Posts
Preparing for Winter - Livestock Edition!
December 04, 2017
For many, preparing for winter means pulling that box of sweaters out of the attic, putting away the flip flops and maybe chopping (or buying) some firewood. But for those with livestock, preparing for winter has an entirely different meaning.
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A New Season
October 02, 2017
With the arrival of cooler temperatures and shorter days, it may seem like things should be slowing down on farms in the area. However, just the opposite is true. The fall months can be some of the busiest for some farmers – while hay season is now a thing of the past, there is still plenty happening on farms.
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Farm Transition and Succession Planning - Thoughts for the Younger Generation
September 11, 2017
In both Virginia and West Virginia, the average age of a farmer is now over 59 years old. In Virginia, 36% of farmers are over 65 years old. For many farming operations, this means that the farm will be transitioning from one generation to the next, or one owner to another, in the next 10 years.
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Thoughts for Texas
August 29, 2017
Long days, hard work, hot summers, cold winters. No matter what they grow, farmers work hard year round to produce the best crop they can. Livestock producers, grain farmers, cotton farmers, vegetable producers…the product doesn’t matter. There is work to do each and every day on each of these types of operations, and a long list of things that they have to take into consideration and be prepared for. Seed, feed and fertilizer costs; the current market price for their product; labor, sick animals, potential pest infestations (weeds, bugs or fungus) and much more are everyday concerns for farmers. They can be inconvenient or even downright frustrating, but they are all on the list of potential problems.
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Oh the Weather!
May 08, 2017
Weather. Love it or hate it, we have had some interesting weather so far this year. A much milder winter than normal, a few random cold days when the weather should be getting warmer, and the rain…oh the rain. For most people, the weather is mostly an inconvenience when it does not cooperate. If you ask my kids, it’s “not fair” because they want to wear shorts and sandals, not pants and tennis shoes (or rain boots in some cases). Weekend events may be canceled, or at least not quite as enjoyable, due to the rain (anyone attend the Gold Cup Event in Warrenton this weekend – muck boots and rain coats are not the usual attire for this event – but we saw plenty of them on Saturday!). For farmers however, the weather has a huge impact; much more significant than a cancelled picnic.
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