The in-a-nutshell Reader’s Digest version of ‘about me’ is that I’m passionate about agriculture. Although I’m interested in all kinds of agricultural production, I have a soft spot for sheep, goats, horses and dogs.
I believe that farmers and ranchers should be able to choose the way they raise livestock just as consumers should have choices about the foods they buy. I’ll defend your right to eat whatever you like as long as you don’t criticize others’ choices.
As an ag science writer, I’ve had an opportunity to meet and learn from farmers and other ag professionals who share my passion. Over the years I’ve learned that there is no single ‘right’ way to raise livestock, but there are many ways in which farm animals can be kept healthy, well-fed and free from undue suffering.
Our farm is home to sheep, goats, horses and livestock guardian dogs. I’ll share more about them in future posts. I’ll also bring up some of the ag topics I’m writing about, and perhaps we can discuss some of the hot topics in ag.
Reading your article about silage does not give me warm fuzzies about the honesty of this blog.
I doubt that three civilians in a hundred will catch the conflation of the green plants fed by those 19th century Vermonters and the mature dried kernels fed in today’s feedlots.
I suspect that the conflation is deliberate.
Frank Richards
Frank, I merely copied what Dr. Chase wrote in 1894. The topic of silage is 10 pages long, and I didn’t see a need to quote the entire section on the growing, preservation and feeding of crops to livestock. However, I’ll quote another brief passage from the book here:
(page 716) “Corn takes the lead of ensilage crops. Rye is grown by many in connection with corn – the same ground producing a crop of each in a season.”
After some discussion of the best methods of planting and cultivating, the passage continues with:
“The common practice is to put crops into the silo when their full growth has been reached, and before ripening begins.”
I think the most important thing to remember is that corn is a grass.
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