Combining solar projects with grazing animals is a way for livestock producers to expand their operations without depending on land ownership.

Developing a livestock grazing plan during the initial design of solar projects helps to eliminate future problems.

I’m hustling to keep up with the grass growth and mow under the fence to keep the volts up and my high school help went back to school.

Nathaniel will be marketing his first-ever pastured organic broiler crop as his entrepreneurial debut.

Plant succession is a process where one plant community replaces another.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition will host two upcoming Grazing Schools, with events scheduled this September in Cambridge and Waltonville.

We think now in our second rotation that things are improving, not just from better practices from us, but from the steers perhaps having less anxiety about what and where they are grazing.

Wheat harvest is complete on Riskedal Family Farms and cover crops have been planted that will be grazed by cattle starting in September.

Identifying their business goal will help cattlemen determine where to allocate dollars in their operation.

American Agri-Women’s 30th Symposium was held at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington.

With good yields come low prices, so at times like these it’s good to have some diversification.

There will be at least three more pasture walks put on by the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition coming up.

“Summertime, when the livin’ is easy.” That line from a well-known song couldn’t be further from the truth.

By having the HeatSiecker patches on this year, it allowed for digital alerts of estrus and not having to spend as much time visually observing the cows in person.

Illinois Farm Bureau is hosting Nutrient Stewardship Field Days this summer for farmers and industry partners to collaborate and discuss ongoing research and innovative approaches to nutrient stewardship.

A wise-old rancher told me last year, “I can lead you to knowledge, but I can’t make you think.”

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition has worked successfully through the tension of whether it would still have grant funds for events after the days of DOGE.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition announced the launch of a new educational initiative for producers: the Illinois Grazing and Forage Hub.

I’ve got my bean crop planted into green standing cereal rye that had been sprayed just the day previous. It went into great soil conditions.

Last month I alluded to an announcement concerning our grazing operation here at River Oak for 2025. So, here it is.

Focusing on soil health is important for farmers since soil fertility is not inexhaustible.

The focus at TWG Ranch is to raise reproductive, maternal cattle with longevity and product merit.

Tags on bags of livestock feed must meet specific standards.

Some of the highlights I came away with from the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition’s 2025 Grazing Conference are: soil microbes help the water percolate through the soil and cover crops help feed the soil microbes which make them multiply.

It is great to see several tractors in the fields around northern Illinois. They are putting fertilizer down and soil finishing the fields. No planting yet, but it will not be too long.

Grass will be ready for turnout soon. It is hard to hold out, but so important to give grass a fair start.

Vegetation management is a vital part of the development plan for solar arrays since shade is the No. 1 enemy for collecting sunlight by the panels.

Illinois cattlemen have an abundant supply of low-cost feed available for their herds with the millions of acres of corn grown each year in the state.

Disruption is the key to adaptive grazing systems.

American Farmland Trust focuses on protecting farmland, keeping farmers on the land and promoting sound farming practices.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition announced the recipients of the 2025 Master Grazier Awards at the ILGLC Annual Grazing Conference in Springfield.

While observing the impacts herbivores had on plant growth 40 years ago, Ken Paige made a discovery that could transform soybean production.

As March hit, we finally got some relief on the weather and had some nice days that first week. February stayed ugly until the end and muddy, muddy, muddy.

Brrr, it’s cold outside. My sheep need good hay in their bellies to keep them warm during this time. That’s why I tested my hay and found out it averages only 8.75% crude protein.

Cattlemen have several options to control brush or woody plants in pastures.

The CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, shared expert market and weather analysis.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Executive Committee approved the organization’s policy priorities at CattleCon 2025.

On rural Texas farmland, beneath hundreds of rows of solar panels, a troop of stocky sheep rummage through pasture, casually bumping into one another as they remain committed to a single task: chewing grass.

The weather hasn’t presented too many challenges this winter, so far, but we know better than to celebrate just yet. We are still in a near-desperation need for runoff rain.

Sylvester and Sabrina Friend of Prairie Hills Farm in Selma were honored as a finalist of the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year Award.

The Farm Service Agency reminds producers, including dairy producers impacted by H5N1, the deadline to apply for financial assistance is Jan. 30 for losses due to specific adverse conditions that occurred in 2024.

Corteva Agriscience announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has registered NovaGraz herbicide.

It’s cold outside, so it must be meeting time. Besides the meetings I talked about last month there is the Northern Indiana Grazing Conference on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at the Michiana Event Center in beautiful Shipshewana, Indiana.

As a new year begins I realize that time is not waiting for me. Where did 24 years of this century go? I certainly can name milestone events during those 24 years, but the rest of the time, the majority, I seem to have little recollection.

Family farms accounted for 96% of total U.S. farms and 83% of the total value of production, according to the Agricultural Resource Management Survey.

Florida agriculture suffered more than $190 million in losses from Hurricane Milton, making it the costliest for farmers and ranchers of three cyclones that pummeled the state in 2024, according to University of Florida researchers.

Cargill RegenConnect has surpassed one million enrolled acres for the 2025 U.S. planting season, a milestone that underscores Cargill’s ongoing efforts to support farmers in adopting regenerative agriculture practices.

Cattle and sheep graze on permanent pasture, cover crops and crop residue on Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm in northern Illinois.

Illinois State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced a statewide funding opportunity for the Conservation Stewardship Program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The goal of the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition is to help support livestock producers in building profitable, sustainable grazing operations.