year In Africa and Cultural “Norms”

I learned so much about life, ranching and human relationships during my time in Africa. One of things that I took notice of early on was the cultural “norms” that people have there. In this case, the cultural “norm” is the mentality that 99% of the farmers/ranchers have about burning grass. This realization also made …

Yes, There Is A Thing As Too Much Litter

Yeap. You heard it here first. Although I didn’t come up with the idea. It happened while talking to Mark Bader and Ian Mitchell-Innes the other day. We were talking about grazing of course, and I asked a question about litter. I said something to the effect of “When it comes to putting litter on …

Questions for Ian Mitchell-Innes

Hey Guys and Gals, I’m trying to plan an interview with Ian if we ever get some free time around the farm. I can only think of a limited number of questions to ask him and I’ve already learned so much from him. So, I’m asking for your help! If you don’t know who Ian …

Drought Reserves

Ok what I’m about to share with you is some serious stuff! Today were going to talk about drought reserves. A drought reserve is forage (grass, forbs, brush or whatever your livestock will eat) that is not consumed by the animal during the growing season. This forage is then available if rain doesn’t come or …

What Are You Focused On?

Everyone is different and likes to think about and focus on different aspects of life. “Variety is the spice of life” isn’t it? Since we are farmers and ranchers we probably focus on farming and ranching. However, within farming in ranching there are many places that can attract our attention. Tractors, trucks, soil health, litter, …

The Controversial Weaning Weight Debate!

Hey the title rhymes! Weaning weights are something that ranchers and farmers will talk about for hours on end. It’s also a very touchy subject. For those of you who were like me and and still learning about the in’s and out’s of ranching I’d like to define what weaning weights are for you first, …

At Some Point You Have To Go For It

A lot of people, both young and old are interested in starting a grazing operation. Maybe you want to grow chickens instead of cows, I don’t know. The smart ones read this blog (thank you! =]) and read any other source of info they can get their hands on. However there comes a point in …

Update on Fence Braces from Tate Smith

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The following written by Tate Smith. He was kind enough to write in a description of how the fence braces that Greg Schwab talked about are made and he also included some awesome pictures. Thank you Tate! Tate writes: The brace’s function is different than an H brace design. An H brace puts the pressure …

How to Determine Stock Density

How do you determine the density your livestock should be grazing at? This question was also asked by Craig, thanks again for all your good questions! Craig’s question is a valid one, and like most things, there is no silver bullet or “right” answer. You might hear of people grazing their livestock at 800,000 pounds …

What Does an Overgrazed Grass Plant Look Like?

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If you’ve been following this blog for a while you’ve herd me use the term “overgraze” on several occasions. Today I’d like to provide you with an example of what a severely overgrazed grass plant looks like. With this information you will start to get a feel for “reading the land” which will improve your …

How Can You Find Land to Lease?

Finding land to lease can be a very difficult process. Or it can be simple and easy. Depending on your situation you could find some land to lease just by talking to your neighbor. Or, if you are like me, a city boy, trying to find land to lease can be very challenging. Today I’d …

Who Cares What the Universities Are Saying?

Universities have been responsible for the mess many farmers and ranchers are in today. Recommending more inputs on top of more inputs is generally not a good idea. Having Monsanto pay for “research” is not a good idea if you are truly interested in helping people. Doing “research” and “studies” on small, isolated patches of …

Why Did My First Attempt At Grazing Fail?

This question comes from Craig and I think it’s an important one to examine. Thanks Craig! I don’t think I’ve told my story as to why my first attempt at grazing failed, today I’ll try and explain why. Here was the situation. I had done the following: Leased 100 acres based on a “handshake deal” …

Should You Improve Leased Land?

This is an important question you should be asking yourself if you are leasing land (or want to) for grazing. Should you improve leased land with your grazing management? Please note that if you are properly managing cattle, you will improve the land, to what degree is the difference. For more information on how to …

Ian’s Ranch Layout

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Some of you might be curious how Ian’s ranch is laid out. What I’m referring to is paddock design and water points. Truth be told his ranch is laid out simply and I think that’s brilliant. His ranch is about 15,000 acres more or less, so KISS (keep it simple stupid) is a good attitude …

Carbon Test Your Soils

The other day Ian, Jessica and I were talking. I’ve been asking Ian a lot of questions concerning leasing agricultural land, specifically grazing land. I will have to lease land when I get back to Colorado, I haven’t won the lottery yet! Until our conversation I had been under the impression that I should improve …

Just Sit and Think!

One of the things that I have started doing in the morning is thinking. I just sit there, with nothing else, and think. At times this has been challenging for me. Back home in the United States I’m always doing something like reading, watching a TV show, checking Facebook on my phone, working on this …

Creativity VS Old Paradigms

I like to think of myself as a creative person, after all I do have an Art degree! I’m also young (27) and prior to my internships I had no agricultural experience. This means that I’m open to new ideas and I don’t have any old habits to kick. I should be the most creative …

How Many Enterprises Should Your Farm Have?

This is something that has been bugging me lately. There are a lot of good-intentioned people out there who want to start farming, ranching or homesteading. That is great! However, they are unsure as to what type of livestock they should purchase in order to start their business or feed their families. Additionally, there are …

Improper Animal Impact

If you have been following this blog for a while you know that I talk about animal impact a fair amount. Animal impact is what, among many other things, places litter on the ground. When litter is placed on the ground it feeds soil microbes which build organic matter in your soil. I’ve done quite …

Seeds and Seeding are a Waste of Money, Time and Energy

Yep. You read that title correctly. Seeds are a waste of money, time and energy (which includes money, labor and fuel). Just to be clear about the context, I’m talking about establishing pasture or grassland. Seeding and seeds are very useful for gardening and permaculture (depending on your viewpoint within those practices). As Ian, Jessica …

Linear Thinking and Science

I’ve been learning a lot more about Holistic Management from Ian lately. I’ve been asking him hundreds of questions and he hasn’t gotten tired of me yet! How come Jessica gets so annoyed of me when I repeat the same question 15 times while she’s trying to make dinner!? I guess I’ll never understand. :) …

Making Decisions

My wife and I are already learning a lot from Ian Mitchell-Innes. Today, he briefly talked about making a plan. Jessica and I haven’t developed a plan yet. However, the way Ian talked about making decisions was very interesting. To start, you need to have a plan or goal of how you want your life …

Fertilizer Is a Waste of Money

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Fertilizer Is a Waste of Money. Yes, I said it! I hear a lot of chatter around the web right about now about “you need to apply fertilizer because of XYZ for fall pasture health!” And things like “Pastures need X tons/per acre of Nitrogen.” This is craziness, just crazy!! How did nature fertilize before we became clever …

Arriving in South Africa

Jessica and I have been here in South Africa for one week now. We were pretty exhausted after our 18+ hour flight from Washington DC to Johannesburg. That was just time spent in the air. After we got off the plane we headed to baggage claim. To my surprise our bags came our quickly, but …

Cattle Genetics – Testicle Size and Shape

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There is a lot of debate about testicle size and shape of a beef bull. Is bigger better? What are the minimum requirements for circumference? How about how they hang? One hangs lower than the other, what does that mean? There is also a lot of research that has gone into testicle size and shape. …

How to buy an ATV or 4 Wheeler

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If you are rotationally/high density/mob grazing one of the most powerful tools available to you is a 4 wheeler or ATV. These little vehicles have come a long way in the past 10 years. Now available with features you would find on a car, like power steering and automatic transmissions. However, I’d like to talk …

I Just Published a FREE eBook!

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Hey guys and gals, I just published my first eBook. The best news is that it’s free! You can download your free copy of Mob Grazing: 21st Century Grazing Management by going here. All you need to do is sign up for my email list, and the book will be sent directly to your email after you …

What is Litter and Why is it Important?

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What is Litter and Why is it Important? Litter is organic matter, mostly in the form of trampled grass that is physically placed on the ground. We can create litter without the use of livestock, but in this scenario I’ll be discussing litter created by cattle. Litter can be placed on the ground by grazing livestock a high …

Success Is Simple

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I believe that success is simple. Let me be clear, I’m not saying it’s easy. In fact, it takes a whole lot of hard work, dedication and cleverness. But, the recipe for success is simple. I’ve met quite a few successful ranchers over the past year. While each rancher is unique, they all have things …

Building A Perimeter High Tensile Electric Fence

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You might be thinking to yourself, “Hey I’ve seen some nice looking high tensile fences around my country, I want one of those!” And if you are, you are right, you should want one! High tensile fence is strong, flexible and can be electrified. Oh, and it’s easy to work with, once you learn how …

What Are You Managing For?

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Many people, not ranchers so much, but people who aren’t ranchers talk about “saving” species. For example I just saw this story posted by someone on Twitter to save a certain type of wolf. Their solution was to remove cattle from their grazing allotment. How does this make any sense?! What do wolves eat?! Grass? This …

We Don’t Live In A Perfect World

Film Title: An Inconvenient Truth.

The other day I had an interesting conversation with a woman at the farmers market. We sold her some Organic, 100% Grass-fed and finished beef. We drove 2 1/2 hours to get there. We got up at 5:30am. It took 2 years for this beef to be produced into it’s a 1lb package of ground beef. …

Creating “Packages” to Sell at Farmers Markets

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Selling at farmers markets can be easy. Some folks just walk right up to your tent and buy $100 worth of product. However, many people don’t do that. With my experience selling grass-fed beef, which is more expensive than the junk meat in the grocery store, people can be more hesitant to buy. Sure there …

Proper Rumen pH for Cattle

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At the end of my internship with Greg Judy, there was a grazing school at Green Pastures Farm. Greg was there and gave several presentations and pasture walks. Ian Mitchell-Innes was the “featured speaker”. In addition to these already great minds, Mark Bader was there. However, not too many people know about Mark Bader, but …

Appearance at Farmers Markets

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I’m currently working at the James Ranch in Durango, CO. www.JamesRanch.net . The James family are brilliant marketers. I mean, REALLY good marketers. Please look at their website to fully grasp their many operations. Today I’d like to focus on what I’ve learned from them when it comes to marketing at farmers markets. One of …

Farming and Ranching Internships

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There are a lot of young people interested in sustainable agriculture. One of the best ways to get started in sustainable agriculture is to complete a farming or ranching internship with a successful practitioner. Many people jump of the first opportunity they can find, and might find themselves disappointed. I have personally completed two internships …

We Need To Unite

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Ok, being election season and all, I need to vent. Election season seems to be 50% of the time here in America. This leads me to my point for today’s post. We, as citizens of this country need to unite. The politicians, both Democrats and Republicans survive by making you fear that, without them, the …

Ranching For Fun or Profit?

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If you are reading this blog, you are probably aware of the new, young farmer/rancher movement taking place in this country. I think this is a great thing. Probably one of the best things happening in this country right now. However, there are many websites, blogs and books devoted to this subject as well. Many …

Update On Our Hugelkultur Project

Jake and I have been busy with many projects around the farm. However, we recently found some time to complete a Hugelkultur bed. A Hugelkultur, for those of you who are unfamiliar with one, are raised garden beds that are made of logs, stacked on top of each other, and then covered with dirt. You then …