Pivotal Issues Blog

By Rob Sharkey When I first started farming, I wanted to be that guy that was in total communications with my neighbors. I was going to let them know everything. When I was going to plant, when I was going to harvest, and especially when I was going to spray. So that’s exactly what I […]

By Jodi Henke The decision to take down a tree is easy when it’s dead. But sometimes a tree that’s still alive has overstepped its boundaries or become a nuisance, making that decision a bit harder. Thanks to storm damage and the threat of the emerald ash borer, we put an ash tree out of […]

By Jodi Henke Insurance is one of those things you hope you never have to use, but it’s good to know it’s there if you need it. When was the last time you looked at your policies and made updates? There is so much investment in a farm, sometimes you forget to make sure it’s […]

By Raylene Nickel Stress goes hand in hand with farming and ranching. It’s built into the natural rhythms we live by: unpredictable weather, livestock that sometimes decides to live by its own rules, and plants that get derailed by disease, drought, rain, or cold. Nevertheless, the rewards of a rural life and work on a […]

By Jodi Henke As farms get larger and the labor market tightens, the farm manager has to be a human resources specialist in their quest to find and retain the best employees. Leadership, organization, being a visionary and having good communication skills are of course important as well. However, a blanket managerial approach for all […]

By Successful Farming Staff Michigan farmers can now mediate a wide range of disputes at no cost through the Michigan Agricultural Mediation Program (MAMP), courtesy of the 2018 Farm Bill. The bill enables the MAMP to mediate agricultural issues involving leases, farm transitions, organic certification, next-door neighbors, and more. The MAMP helps the farm community […]

By Raylene Nickel Cutting corners on cow nutrition may save on feed costs in the short term, but the long-range consequences could be more costly and more far reaching than expected. Research has shown that calves born to cows whose diets were nutritionally restricted during gestation experience long-term losses in performance, as compared with progeny […]

By Corbett Kull It’s almost time for farmers and landlords to begin negotiating their leases for the 2020 growing season. With 40% of U.S. farmland rented, this market is worth $32 billion. As you begin to consider the next growing season, you have the opportunity to make adjustments and gain new insight into the health […]

By Brent Olson I was headed down the road with three grandchildren when we smelled that summertime gift of rural roads, a dead skunk. Everyone made the appropriate noises, opened windows, and gagged a little. To change the mood I said, “Hey, let’s all sing that dead skunk song.” “There is no dead skunk song, […]

By Chuck Abbott More than half of U.S. farm operators say they do business over the internet, a 13-point increase in six years, as ownership of computers and access to the internet blossomed, according to USDA. Nonetheless, the Pew Research Center says rural Americans are much less likely than their city counterparts to have a […]