Post Driver

Before the pandemic hit, Modern Farmer spoke to farmers who had completed their first year of farming and were gearing up for their second season. They told us about some of their biggest challenges, how they overcame them, and why it was all worth it in the end. Here are some of their stories, which we’re sharing in a series in the hope they can help those thinking about quitting their desk job to jump into farming.  For new farmers, simply making the decision to start a

First off, decide if you want a dairy or beef cow. (Or neither; it’s perfectly valid to keep cows purely for ornamental reasons.) A dairy cow will require regular visits from an artificial inseminator or a local bull in order to keep her producing, as well as figuring out what to do with her calves. Raising a beef cow is simpler: Pasture or feed it and slaughter when it gets to weight. (If you plan to sell your meat, you’ll need to get slaughtering done in a USD

SpawningCobia reach sexual maturity within 2 years of age under aquaculture settings.Mature broodfish are multiple spawners with a protracted spawning season from mid-spring to mid-autumn. Photothermal manipulation (27–28oC; 14–hour photoperiod) maximises ovarian development.Hormone therapy using pelletised implants of luteinising hormone-releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa) can be used to induce final oocyte maturation, ovulation, and spawning in broodfish.Groups of selected spaw

The author is a managing partner in Elite Ag LLC, Leesburg, Ga. He also is active in the family farm in Rutledge. Hay season is winding down for most of us, and all of this year’s crop, or lack thereof in some cases, is in the barn. It was usually about this time of year when my dad and I would start to look back at the previous haying season and discuss what we could have done differently or better. I recall one winter about 12 years ago when we found ourselves feeding the cows a bunch of raine