Pasture is the backbone of Florida’s cattle ranching industry and as such provides the foundation for nutrition of the entire herd. Early in my career as an extension livestock agent, an old Florida Cracker told me “Yes, I’m… Read More
It is no secret that Florida’s soils are less than ideal from both a nutrient and production standpoint; finding ways to maximize soil health will have production benefits as well as environmental benefits. Utilizing cover crops is a… Read More
The average 1000 pound horse will accumulate nearly 10 tons of manure and stall waste each year. Multiply that number by the amount of horses in your herd and that is your annual manure contribution. The unfortunate link between… Read More
Wild populations of feral hogs are descended from domestic animals that escaped from captivity. Feral hogs are first thought to be introduced to the Southeast by Spanish explorers as far back as the 16th century. European wild boars… Read More
Many horse farm owners rid of their stall waste by spreading it onto their pastures and think they are doing best by their pastures as well as eliminating the manure problem. While spreading manure can be a beneficial… Read More
In all English-speaking countries, land is traditionally measured by the acre, a very old Saxon unit that is either historic or archaic, depending on your point of view. There are references to the acre at least as early… Read More
In Florida’s freshwaters, algae are what make the water green. Green water is not necessarily undesirable, and neither are algae. In fact, algae are essential to the ecosystem and to life. A primary component of the food web,… Read More
There are a lot of horse “ranchettes” that are minimal in size, about 2-10 acres in total. The UF/IFAS recommended stocking rate is about 2 acres per horse, and if we are going to push that limit our… Read More
