Losing a large tree is never fun, but did you know many tree losses are preventable? If you are planning to plant a tree, you can prevent many unnessary tree deaths (and expenses) by following the instructions in this podcast. Choose the right place, prepare the right space, inspect the base, and you'll have a smile on your face.

Seed saving seems simple, but it isn’t completely basic. Losing all your seeds to mold or having none of them germinate could extend your seasonal depression just as the sun starts to come out. And did you know that crosspollination can cause toxicity in some species? Tune in to learn more about all this, and how to reduce next years disease load while you’re saving your seeds. We used these great resources as references and think you should too: https://extension.psu.edu/seed-saving-basics and https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/H262.pdf

One of the biggest concerns with raising sheep and goats is parasite management. There are a lot of things that can go wrong by over treating, even (and perhaps especially) with natural things like copper.  Keeping a close eye on your animals for weight loss or decreased body condition, diarrhea or swelling under the jaw can all be helpful in reducing the severity of parasite loads. If you can, find a FAMACHA training and attend it! Tune in to get an overview and check out this great fact sheet from Mississippi State University Extension for more details! http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/sustainable-parasite-control-for-sheep-and-goats

Stockpiling forage basically means you are avoiding grazing a certain field so you can save it for leaner times in the winter. There's a little more to it, however. Fertilizing, nutritional needs of the animals, body condition scores, and more go into determining feed needs. Could stockpiling be a way for your farm to reduce input costs?

Water is the most important nutrient. Access to clean water is essential to human life and to many of the things we like to consume. But, water quality may not be as straightforward as you'd think. Clear water can be just as dangerous as cloudy, or turbid, water. We discuss bacterial and chemical issues, why they're important, and what you can do.

One of the many calls we get in the summer is regarding Anthracnose on Grapes. Unfortunately, when it comes to fungal diseases, often by the time you see symptoms. Scouting and prevention are key. In this show we discuss how to properly use fungicides, and how sanitation, pruning, and healthy soils will keep your fungal diseases at bay.

Fire is beautiful and sometimes magical, but it is not joke. Fire losses and expenditures total nearly $330 billion annually in the USA. There are many things you can do to reduce the danger of fires. Follow local burning guidelines, always extinguish fires completely, and use fire wise landscaping principles. Note: in the show we wrongly used firewise.org as the web address, it has been updated to https://nfpa.org. 

It's hot out there! With heat indexes hitting 100 this summer, we are rerunning a show from 2019 on how to manage heat stress in livestock. You'll learn to identify the signs of heat stress and what you can do about it. When in doubt, call your vetrinarian! 

Livestock Heat Stress: Recognition Response and Prevention by Susan R. Kerr from Washington State University Extension https://hdl.handle.net/2376/5277 

If you are raising livestock you have your hands full. Not only do you need to balance breeding and genetic stock, but you also need to balance minerals and medical. But, at the base of all good livestock production is grass and soil. If you neglect those, you can lose a lot of money.

While we're not technically making burgers out of soil, through a complex series of interactions good soil leads to lots of healthy grasses, which make healthy cows, which then make great burgers. But, if you want a good end product you can't scrimp at the beginning. Feed your soil the right foods, provide the right medicine and vitamins, and you can watch everything improve.