Answer: Temperature-controlled buildings keep pigs comfortable, warm and safe and allow us to monitor their health and well-being with some extra steps during harsh winter months.
Caring for animals has a different set of challenges that come and go with each season in northern Illinois. Winter is certainly no exception to ...
Answer: About 96% of all farms in the U.S. are family-owned and operated. Some farms have been farmed by generations of family members and are incorporated for business purposes.
I’m sure you’ve seen it driving down the road. Miles and miles of corn and soybeans stretching endlessly across the horizon. Some ...
Answer: Switching to plant-based meat substitutes will have an impact on cattle farms with a disruption in beef production. It also confuses consumers who may not realize the trade-offs.
As I look back on the topics covered over the past several years, this one has to be the most complicated and ...
Answer: We provide buildings that protect our cows from harsh winter temperatures and drafts, along with clean, dry stalls and bedding. We also give them good quality feed with enough extra energy in their diet to withstand the cold weather.
As I write this, the leaves have fallen and it’s snowing. ...
Answer: Cover crops can be harvested for livestock feed. On our prevent plant acres we grew sorghum-sudan grass (instead of field corn) and will be chopping it and feeding
it to our cattle.
Many acres in DeKalb County and surrounding counties were not planted to the usual field corn or soybean crops ...
Answer: African Swine Fever is a disease that originated in Africa and now has infected pigs in China. With protocols in place here, it is my hope that it doesn’t reach the United States.
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a swine disease virus that has been around for decades. First in ...
Answer: Most dairy farms have family members or employees to milk cows and provide feed and care for animals. As dairy farmers, it’s up to us to train our family and employees to provide the utmost best care for our animals.
Dairy farms typically have several people involved on a daily ...
A: With a reduction in crops being planted, feed for livestock will be in short supply. If we can’t raise our own feed we will need to buy it.
The past fall and winter was a trying time for many livestock producers. The cold and snowy weather increased the demand for ...
ANSWER: Springtime is when we put cows on pasture and when we plant our crops – alfalfa and field corn – which is fed to our cows.
This time of year, in April and early May, our dairy farm transitions from winter to spring. I love this time of the year: ...
Answer: All animals have natural occurring hormones. So there’s no such thing as hormone-free pork. Also, no supplemental growth hormones are given to pigs.
I was driving around the country and I came across a sign advertising pork for sale, more specifically, “hormone-free pork.” I have seen similar advertising in small ...
