Livestock

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Winter Cattle Lice

Lice infestations during winter housing represent a significant challenge for cattle producers, particularly organic operations raising cattle without chemical inputs. This series of fact sheets from University of Vermont Extension describes the life cycle of cattle lice, control strategies based on integrated pest management (IPM) principles, and the use of essential oils as alternative controls. […]

Johne’s Disease Fact Sheets

Johne’s disease is an infectious disease of ruminants that reduces profitability of infected herds and is difficult to control. These University of Vermont fact sheets (combined into a 16-page PDF) answer questions about what Johne's disease is, how it spreads and how to control the disease.

Optimizing the Economic Return of Pasture-Raised Broilers

This set of publications were developed by Cornell University and are intended to help producers of slow-growth and conventional broilers understand their costs of production and track the performance of their flocks. A third fact sheet shares guidance on breaking down a carcass into desired cuts. Calculating Costs of Production Farmers must figure out their […]

An Introduction to Honey Bee Breeding Program Design

Honey bee breeding is a long-term, labor-intensive process that is becoming more popular and accessible. This 10-page fact sheet from Penn State Extension, An Introduction to Honey Bee Breeding Program Design, introduces beekeepers to the basics of starting a honey bee breeding program.

Considerations and Recommendations When Establishing Custom Grazing Relationships

This guide and set of recommendations are intended for organic dairy farmers and other livestock graziers interested in starting a custom grazing relationship with a neighboring farmer or landowner. Successful custom grazing can provide or increase grazing acreage for those farmers who need it and can also provide opportunities for smaller, beginning, leased, and diversified […]

Managing Staph aureus on the Organic Dairy

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that causes mastitis in dairy cattle. Staph aureus mastitis is highly contagious and can easily spread among the herd. Organic dairy farmer Katie Webb Clark conducted a Northeast SARE Farmer Grant project to test milking hygiene and preventative management protocols used in the U.S. and New Zealand, trialed Manuka honey […]

Pastured Rabbit for Profit

Pastured Rabbit for Profit is a guide written by New York farmer Nichki Carangelo. It is a practical resource intended to guide farmers through the start-up phase of a pasture-based rabbitry. It includes a full enterprise budget along with housing plans, sample breeding schedules, feed guidelines and other rabbit husbandry basics. Chapters include:

Native bees and flowering cover crops

While managed colonies of European honey bees are most frequently used for crop pollination, wild or native bees commonly provide the same pollination services for ‘free’ without the costs of renting or maintaining honey bee hives.