US senator raises concerns about Sanderson Farms sale

Can you list the five things you need to raise healthy chicks in a brooder? Food, water, bedding, grit, heat. The first four are simple but the fifth gets complicated. Mimicking the warm protection of a mother hen means keeping babies at an optimal temperature, which changes week by week until they are ready to stay outside for good. And adding supplementary heat is not optional. From hatching day to that first night spent in the coop, monitoring and providing the right temperatures for chi

Today, we are going to blow your mind with interesting facts about Leghorn chickens. By the end of this article, you will want to run out and grab a few Leghorns for your flock as well. Leghorn chickens are fascinating creatures. They are full of life and funny little quirks. But how much do you really know about the Leghorn?Leghorn Chicken OriginThe first interesting fact about leghorn chickens is their origins. These beautiful birds originate from Tuscany, Italy.And they first came to the

The author is an associate professor and dairy management extension specialist with Virginia Tech University.Different reasons exist for growing small grain crops on a dairy farm. Winter annual crops capture nitrogen from the manure applied to the soil, protect the soil from erosion, and provide forage for feeding cattle. In respect to forage production, it is sometimes believed that a double-crop rotation will yield more forage than a single crop rotation. However, a boost in total forage produ

There was an email message on my computer the other day that made me wonder just how many producers out there are afraid to buy calves from the sale barn. We have heard the horror stories, the calves just did not do well, the death count was just too high, the calves were hard to handle and just crazy. Now before this piece goes any farther I should issue this disclaimer, my son runs a sale barn and has for the last 15 years. So understand, I am not in any way promoting the sale barn business.