Category: Rural life

The Green is Lichens

While waiting for the snow to melt, I made a round on the backyard fence to make sure it was still up and there were no holes in it for the skunks to sneak in. Magdelin, the 5-month pup, does…

There is nothing like using wood when you are grilling. Wood cooking goes back to the stone age. Now it has become an art. Using different types of woods gives different flavors to what you are cooking or smoking. Like…

Thinking about raising chickens? First, think about your chicken coop. One thing to remember if you are buying one or building one is to give your chickens 4 square feet of space per chicken. More is better, after all, they…

We love our calf catcher! It is a one-person show now. Catch the calf for vaccinating, banding, and tagging without the hassle and the cow remains calms because she can see and smell her calf. They range from $2500 to…

Corn and milo residue can serve many purposes on cow/calf operations in South Dakota. The combination of dropped ears, grain, husks, and leaves provide an adequate ration for spring calving cows and can be managed to maintain body condition or…

Barn conversions are hot, thanks in large part to shows like “Fixer Upper”. It’s strange to think there was a time when the phrase “born in a barn” was an insult. These days, it’s a status symbol. There’s even a TV series…

Hackers have been hacking large companies, however, now they are coming after small businesses especially rural ones because of lack of protection. So what can a small business owner do? Change your passwords, starting from your oldest ones. You’re probably…

Here’s how it works: Scammers are using auto-dialers to call cell phone numbers across the country. Scammers let the phone ring once — just enough for a missed call message to pop up. The scammers hope you’ll call back, either…

Calf catching, back in the day Rick and I used an old ’64 pickup to check calves and work them. Not many of our Hereford cows ever made it in the pickup, the trouble was with the Angus. As we…

1. Hopper If I were only able to have one bird feeder in my yard, then I would choose a hopper style. Hoppers are perfect for holding a general mix of bird food that appeals to a wide variety of…

Farming has come a long way since the days of horse and plow. Every year, there are new and exciting developments being made which could further change the way we farm. Now drones are used in farming and ranching. 1.…

Calving season is a busy time for beef producers and it seems every year a calving book gets washed in the washing machine with valuable information never to be read again. So, an app for your phone might be a…