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/
Why Tilling Soil Doesn’t Work As you can see conventionally managed farm land, which is tilled and poisoned with Roundup has no structure and is unable to efficiently absorb water.
Sustainable Ranching Course in Colorado Hey Everyone, Jim Elizondo and I are thinking about doing a 3 day school here in Colorado sometime in late July or early August. The cost would be around $500. Right now I’m thinking of Colorado Springs, Colorado as a possible location. It’s centrally located and is as close as …
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 …
Today I review the portable, step-in pigtail post made by Gallagher.
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 …
Jaime Elizondo of Florida sent me these pictures of how he attaches portable fencing reels to his ATV for putting up and taking down portable electric fence. I really like the design as the portable reel is within reach while you are driving the ATV and putting up fence. It also makes a lot of …
This is my personal story about avoiding debt. I want to note that not all debt is evil and bad, however most of it is. It all started about two years ago. I knew I wanted to do an internship somewhere with a rancher. I also knew that I would need to have a decent …
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, …
We’ve all heard the saying that goes something like this; “Did you eat today? Thank a farmer.” While the statement is valid there are some things wrong with it, which bring up an entirely new issue that I won’t go into today. However, we do need to realize that people need to eat 3 times …
Ian Mitchell-Innes has been practicing Holistic Management for 20 years on his ranch in South Africa. He teaches Farmers and Ranchers how to FEED the whole – Animal, Soil surface, Sub soil and Grass, using animals at High and Ultra High Stock Density (Mob Grazing). You will learn:- How to start How to maintain …
How much of a plant should your livestock graze? What can we learn from observing wild animals in their natural habitat? Watch the video to find out more!
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, …
“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, …
Join me today for an overview of how to effectively use the Agricultural Insights Website.
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 …
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 …
Congrats to Kyle who won the 15 fence posts from PasturePro Fence! To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 25, 2013 is the only day you have a chance to win a set of books from AcresUSA. Have a chance at winning; Hands On Agronomy by Neal Kinsey (30.00) Dung Beetles by Charles …
Congrats to Michael who won the Chip Hines book “Time to Change” To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 26, 2013 is the only day you have a chance to win 15 posts, shipping included from PasturePro!! These fence posts are a wood and plastic composite making them flexible and and strong. These …
Congrats to Tom R. who won the $50 in value from Featherman Equipment yesterday! To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 27, 2013 is the only day you have a chance to win Time to Change by Chip Hines. This is a great book which has a lot of cutting edge info on ranching …
Congrats to Jascha who won the roll of Polybraid from Powerflex Fence yesterday! To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 26, 2013 is the only day you have a chance to win a kill cone and free shipping from Featherman Equipment. Featherman is not only giving away $50 of value but they are …
Congrats to Dot who won the LandEKG Rain Gauge on Friday! To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 25, 2013 is the only day you have a chance to win a roll of Polybraid from Powerflex Fence! This Polybraid is strong, tough and durable and best of all, FREE! Powerflex Fence will ship …
Congrats to Craig who won the Realtree iPhone 4/4s case for his iPhone yesterday! To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 22nd, 2013 is your only day to win this awesome rain gauge from LandEKG! This is a must have item if your are even remotely interested in monitoring the amount of precipitation …
Congrats to S.S. who won the portable fencing reel and 1320 feet of Braided Electric Twine from Kencove!! To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 21st, 2013 is your only chance to win a RealTree Case for an iPhone 4/4s from OtterBox. To enter, This is a must have item for all of …
Congrats to S.S. who won the portable fencing reel and 1320 feet of Braided Electric Twine from Kencove!! To Enter the Ag Insights Giveaway CLICK HERE! Today, February 20th, 2013 is your only chance to win an O’Briens Standard Reel and a 1320 foot length of Braided Electric Twine from Kencove Farm Fence Supplies! Kencove will …
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” …
This is part four in a series about grazing management styles. See Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. At last we are finally here. Holistic Planned Grazing. I know, I know, another grazing term! However, Holistic Planned Grazing is quite different from all of the other grazing management styles. It’s a planned process. Holistic …
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 …
Alright, if you missed part one and part two of this series, you can find them by clicking on the links. For part three I will focus on High Density Grazing. This is sometimes referred to as Mob grazing, which it is not (please see part two), or HDG. High density grazing is also a …
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 …
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 …
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, …
I thought you all might be interested in seeing some pictures of our time in South Africa Enjoy and thanks for all of your support!
This is part two in a series of posts on Grazing Management Styles. Please read part one first. Now that you have an understanding of what MiG grazing is, which I covered in part one, I’d like to talk about Mob Grazing. Mob grazing is a term that a lot of people use incorrectly. I …
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 …
This is part one in a series of posts I will be doing on different grazing management styles. There are all sorts of people out there using all sorts of words to describe different grazing techniques. One of them is MiG or Management Intensive Grazing. I’d like to talk about MiG grazing today. MiG grazing …
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 …
I keep learning so much from Ian that I find myself overwhelmed. Writing all of this stuff down on the blog is a way to reinforce what I’ve learned from him and most importantly share my learnings with all of you. Thankfully Ian has encouraged me to share all of this with you all. Ian …
Ian has a really big ranch. 15,000+ acres big. Because of the size of his ranch, he has had to lease out part of his property because he doesn’t have enough cattle. Now that his cattle numbers are high enough to utilize all of the extra grass, he recently took back a lot of the …
Photosynthesis. The most important biological process on earth! Plants are unique because they create their own nutrients from inorganic material. Plants can literally create fats, carbohydrates and proteins. This is pretty incredible when you think about the fact that we, as humans, rely on other plants and animals to provide us with the nutrients we …
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 …
Recently we went to a game reserve and Ian made some really great observations that I’d like to share with you all. This experience was wonderful. Ian and Pam took us to a private game reserve one weekend for lunch and a game drive. For Jessica and I this was our first game drive and …
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 …
A few people have asked me what I think they need, in terms of stuff, to get started ranching or grazing. This is a good question and I haven’t thought about presenting it before. The good news is you don’t to spend a lot of money. In fact, I purchased a lot of things at …
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 …
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, …
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, …
Many people that know me personally were surprised that my wife and I would move to South Africa to study ranching of all things. Many were also alarmed when I quit my job as a teacher to pursue my dream of ranching. I had other teachers coming up to me and saying how awesome it …
I was talking with William (Ian’s son) the other day about cattle genetics. I was asking him a lot of questions about what traits to look for and this and that. I asked him about certain books and philosophies concerning cattle genetics. He gave me a really great answer that I’d like to share with …
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 …
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 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Craig has sent me a series of questions, and this one also comes from him. Craig wants to know how you determine the size of a paddock for your grazing animals. This is a great question and not an easy one to answer. Before we talk about determining paddock size we need to talk about …
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” …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Today I want to talk about Permaculture and Holistic Management. For those of you who don’t know Permaculture is similar to Holistic Management. The term or idea is a product of Bill Mollison an Australian Ecologist. Holistic Management was developed by Allan Savory who was a game manager, farmer and consultant from Zimbabwe. Permaculture is …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. :) …
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. 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 …
Many folks in the permaculture world promote food forests. What is a food forest? A food forest is a multi-layered, purposefully designed forest comprised of food producing species. Think of it like a very low maintenance “garden” that has a lot of trees, shrubs and ground species that produce something useful like fruits, nuts, seeds …
How do you mow your lawn? Easy.
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 …
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. …
Ok, I couldn’t help myself. I need to say something about this picture. We put some hay down on the dam of a newly constructed pond. The cattle trampled the hay into the soil to add organic matter, seed and kinetic energy. What an easy way to heal bare soil!
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 …
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 …
It’s a common belief that organic matter can only be built in soils one way. From the top down. Join me today for an insight into a second way organic matter can be built, from the bottom up! You can also subscribe to Agricultural Insights and get notified of new posts via email by going here.
What the heck in an “Inclusion Zone”? Well, it’s a nifty way to increase the amount of litter you trample on the ground with your livestock. You could do this with any livestock, however cattle will be the most effective due to their weight and size. I first heard about an inclusion zone from Greg …
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 …
Having a Mobile Fence Charging System can be very convenient and give you a lot of flexibility when using portable electric fencing. While not permanent like high-tensile electric fence, it can still have a place on the more remote areas of your land, or a rental property. Join me today for a review of the …
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 …
Polywire or Polybraid? Is there a difference? Why should I care!? Well friends, there is a huge difference! View the video below as I talk about the differences between the two, and which one I recommend you spend your hard earned money on.
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 …
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 …
I review Thermos Stainless King Coffee Mug. This is an awesome travel coffee mug!!
The Graze:Trample Ratio when Grazing Cattle or Sheep is easy to figure out with a little practice. Join me today for a video explanation.
Join me for a review of the Ariat Western Sierra work boot. This is a great slip-on work boot, and it has it all.
I’ve worn these Irish Setter Choremaster boots for six months. Join me today for an update on how these boots are performing.
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. …
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 …
Hey guys and gals, I’d love to hear some suggestions from you about topics you are interested in learning about. What are some topics you’d like me to cover?
If you’ve recently started a farm or ranch, you might be asking yourself how do I sell all of this stuff!? Farmers markets are a great way to meet customers, turn those customers into fans and earn money. But, before you try to do any of that, you need to get some basic things done. …
The majority of Americans think farmers and ranchers are poor and dumb. 2/3 of Americans live in cities where there are no cattle, or farms. The first sentence of this paragraph has some truth to it. Many farmers and ranchers are poor. Why? It all comes down to management. Managing money is harder than managing …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
