I met Blake HItzfied 4-5 years ago at a conference in the upper mid-west. Time passed, software was developed and re-developed and in the fall of 2015 at the Grass-Fed exchange in Michigan, Blaine Hitzfield gave an amazing, eye-opening talk about marketing farm products with a focus on visibility, accessibility and convenience for the consumer. I had finally heard THE talk I had been waiting for for 14 years.
Do-it-yourself "Ram Water Pump"
I love it when someone shares their common sense.
take a look at this video for a simple home made version...
Will Winter and "The Art of Breeding Proper Cattle"
By Will Winter, DVM
The art of breeding proper livestock boils down to two major criteria: selecting the good ones and culling the bad ones. For me, culling is so painful that I’m terrible at doing it! I save the losers! I seem to be drawn to some of the wrong ones for all the wrong reasons, maybe because I feel sorry for them. That is why this article is not about me!
When I need to make herd-building decisions, like we all need to do, I am inclined to turn to the professionals.
No sharp corners on cows
Many years ago I heard someone say, "If you just eliminate everything white from your diet, you will get healthier." White flour, white rice, white sugar, milk products (but what if it was raw, A2, Grass-Finished, nutrient-rich, high butterfat...you get the idea. There are exceptions to every rule), etc. Is that the epitome of health? NO, but a good first step to turning the corner.
With that in mind, I was trying to come up with something similar for the phenotype for easy keeping cows. Any sharp "corners" on cows indicate a higher maintenance cow.