Hopefully this will be my last blog post...on this computer! I ordered a new Dell last week, and it's due to arrive any day.
To put things in perspective, I bought the computer I currently use in 2002 or 2003. The poor thing is ancient in terms of computers, and does some funny things. It won't let me reply to comments, or comment on certain blogs (at least I think it's the computer and not me, I really do read and appreciate all the comments on here, and have tried to comment back). I've just spent the last 30 minutes trying to upload photos for a blog post with no luck. It takes 20 minutes to start up each morning, and about the same amount of time to shut down each evening. You don't want to know what happens if I don't turn it off each night.
This computer has been a part of my life since college, where I used it to get my degree. It was used to type my first column for a newspaper, and edit the first set of wedding pictures I took. It got a bit of a break while I worked at the Roundup, but I still had to use it for certain functions becuase my work Mac had some glitches.
It's also what I used to write the stories and edit the pictures that paid for the new computer.
I chose to stick with Dell because any technology company that makes a laptop that lasts a decade is A-Okay in my book. It's not like they were easy years where I fired it up every few days either. I know lots of people have good and bad luck with any computer brand, but mine with Dell has been exceptional. I also realize that many people prefer Mac's to PC's, but my personal experience with Mac's has been pretty mediocre.
So, Dell XPS 15z, I hope you're as great to me as the Dell Inspiron 1505 was!
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
I thought I'd never see this
Below is something I didn't think I would ever witness in my lifetime.
Be forewarned that it was quite shocking to see for the first time...
My father and uncle using their cell phones while riding.
Sorry if you were expecting something else.
I was caught very off guard when my uncle asked if I had my cell phone on me a couple weeks ago when we were gathering and trailing cows. I did that particular day, but it was turned off and in the bottom of my camera bag. I asked why, and he replied that he would just call me when he wanted me to open a particular gate we were trailing some cows through. I was on a 4-wheeler due to my horse being injured, and thus assigned such jobs and zooming out in front of the bunch to open a gate or turn them.
He ended up having left his phone in the pickup, so my dad showed him how to use his, and I snapped the above photo during the lesson.
It worked well, and is a great example of how technology can be used to increase efficiency on a ranching operation. I know lots of people who have cell service, and use cell phones, on their operations, but this is the first location we've run cattle on that boasted cell service of any kind. While I doubt we will ever be the type of people who are on our phones all day while doing ranch work, it is a very handy service to have in certain situations.
However, I am still surprised any time I see these two men trailing cows and making phone calls, all at once.
Be forewarned that it was quite shocking to see for the first time...
My father and uncle using their cell phones while riding.Sorry if you were expecting something else.
I was caught very off guard when my uncle asked if I had my cell phone on me a couple weeks ago when we were gathering and trailing cows. I did that particular day, but it was turned off and in the bottom of my camera bag. I asked why, and he replied that he would just call me when he wanted me to open a particular gate we were trailing some cows through. I was on a 4-wheeler due to my horse being injured, and thus assigned such jobs and zooming out in front of the bunch to open a gate or turn them.
He ended up having left his phone in the pickup, so my dad showed him how to use his, and I snapped the above photo during the lesson.
It worked well, and is a great example of how technology can be used to increase efficiency on a ranching operation. I know lots of people who have cell service, and use cell phones, on their operations, but this is the first location we've run cattle on that boasted cell service of any kind. While I doubt we will ever be the type of people who are on our phones all day while doing ranch work, it is a very handy service to have in certain situations.
However, I am still surprised any time I see these two men trailing cows and making phone calls, all at once.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
NCBA recap
I learned a lot while at the NCBA, met a lot of great people, and heard about a lot of issues. While the vast majority of these names, issues, tidbits and useful items are still floating around in my mind, a few have surfaced, by choice or force.
So, here are a few quick items of note from my week in Denver.
CattleFax provided an update during one general session. What I got out of it was:
550 lb steer calves are expected to be around $1.25/lb this fall, with the high end expected to bring as much as $1.75/lb. That's not a typo....
They project it to be a non-break even year in the feeding sector, due largely to corn prices.
Cow-calf guys are expected to do the best this year (please see first point)
There is concern over the shrinking supply of cattle (duh) and the potential loss of world market share.
Then I ran into a rancher from South Dakota I know, and we were visiting about all this. When I mentioned the loss of world market share, he asked, "loss to who?" Then pointed out the products exported from the U.S. are typically desired for their quality, which is unmatched in the world. Just something to think about.
Karl Rove also spoke at a general session and was very interesting.
Main points: Obama's dumb (yeah....)
He isn't getting smarter...
Maybe not a lot of new information, but he presented it well, and highlighted some major issues, like the impact of Obamacare, the deficit and made a couple interesting points on export markets. Despite my smart alec comments, he was fun to listen to, and he does know all the current facts and figures, which was scary to hear.
I attended the Cattlemen's College, and learned a lot about implementing an AI program into your operation. I also heard a number of fast food, high-end restaurant, wholesale, and retail beef suppliers speak on consumer trends and preferences.
The major topics of interest at the convention included the consumer, and maintaining or increasing beef demand both domestically and internationally.
Hearing these people in the retail segment speak was eye-opening. They know the consumer, and they know their beef. They are concerned over the ever-increasing size of carcasses, but realize the economics driving that size increase.
The Checkoff, and other players, are continuously working on implementing new beef products. One of these is a Ribeye Filet, which reduces the size of the steak for consumers through fileting it, and is also cheaper than a whole ribeye. However, it does sell for more per pound than an entire steak would, and allows diversification of a particular cut of meat.
Technology was another big player in conversations. Use of technology is expected to be the number one contributor to the "producing more with less" mentality the beef industry is embracing in its effort to continue to feed the growing world population
I think I heard there is expected to be 27 million more people in the U.S. by 2050. I can't remember the worldwide figure, but its growing exponentially too.
Use of such social media outlets as facebook, twitter and blogs is another key thing in telling the true story of agriculture, and is gaining lots of momentum. There were twitter gatherings during the trade show, and media members were constantly updating facebook accounts and blogs during the convention.
One general session was even put online as it was going on. While it was very interesting to be able to read the session as you watched it, with almost immediate access to the information that was being presented, there was some discrepancy as the typed version was not exactly what the speaker said in all instances.
So, here are a few quick items of note from my week in Denver.
CattleFax provided an update during one general session. What I got out of it was:
550 lb steer calves are expected to be around $1.25/lb this fall, with the high end expected to bring as much as $1.75/lb. That's not a typo....
They project it to be a non-break even year in the feeding sector, due largely to corn prices.
Cow-calf guys are expected to do the best this year (please see first point)
There is concern over the shrinking supply of cattle (duh) and the potential loss of world market share.
Then I ran into a rancher from South Dakota I know, and we were visiting about all this. When I mentioned the loss of world market share, he asked, "loss to who?" Then pointed out the products exported from the U.S. are typically desired for their quality, which is unmatched in the world. Just something to think about.
Karl Rove also spoke at a general session and was very interesting.
Main points: Obama's dumb (yeah....)
He isn't getting smarter...
Maybe not a lot of new information, but he presented it well, and highlighted some major issues, like the impact of Obamacare, the deficit and made a couple interesting points on export markets. Despite my smart alec comments, he was fun to listen to, and he does know all the current facts and figures, which was scary to hear.
I attended the Cattlemen's College, and learned a lot about implementing an AI program into your operation. I also heard a number of fast food, high-end restaurant, wholesale, and retail beef suppliers speak on consumer trends and preferences.
The major topics of interest at the convention included the consumer, and maintaining or increasing beef demand both domestically and internationally.
Hearing these people in the retail segment speak was eye-opening. They know the consumer, and they know their beef. They are concerned over the ever-increasing size of carcasses, but realize the economics driving that size increase.
The Checkoff, and other players, are continuously working on implementing new beef products. One of these is a Ribeye Filet, which reduces the size of the steak for consumers through fileting it, and is also cheaper than a whole ribeye. However, it does sell for more per pound than an entire steak would, and allows diversification of a particular cut of meat.
Technology was another big player in conversations. Use of technology is expected to be the number one contributor to the "producing more with less" mentality the beef industry is embracing in its effort to continue to feed the growing world population
I think I heard there is expected to be 27 million more people in the U.S. by 2050. I can't remember the worldwide figure, but its growing exponentially too.
Use of such social media outlets as facebook, twitter and blogs is another key thing in telling the true story of agriculture, and is gaining lots of momentum. There were twitter gatherings during the trade show, and media members were constantly updating facebook accounts and blogs during the convention.
One general session was even put online as it was going on. While it was very interesting to be able to read the session as you watched it, with almost immediate access to the information that was being presented, there was some discrepancy as the typed version was not exactly what the speaker said in all instances.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
40 ag-related Earth Day practices
Happy Earth Day! It's the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year and I've read some wonderful stuff earth and agriculture today. One that stood out was 40 things ag does that are great for the earth. Thought I would make own attempt from a beef producers standpoint. So here are 40 things ranchers where I'm from do that are beneficial to the earth every day!
1. Utilize grass, which is indigestible to humans, and feed it to livestock to create a safe, wholesome product that helps feed the world. 85% of U.S. land is unsuitable for crop production, and ranchers use this land to raise livestock and help feed the world.
There, that should cover it :)
Just kidding, I can think of more
2. Recycle. Everything from old rubber tires being used for tanks to saving absolutely everything and finding another use for it. Ranchers have been doing that for decades. You just try to throw away a plastic sac, container, old pair of jeans etc.. that my grandmother has laid her eyes on.
3. Preserve open space. This is very important to the survival of countless plant and animal species.
4. Protect and manage water resources. Ranchers implement progressive, thoughtful water management on their operations that not only benefits their livestock but many plant and wildlife species too.
5. Pick up after themselves. Man I don't like rolling old, rusty barbwire, but keeping the land clean is important.
6. Utilize pesticides and herbicides in a safe, practical manner to control plant and animal species that have a negative impact on the land, livestock, wildlife and people they come into contact with.
7. Poison prairie dogs. I hate prairie dogs with a passion. They compact soil, spread disease, prevent grass from growing and just destroy range land in general. Their holes provide homes for snakes and spiders and are a potential hazard to livestock who can break a leg in them. I really hate prairie dogs.
8. Manage for other problem rodents and predators to protect livestock and vulnerable forms of wildlife.
9. Utilize wind power. Wind mills have been around for a long time and are still used extensively in the west to secure water.
10. Utilize solar power. A growing number of producers are utilizing solar power for a variety of purposes including water, electric fences and power.
11. Implement grazing systems that maximize efficiency. This requires less feed and encourages the growth of higher quality plants.
12. Feed by-products. One example are distillers grains, which are the leftovers after alcohol production. Feedlots and ranchers feed this grain product to cattle, it would otherwise be useless waste.
13. Feed all sorts of stuff that would otherwise be waste. Last year I met a guy whose family raised and sold watermelons commercially. Cool huh? Well, when they were done harvesting a field they would turn cattle in to eat any melons deemed unfit for sale for any variety of reasons. He said cows quickly learn to smash the melon with their head or foot to get at the good part.
14. Use eco-friendly vehicles. Did you know that making an electric car takes more energy than you will ever save by driving it? Ranchers use horses a lot, and the only gas they need comes in the form of grass and maybe a few oats.
15. Ranchers help feed the world and the entire U.S. cattle herd accounts for less than 3% of carbon emissions.
16. Taking an environmentalist stance, as can be seen over at Belle of the Blog and doing all the things that are deemed environmentally friendly by the general public, because that's what best for the land and everything on it.
17. Loving our animals, and our land. Ranchers really do. If they didn't they would find something easier to do that wasn't a 24-7 commitment.
18. Put up hay. Haying preserves grass for winter months and also prevents that grass from going to waste in some cases.
19. Buy in bulk. I recently read that buying in bulk reduces the amount of packaging included and also increases efficiency in transporting items as there is less wasted space taken up by the packaging. Go check out a ranch wife's pantry, come back when you're full. It will be stocked and you know she bought as much in bulk as she could in case there was a storm, big crew, busy month, and because she can't just run to the store. I grew up an hour from a grocery store.
20. Fix everything. Again, it's a long way to the parts store too, especially if your truck, baler, swather, or tractor is broke. Fixing things on the ranch saves fuel costs and teaches job skills to a lot of ranch kids.
21.Give to others. If something is no longer useful on one operation, it is often passed on to another outfit that has a purpose for it. We got our sheep loading alley from a sheep producer who upgraded his. Since we only use it twice a year it works for us.
22. Share. My family and two other ranchers bought a calf branding table together and rotate it between everyone. There's no point in each outfit having one because it's a piece of equipment that is only used a few days a year and it's easy to schedule around each other.
23. Borrow. Much like sharing everyone lends their equipment to each other and thus prevents everyone from owning something that is only used occasionally. Everyone uses my family's flatbed, Clydes portable unloading chute, Dixon's big stock trailer and so on.
24. Help each other. Being neighborly saves time and money. It prevents us from having to hire someone who would have to drive long distances to help. It also helps get big jobs done, such as building corrals, picking up a big mess after a flood, putting out a fire and so on.
25. Leave a small footprint. Relative to most homeowners, ranchers put improvements on a very small percentage of their land and work hard to keep the rest in grass production. Roads are few and far between and land is taken care of because the operations livelihood is staked on growing grass.
26. Manage livestock numbers. Preventing overpopulation of the land keeps it in the ideal condition. Keeping livestock numbers at a rate the land can adequately handle ensures the rancher will have grass in the future. It also reduces erosion and often prevents invasive plants from moving in.
27. Managing wildlife numbers. Hunting and other forms of wildlife management reduce the likelihood of a disease outbreak. Wildlife like to eat specific types of grasses and managing numbers ensures there is enough feed for the population, thus reducing starvation. It also limits erosion and invasive plant growth as wildlife can overgraze an area too, and often to a far greater extent than livestock since most producers can't move them from pasture to pasture.
28. Create useful products from everything. One example is wool. There are certain parts of the fleece that are useful because they are urine and manure stained or too coarse. My mom uses these parts to insulate baby trees and keep moisture on them.
29. Making the old new. Many ranchers rebuild engines and entire vehicles and continue using them long after the general public would consider them junk. My dad and brother turned an old one and half ton Ford into a front-end loader we use to feed hay, move heavy objects, load wool bales and just about anything else you can think of. The only tricky thing is there isn't a steering wheel, just hydraulic levers. They also turned the frame around so the steering is backwards and to hit first you go over (right) and down instead of over (left) and up.
30. Find a new use for something. This might tie in with the previous one. But there are instances where ranchers take something and find a completely new use for it, thus extending it's life and eliminating the need to buy something new, drive to town and pick it up, drive home, find out it doesn't fit/work/look right/?/, drive back, get another one....
31. Teach. This is a big one. Ranchers teach their children to care for and preserve the land for future generations. They welcome school groups and anyone else onto their operation to show how it really works and why. It's important to learn about something from a reliable, honest, knowledgeable source and ranchers can do that on a variety of topics including land, water, forestry, livestock, wildlife and anything else mentioned on this list.
32. Get involved. Agriculture is under constant pressure to change from people who have no comprehension of how it works. To show how things really are and why they're done the way they are ranchers are getting involved and that's important, because ranchers do save, protect and preserve more land, water and wildlife than anyone else in my opinion.
33. Produce All Natural. It's a choice and I've touched on this topic before. But some rancher somewhere produces all-natural pretty much anything you can think of. My family produces all-natural wool and we do it an environmentally friendly way. When you choose all natural consider this, it takes 2-3 times more energy to produce an all natural steer than it does to produce one utilizing modern methods. This is because he is around for a longer period of time, eats more feed and requires more care, water and everything else you can think of. It's not a wrong choice, but it's not always the most environmentally friendly choice either.
34. Car pool. Gosh I don't know how many times I have been crammed in a single cab pickup with 4-5 other people for a long drive (we're talking several hours) We also had a horse for everyone in the trailer, now that's carpooling. I was so impressed when we got our first extended cab pickup, it was amazing!
35. Eating right. Ranchers eat their own product. It doesn't get much more "locally grown" than that. Beyond that several garden and most that do take any extra produce to church or school or the post office and "share" it with everyone else in the community.
36. Never stop learning. The more you know the better you are. That goes for land management, raising crops and anything else associated with agriculture. Farmers and ranchers know what's new and what works and what doesn't and they are constantly looking for and learning new ways to do something better and more efficiently.
37. Increase efficiency. For example the U.S. had 37 million fewer head of cattle in 2008 than in 1975, but still produced the same pounds of beef. This is due to improved management as a result of increased knowledge and the constant desire to be better.
38. Flexibility. You have to be flexible to manage land and other resources in the best way possible and most ranchers work hard to continually improve their management system, thus improving their range conditions.
39. Utilize modern technology. There are certainly environmental benefits to be found through using modern technology in some instances. Farmers can improve application practices through using GPS systems in their machinery. Beef producers use Electronic ID tags to increase consumer confidence and to provide traceback and age and source information on animals.
40. Do these things every day. It's one thing to celebrate earth day on April 22, but all of these things I've listed are done on ranches across the country on a daily basis. Every day is earth day in agriculture!
1. Utilize grass, which is indigestible to humans, and feed it to livestock to create a safe, wholesome product that helps feed the world. 85% of U.S. land is unsuitable for crop production, and ranchers use this land to raise livestock and help feed the world.
There, that should cover it :)
Just kidding, I can think of more
2. Recycle. Everything from old rubber tires being used for tanks to saving absolutely everything and finding another use for it. Ranchers have been doing that for decades. You just try to throw away a plastic sac, container, old pair of jeans etc.. that my grandmother has laid her eyes on.
3. Preserve open space. This is very important to the survival of countless plant and animal species.
4. Protect and manage water resources. Ranchers implement progressive, thoughtful water management on their operations that not only benefits their livestock but many plant and wildlife species too.
5. Pick up after themselves. Man I don't like rolling old, rusty barbwire, but keeping the land clean is important.
6. Utilize pesticides and herbicides in a safe, practical manner to control plant and animal species that have a negative impact on the land, livestock, wildlife and people they come into contact with.
7. Poison prairie dogs. I hate prairie dogs with a passion. They compact soil, spread disease, prevent grass from growing and just destroy range land in general. Their holes provide homes for snakes and spiders and are a potential hazard to livestock who can break a leg in them. I really hate prairie dogs.
8. Manage for other problem rodents and predators to protect livestock and vulnerable forms of wildlife.
9. Utilize wind power. Wind mills have been around for a long time and are still used extensively in the west to secure water.
10. Utilize solar power. A growing number of producers are utilizing solar power for a variety of purposes including water, electric fences and power.
11. Implement grazing systems that maximize efficiency. This requires less feed and encourages the growth of higher quality plants.
12. Feed by-products. One example are distillers grains, which are the leftovers after alcohol production. Feedlots and ranchers feed this grain product to cattle, it would otherwise be useless waste.
13. Feed all sorts of stuff that would otherwise be waste. Last year I met a guy whose family raised and sold watermelons commercially. Cool huh? Well, when they were done harvesting a field they would turn cattle in to eat any melons deemed unfit for sale for any variety of reasons. He said cows quickly learn to smash the melon with their head or foot to get at the good part.
14. Use eco-friendly vehicles. Did you know that making an electric car takes more energy than you will ever save by driving it? Ranchers use horses a lot, and the only gas they need comes in the form of grass and maybe a few oats.
15. Ranchers help feed the world and the entire U.S. cattle herd accounts for less than 3% of carbon emissions.
16. Taking an environmentalist stance, as can be seen over at Belle of the Blog and doing all the things that are deemed environmentally friendly by the general public, because that's what best for the land and everything on it.
17. Loving our animals, and our land. Ranchers really do. If they didn't they would find something easier to do that wasn't a 24-7 commitment.
18. Put up hay. Haying preserves grass for winter months and also prevents that grass from going to waste in some cases.
19. Buy in bulk. I recently read that buying in bulk reduces the amount of packaging included and also increases efficiency in transporting items as there is less wasted space taken up by the packaging. Go check out a ranch wife's pantry, come back when you're full. It will be stocked and you know she bought as much in bulk as she could in case there was a storm, big crew, busy month, and because she can't just run to the store. I grew up an hour from a grocery store.
20. Fix everything. Again, it's a long way to the parts store too, especially if your truck, baler, swather, or tractor is broke. Fixing things on the ranch saves fuel costs and teaches job skills to a lot of ranch kids.
21.Give to others. If something is no longer useful on one operation, it is often passed on to another outfit that has a purpose for it. We got our sheep loading alley from a sheep producer who upgraded his. Since we only use it twice a year it works for us.
22. Share. My family and two other ranchers bought a calf branding table together and rotate it between everyone. There's no point in each outfit having one because it's a piece of equipment that is only used a few days a year and it's easy to schedule around each other.
23. Borrow. Much like sharing everyone lends their equipment to each other and thus prevents everyone from owning something that is only used occasionally. Everyone uses my family's flatbed, Clydes portable unloading chute, Dixon's big stock trailer and so on.
24. Help each other. Being neighborly saves time and money. It prevents us from having to hire someone who would have to drive long distances to help. It also helps get big jobs done, such as building corrals, picking up a big mess after a flood, putting out a fire and so on.
25. Leave a small footprint. Relative to most homeowners, ranchers put improvements on a very small percentage of their land and work hard to keep the rest in grass production. Roads are few and far between and land is taken care of because the operations livelihood is staked on growing grass.
26. Manage livestock numbers. Preventing overpopulation of the land keeps it in the ideal condition. Keeping livestock numbers at a rate the land can adequately handle ensures the rancher will have grass in the future. It also reduces erosion and often prevents invasive plants from moving in.
27. Managing wildlife numbers. Hunting and other forms of wildlife management reduce the likelihood of a disease outbreak. Wildlife like to eat specific types of grasses and managing numbers ensures there is enough feed for the population, thus reducing starvation. It also limits erosion and invasive plant growth as wildlife can overgraze an area too, and often to a far greater extent than livestock since most producers can't move them from pasture to pasture.
28. Create useful products from everything. One example is wool. There are certain parts of the fleece that are useful because they are urine and manure stained or too coarse. My mom uses these parts to insulate baby trees and keep moisture on them.
29. Making the old new. Many ranchers rebuild engines and entire vehicles and continue using them long after the general public would consider them junk. My dad and brother turned an old one and half ton Ford into a front-end loader we use to feed hay, move heavy objects, load wool bales and just about anything else you can think of. The only tricky thing is there isn't a steering wheel, just hydraulic levers. They also turned the frame around so the steering is backwards and to hit first you go over (right) and down instead of over (left) and up.
30. Find a new use for something. This might tie in with the previous one. But there are instances where ranchers take something and find a completely new use for it, thus extending it's life and eliminating the need to buy something new, drive to town and pick it up, drive home, find out it doesn't fit/work/look right/?/, drive back, get another one....
31. Teach. This is a big one. Ranchers teach their children to care for and preserve the land for future generations. They welcome school groups and anyone else onto their operation to show how it really works and why. It's important to learn about something from a reliable, honest, knowledgeable source and ranchers can do that on a variety of topics including land, water, forestry, livestock, wildlife and anything else mentioned on this list.
32. Get involved. Agriculture is under constant pressure to change from people who have no comprehension of how it works. To show how things really are and why they're done the way they are ranchers are getting involved and that's important, because ranchers do save, protect and preserve more land, water and wildlife than anyone else in my opinion.
33. Produce All Natural. It's a choice and I've touched on this topic before. But some rancher somewhere produces all-natural pretty much anything you can think of. My family produces all-natural wool and we do it an environmentally friendly way. When you choose all natural consider this, it takes 2-3 times more energy to produce an all natural steer than it does to produce one utilizing modern methods. This is because he is around for a longer period of time, eats more feed and requires more care, water and everything else you can think of. It's not a wrong choice, but it's not always the most environmentally friendly choice either.
34. Car pool. Gosh I don't know how many times I have been crammed in a single cab pickup with 4-5 other people for a long drive (we're talking several hours) We also had a horse for everyone in the trailer, now that's carpooling. I was so impressed when we got our first extended cab pickup, it was amazing!
35. Eating right. Ranchers eat their own product. It doesn't get much more "locally grown" than that. Beyond that several garden and most that do take any extra produce to church or school or the post office and "share" it with everyone else in the community.
36. Never stop learning. The more you know the better you are. That goes for land management, raising crops and anything else associated with agriculture. Farmers and ranchers know what's new and what works and what doesn't and they are constantly looking for and learning new ways to do something better and more efficiently.
37. Increase efficiency. For example the U.S. had 37 million fewer head of cattle in 2008 than in 1975, but still produced the same pounds of beef. This is due to improved management as a result of increased knowledge and the constant desire to be better.
38. Flexibility. You have to be flexible to manage land and other resources in the best way possible and most ranchers work hard to continually improve their management system, thus improving their range conditions.
39. Utilize modern technology. There are certainly environmental benefits to be found through using modern technology in some instances. Farmers can improve application practices through using GPS systems in their machinery. Beef producers use Electronic ID tags to increase consumer confidence and to provide traceback and age and source information on animals.
40. Do these things every day. It's one thing to celebrate earth day on April 22, but all of these things I've listed are done on ranches across the country on a daily basis. Every day is earth day in agriculture!
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