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You want your pastures to perform in top condition. A healthy pasture provides nourishing forage and comfortable home to your horses, cattle and other grazing animals. Using the right kind of seed will help meet the nutritional requirements for your livestock.  Step 1 A healthy pasture starts with healthy soil. Testing your soil can be daunting at first though not hard to do. Simple test kits can be purchased online or you can have your local extension office, ag. Office or a local college come and test the soil for you. Knowing the health and quality of your soil will...

Wet conditions can be challenging to proper hoof care, but it is easy to keep your horse on sound footing even during extensive periods of wet weather. How Wet Conditions Affect Hooves Soft, wet ground can dramatically affect horses' hooves. When the ground is very soft, hooves don't wear down as quickly, and can become overgrown or may grow unevenly. A horse's balance can be affected by soft ground and uneven hooves, which may lead to joint pain, limping or lameness, as well as increasing the risk of falls. In time, knee and hip problems can also develop. If the...

Warmer weather is approaching and with that comes the pesky flies that torment your livestock. Flies are not only annoying, they also spread diseases that can lead to digestive and growth problems for your livestock. Some of the conditions flies cause and diseases they transmit include summer sores, eye worms, pigeon fever, equine infectious anemia virus and onchocerciasis. To prepare for battle, here are some tips that will help you reduce the number of irritating barn flies in and around your barn. Proper Manure Disposal It is important to keep your stalls clean on a daily basis. The less manure...

It's always enjoyable to drive by a home that has great curb appeal. Of course, those passing by might assume the homeowners simply have an enviable green thumb. However, chances are the homeowners did their homework and discovered that one of the secrets to great landscaping is encouraging good soil. Since soil houses the essential nutrients that plants and flowers need to thrive, homeowners who start with a good soil foundation are much better prepared, since they began their landscaping efforts literally from the ground up. Get to Know Your Own Soil Different plants, flowers, etc. require different types of...

Though it seems old man winter is a bit more stubborn about releasing his grip this year, he will let go eventually so you can start gardening. Be ready to hit the ground running this spring by following these April gardening tips. Plan Your Year If you haven't already laid out your plan for the upcoming gardening season, you still have a bit of time left. Here are some tasks that you will want to have finished in April if you hope to stay on top of things:  Order (maybe with rush delivery) or pick out bulbs. Start seedlings to...