BCR Ag Matters Winter 2021

Ag Matters RAISING REINDEER

Winter 2021

See story on page 6

INSIDE

• New Ketchup is out of this world • Keep crop diseases at bay • Diverity is key to healthy ecosystmes on farms and more...

A publication of AGRINEWS PHOTOS/TOM C. DORAN

est. 1851

Sugar Plum smiles for the camera along with Tracy and Scott Snowman in the barn at Snowman’s Reindeer Farm. The Snowmans have operated the farm for seven years and now have nine reindeer.

Shaw Media/ December 2021

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New ketchup is out of this world Tomatoes grown in Mars-like soil

By Amira Sweilem FLORIDA TODAY

MELBOURNE, Fla. (AP) — For decades, anybody searching for the “taste” of the Apollo moon program could reach for those little packets of freeze-dried ice cream that were created to bring America’s first astronauts some ersatz comfort food on their journey to the lunar surface.

Now with travel to Mars on the horizon, the time has come for space ice cream to step aside and make room for the flavor of a new era of planetary travel: tomato ketchup, the “Marz Edition.”

Heinz, a company synonymous with ketchup, successfully funded and col-

Heinz has unveiled Heinz Tomato Ketchup made with tomatoes grown in Martian soil conditions. The two-year experiment was created and delivered by the Tomato Masters at Heinz and scientists at the Florida Institute of Technology.

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covering ways to grow in Martian-simulated conditions are short-term plant growth studies. What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting,” said Palmer in a news release from Heinz.

One of the biggest hurdles with producing food on Mars, Palmer said, is the difference between Earth and Martian soil. According to Palmer, the key difference is that Martian soil isn’t really soil.

Regolith “doesn’t have any organic matter, so there’s nothing alive … so, there’s not a lot of organic material there,” Palmer said.

To mimic Martian regolith, the team used 7,800 pounds of soil from the Mojave Desert — a terracotta-colored grit that is similar to Martian regolith, according to a statement released by the Florida Institute of Technology.

Though the regolith is dry and fine, the team found that it didn’t require more water to sustain the plants than it would have with normal soil.

The tomatoes grew in a greenhouse at Florida Tech’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design in Palm Bay, referred to as the “Red House.” Temperatures at the Red House fluctuated between 73 and 83 degrees, depending on if it was nighttime or daytime, Palmer said.

The tomatoes produced under these conditions were held to high standards,

Palmer said. Heinz has “Tomato Masters” who inspect the quality of the tomatoes grown to ensure that they meet professional food-grade standards.

When Palmer and his team tried the tomatoes, he said they tasted like tomatoes grown from normal soil.

“For me the biggest thing was smell — they have very strong like tomato quality smell to them,” Palmer said.

The two-year partnership started with an email that Palmer initially thought was a prank. However, after a second read-through, Palmer realized Heinz was interested in partnering with his lab to cultivate Martian tomatoes, Palmer said.

Though the project is now over, the research has cross-planetary implications.

Palmer’s team documented every part of the process: fertilizer used, details of the water used and temperatures. The information is crucial for trying to duplicate the experiment on Mars.

But Palmer said that the information would also benefit agricultural systems here on earth.

“As we think about sustainable agriculture here, the same concerns about inputs need to be considered here, right? So, as we develop modern agriculture, some of you know our green revolution that we’re trying to generate now, part of that is knowing exactly how much fertilizer you’re using and optimizing that so that you don’t get

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One day tomatoes may be grown on Mars. run off right, so that you don’t have wasted fertilizer that pollutes our lakes or lagoons,” Palmer said.

Though the results from the project were fruitful, Palmer said that it’ll be a while before astronauts will be planting food on Mars.

“We’re making more and more progress. I think this is an important component of that. But what I hope really is the most important thing from this is it draws attention back to the field and gets people really thinking more about funding this research and the importance of this research in planning for that,” Palmer said.

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laborated with biologists at Florida Tech’s Aldrin Space Institute to grow tomatoes in Mars-like conditions here on the Space Coast to show once and for all that even on faraway worlds humans can have the perfect condiment.

The experiment is the first of its kind. It actually produced a single bottle of ketchup that was unveiled on Nov. 15 at Heinz HQ in Pittsburgh.

With the help of 14 graduate and undergraduate students, Andrew Palmer, associate professor of biological sciences at Florida Tech, grew 450 tomato plants in regolith, the loose unconsolidated rock and dust that cover planets like Mars.

Heinz was certainly proud of the accomplishment that took two years to complete.

“The team successfully yielded a crop of Heinz tomatoes, from the brand’s proprietary tomato seeds, with the exacting qualities that pass the rigorous quality and taste standards to become its iconic ketchup,” the company said in a statement.

While Heinz has no plans to sell any of its Marz Edition ketchup just yet, the project represents more than just space-age, pop-culture marketing.

There was serious science behind it with implications for life on earth, as well as on the red planet as scientists look to grow food in poor soils.

“Before now, most efforts around dis-

Shaw Media/ December 2021

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Keep crop diseases at bay in 2022

By Erica Quinlan

AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — To manage diseases that can overwinter in fields, growers should make management plans for next season now — starting with hybrid selections.

Diseases such as gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight and tar spot were found in fields this year.

“We can do a number of things to manage these diseases in 2022,” said Mary Gumz, Pioneer agronomy manager. “No. 1, pick the right hybrid. The right hybrid will have tolerance to the disease, as well as overall foliar disease health. No. 2, start planning for fungicide use. Weather will favor these diseases, so have a plan in place before pressure gets too severe.”

Diseases can overwinter in infected crop residue, allowing inoculum to build

up from year to year in fields. Disease spores are spread by rain splash and air currents to leaves of crop plants, where primary infections are produced.

Secondary spread occurs from plant to plant and field to field as spores are carried long distances by the wind. Infections generally begin on lower leaves and then progress up the plant.

Because these diseases overwinter in corn debris, production practices, such as tillage and crop rotation, can reduce the amount of surface corn residue and decrease the amount of primary inoculum.

In severe cases of disease infestation, multiple years of crop rotation away from corn may be necessary.

Erica Quinlan can be reached at 800-426-9438, ext. 193, or equinlan@ agrinews-pubs.com.

Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Quinlan.

Diseases such as gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight and tar spot were found in fields this year.

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ASSUMPTION, Ill. — Proper barn ventilation is important year-round, but especially during winter months to protect swine health and promote energy efficiency.

“Ventilation is not always top of mind for many producers heading into winter,” said Austin Zimmerman, sales engineer for AP, a manufacturer of swine production equipment. “But it’s a crucial time to assure good air quality and avoid any pockets of gas.”

Zimmerman offers the following recommendations: • Controller settings — Ensure that barn environmental controls are set properly for the winter season, including inlet openings, fan speeds and different ventilation staging.

“Check that inlets allow the right amount of air into the barn, based on fan speed and the amount of CFM being pulled out of the building,” Zimmerman advised.

• Check inlet operation — Inspect inlets for any blockage, damage or wear that may prevent normal air flow. “Be sure inlet mechanisms are greased and respond correctly to the control inputs,” Zimmerman said. “If not, an inlet calibration or reset may

Now is the time of year to make sure swine buildings and ventilation systems are set for winter. be necessary.”

• Fan maintenance — Inspect fans to confirm they are in good working condition and that fan belts have the proper tension. Also, confirm that fan

shutters are in good working condition.

• Temperature sensors — Ensure that all temperature sensors are working correctly, as these regulate the operation of fans and heaters. If one sensor

is not working, replacing it is optimal.

Otherwise, simply remove it, as the remaining sensors can still function.

Zimmerman noted that proper ventilation not only promotes swine health and productivity, but also provides an economic benefit for producers.’

“Too much cold air entering the barn during winter can cause excessive use of heaters, wasting propane,” he said.

AP offers ventilation equipment audits on-farm or remotely to help producers create a better environment for their staff and animals, as well as reduce energy costs.

Results of the audit, which are offered for AP as well as competitor systems, are presented in a written report with recommendations for corrections or improvements.

On-farm audits provide not only ventilation settings based on fans and inlets, but also specific solutions for the operation. Controller training is also available at producer sites and at AGCO facilities in Assumption and Taylorville, Illinois; Sioux City, Iowa; Jackson, Minnesota; and Omaha, Nebraska.

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Tips for barn ventilation during winter

Shaw Media/ December 2021

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Raising reindeer

Farm delivers Christmas spirit

By Tom C. Doran

AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

CANTON, Ill. — A love of teaching, children, nature, animals and Christmas, along with a fitting name, led a couple along a path toward raising reindeer on their Fulton County farm.

Retired art teachers Scott and Tracy Snowman operate Snowman’s Reindeer Farm and are in the midst of some busy weekends with visitors from around Illinois and other states.

The 11-acre farm features reindeers Snowball, Mistletoe, Kringle, Sugar Plum, Griswold, Marshmallow, Kluger, Sparky and Cocoa. There are also mini donkeys Jingle and Jangle, along with a host of Silkie chickens and a friendly duck.

The farm includes a little Christmas village of sorts with Sugar Plum Pavilion, Farmer Scott’s Antler Shanty, Flying Reindeer Snack Bar, main Reindeer barn, Alaska Reindeer Pavilion, Little Reindeer Railway, Jolly Old Elf Gift Shoppe, a learning area and, of course, reindeer games.

Snowman’s Reindeer Farm is open to the public on weekends in November and December, as well as during the week for field trips. Reservations are required and can be done on the farm’s website.

Their journey toward this winter wonderland began about 10 years ago when they were anticipating retirement from teaching and looking toward new adventures.

“Our kids were grown and we knew we needed to come up with something before we hit that retirement window with teaching that would keep us engaged and doing something educational,” Tracy said.

Agriculture has been a part of the Snowmans’ life. They’ve raised various animals over the years, owned farm ground since 1986, and Scott’s background is also in forestry, having planted thousands of walnut and pine trees. His brother and dad operate the nearby family farm where they raise crops and Angus.

“We’ve always raised animals of different sorts and when you’re last name is Snowman, you do tend to really love Christmas and we do. We just started getting curious about reindeer, Scott began researching it and the more he researched it, the more intrigued he

As it turns out, reindeer do fly. Three Alaskan reindeer were added last year to Snowman’s Reindeer Farm near Canton, Illinois, flying via FedEx cargo from Anchorage, Alaska, to Indianapolis for Scott and Tracy Snowman to pick up. became,” Tracy said.

“One of the things we realized very quickly is that they were challenging.

It wasn’t going to be an easy path. It was going to be unique and challenging. It is not for the faint of heart.”

After extensive research, they took the leap and were on a reindeer adoption waiting list.

“In the fall of 2015, we adopted our first two reindeer, a 4-month-old baby boy and a 1-year-old girl — Klaus and Nutmeg,” Tracy said.

HEARTBREAK Unfortunately, Scott and Tracy experienced heartbreak with their first reindeer two years later when the male and the then-expectant female

contracted Babesia, a tick-borne illness, and died.

“That was a devastating blow.

Within two years of beginning we were totally wiped out. It was an emotional blow. We are very tender-hearted and yet we are tough enough to know that this is part of farm life, too. So, we understand that you have to take the losses with the wins, but those losses are very hard for us,” Tracy said.

They regrouped and dug deeper into the research.

“We became very interested in Babesia as a disease and we interviewed about 24 other reindeer farms specifically because we wanted to learn more about what could be done to increase our chances of never dealing with it

again. Then we ended up bringing in some more animals. We have not had a case since. We really have not had any parasite issues since,” Tracy said.

“We probably have one of the strictest, most comprehensive parasite and biosecurity control protocols of anyone in the industry. That is because the loss was so devastating.”

“We also manage a split herd as part of our biosecurity. For us, that is just one of the parasite controls that we’re using,” Scott added.

Six of their reindeer are on one side of the farm and three reindeer are on the other side.

“Our reindeer have come from lots of different places. The herd one group is half imported from Midwest-

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7 AG MATTERS | Shaw Media/ December 2021

ern farms and half homegrown. Three you could come and see the reindeer. of the six on that side were born right We didn’t do any paid advertising. We here on our farm,” Tracy noted. just posted on Facebook that we were going to open up on a Sunday afterFLYING REINDEER noon. The line was backed up all the Yes, reindeer do fly. The three in way from the house out to the road. the other herd were flown in from We did not have staff, we did not have Anchorage, Alaska, via FedEx cargo port-o-potties and we were not prein 2020. Scott and Tracy picked them pared. We had not idea people would up at the Indianapolis airport and come to the middle of Fulton County brought them home. to see some reindeer,” Tracy said.

“We started negotiations for the “What we realized really quickly was three from Alaska in 2017. It was a people will come. Our banker comes out long process because Illinois has some about once a year to kind of check on of the strictest import standards of any things and he said we’re like the Field of states and both states have to be in- Dreams. ‘If you build it, they will come.’ volved in approvals, so it was a tedious That’s exactly what happened.” process,” Scott said.

The Alaskan reindeer were from a A DESTINATION Tracy estimated about 90% of the meat production farm.

“They don’t have cattle in Alaska visitors are from outside the immediand they raise reindeer for the meat. ate area.

“We get a lot from the Quad Cities, The farms sell the meat to packing houses. Some animals top 600 Springfield and Peoria areas. Once I learned the IT side of Facebook and pounds,” Tracy noted.

“I talk to the breeder, George Agu- how to use it properly I have targeted iar, frequently. I believe George is the those markets very heavily for three foremost expert on reindeer nutrition years. Now that I have such a good in the United States. He has a master’s following there I’m haven’t had to do degree in nutrition and works for the a lot of paid advertising. We get a lot University of Alaska. You really could from Missouri, Indiana and Iowa and not find a more knowledgeable person we can tell that mainly just looking at in terms of his expertise. He didn’t just our parking lot on the weekends. The sell me reindeer, he basically sold me furthest we had were visitors from a lifetime contract of information and Spain,” she said.

“A lot of our success is also back to I talk to him all the time. He checks in our training. Tracy has a social media on them all the time.” and IT background. She posted a picPERMANENT SITE ture of the gift shop the other day and When Scott and Tracy first entered within two days we had 69,500 people the reindeer realm and the notion of that had viewed it. That’s organic,” sharing them with the public, they did Scott noted. not have on-farm visits and brought “We have one of the biggest Facethem to another location. book followings of anyone in the in“For example, when Canton has their dustry in the entire world, and I think old-fashioned Christmas walk down- that for our size we have the biggest town we put up a pen and set them up following in general. So, for Canton to on the square and people came to visit be so small and for us to have 10,000them. That’s what we envisioned as our plus visitors a year is tremendous,” business model,” she said.

Tracy said.

“We originally pretty much bought “We were a little mystified at first and them for pets and we thought we can started building the pieces. We realized cover some of the vet bills (with dis- if they’re going to come here it’s going to play work),” Scott added. be better for the animals. We don’t have “Our kids, who are grown, had sug- to get them on the road. It’s more fun gested we just post on Facebook that for us. It’s more fun for them.

AGRINEWS PHOTO/TOM C. DORAN

Farmer Scott’s Antler Shanty provides a hands-on learning experience for all ages, featuring the various sizes of antlers for both male and female reindeer at Snowman’s Reindeer Farm.

“So, if we’re going to do this, let’s do it right. Let’s make it a real Christmas experience and so what do we need for that to feel like a real Christmas experience. We’re going to need a gift shop, we’re going to need a snack bar and we wanted a kiddie train.

“Our kids asked why we think that we’ve been so successful. Nobody really asked us that before because it’s just gone like gangbusters. It’s been overwhelming and so fast. We gave it some thought and we came up with the same answer that both of our kids agreed was the answer and that is our teaching background.

“It is our approach that makes it welcoming because we train our staff to know a lot about reindeer and to

know about each animal. So, you’re not just coming, and people don’t know this until they’ve been here once, but you’re not just coming and looking into some field and looking at reindeer back there.

“From the time you walk in the door to the time you walk out, you’re going to know a lot about that species and on top of that you’re going to know a little bit about how Kluger is different than Marshmallow and how Snowball is different than Kringle. You’re going to know them as individuals and also as a species and that is exciting.”

Tom C. Doran can be reached at 815-410-2256 or tdoran@ shawmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at: @AgNews_Doran.

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Shaw Media/ December 2021

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Chow line Robotic feeders provide dairy cows consistent daily feed mix

By Martha Blum

AGRINEWS PUBLICATIONS

PELLA, Iowa — Feeding dairy cows with a Lely Vector provides a consistent quality mix each day.

“We chose the Vector for flexibility, accuracy and repeatability to make sure the batches of feed were made the same every day,” said Frank Louwagie, dairyman at Hillmanor Farms in West Perth, Ontario.

“We just built a new cross-vent barn and we’re milking 150 cows,” said Louwagie during a Lely virtual roundtable event.

The barn also includes four milking robots and a feed kitchen with a crane, where the feed is stored, selected, picked up and loaded into the Vector for mixing.

“One of the benefits we saw from milking with robots is the consistency Since its introduction in 2012, various updates have improved the Lely Vector automatic feeding system in terms of hardware, software of the milking,” Louwagie said. “It’s and user friendliness.

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HONEY CREEK DAIRY Dan Venteicher milks 180 head of Holsteins at Honey Creek Dairy near Strawberry Point, Iowa.

“Lely has been a huge asset to our farm, our cows have responded well and we’ve seen a significant increase in milk production,” said Venteicher during the roundtable event. “We were first one to have them in Iowa.”

The dairy facility includes a Lely Vector and a feed kitchen with a grabber.

“We choose that for flexibility because we can feed many different feed types and commodities,” Venteicher said.

“It allows us to share forages between

two farms,” he said. “My bother lives TREHANE HOLSTEINS on the heifer farm, so we can grow milk Jake Stephens milks 200 cows at Trecow corn silage there and he can bring hane Holsteins near Niverville, Manitoba. a trailer load and put it in the kitchen.”

“In 2014, we put in one of the first Within 30 days after feeding the Vectors in North America and a feed cows with the Vector, Venteicher saw grabber,” he said. “In 2018, we put in a four-pound per cow increase in milk another Vector and now we have eight feed fences with all the groups.” production.

Cold temperatures “In the last 12 do not impact the Vecmonths, our cows “To keep cows tor, Stephens said. have consistently produced 104 pounds of tractors wproducing a lot of in “Starting milk and they peaked Manitoba at minus at 111 pounds for four 40 is not fun,” he said. milk, you need to to five weeks last win“We usually had two ter,” he said. “I never keep feed in front of tractors running for thought that would be four hours a day and I possible.” them all the time.” can’t even start a tracThe dairyman attritor for what the Vector Frank Louwagie, dairyman costs running for the butes this milk production to the fresh feed HILLMANOR FARMS whole day.” that is available to the The Vector on Stecows all the time. phens’ farm feeds the “The cows get the same bite every heifers two to four times a day. day,” he said. “The Vector has allowed “We start feeding animals with the the cows to meet their potential.”

Vector at 6 to 8 months old, we breed Venteicher’s old barn was built in the heifers at 13 months for calving at 1996 and it has a 14-foot-wide alleyway. 23 months average,” he said. “A big “Continuing with that kind of nar- benefit is the health is so good, so the row design without the Vector didn’t preg rate is running at 28% to 30% with make a lot of sense,” he said. “So, it a few months at 35% to 36% and even worked out perfect to have the Vector to 44%.” retrofitted into the old facility because If a big snow storm is predicted, Steit’s a small machine, the barn is quiet phens said, he increases the feed height and we never have a diesel engine run- for the cows and young stock. ning through the barn.”

“We have two routes — one to the

milking herd and one to the young stock,” he said. “We don’t turn the Vector off all winter — we just pause it for the nighttime for the young stock if there’s a snowstorm.”

POULIN FARMS Josh Poulin milks 360 Jersey cows at Poulin Farms near Newport, Virginia.

“We put the Vector in a little over a year ago and it has been a great addition to the farm,” he said. “It is helping to keep our labor costs down and it seems to bring consistency and help with the feeding challenges we had before.”

Adding the Vector to the farm, Poulin said, has increased milk production a couple of pounds, as well as improving milk components.

“Some of that is from having feed in front of them all the time,” he said.

Before feeding with the Vector, Poulin said, feed refusals were at 3,000 to 4,000 pounds.

“Now in the winter we clean the feed fences about once a week, and in the summertime, every other day. The feed refusals are maybe 500 pounds now, so that’s a pretty big savings in feed and I’ve seen it in the feed inventories.”

For more information about Lely products go to www.lely.com.

Martha Blum can be reached at 815410-2254, or mblum@shawmedia. com. Follow her on Twitter at: @AgNews_Blum.

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not hard to get people to work Monday to Friday, but on the weekends, the milking is done quicker and the cows end up suffering if things are not done consistently.”

Feeding the cows consistently, Louwagie said, is quite similar.

“To keep cows producing a lot of milk, you need to keep feed in front of them all the time,” he said. “Most farms will experience empty bunks once in a while, but the Vector never lets that happen.”

The Vector circulating around the barn calls the cows to the bunk, Louwagie said.

“In our old facility we were overfeeding by about 10% and now we’re overfeeding about 1%,” he said. “In the winter, it might be a month before we clean the bunks out.”

Diversity is key for healthy ecosystems on farms

By Martha Blum

ant to all of it — the livelihoods of the animals, the livelihoods of us and the livelihoods of all the other creatures that live on our farm,” she said.

And insects are vitally important for the system.

“We want to have a diversity of insects to provide specific roles of ecosystem services,” Heidel-Baker said.

“Diversity is key — the flowers need the pollinators, the pollinators need the flowers and the cows need the grasses, everything is there for a reason.”

It is estimated that there are 400 bee species in Wisconsin, Heidel-Baker said.

“We know very little about a lot of the species because not a lot of research has been done,” she said. “In the U.S., it is estimated there are 3,600 species of bees.”

One of the vital insect groups for years ago, my farms with livestock is the decomposers. husband and I and our two kids moved back to my family’s dairy farm in Wisconsin,” Heidel-Baker said.

“Grass is so import-

“We are a certified organic dairy farm and we produce milk for Organic Valley,” said Heidel-Baker during a MADISON, Wis. — Managing a Grassland 2.0 digital dialogue. “We grass-based grazing farm starts at the also do grass-fed beef, raise pastured ground. poultry to sell eggs and chickens and “We have to have good grass to sup- we have pastured pigs.” port our livestock so everything we do Heidel-Baker is also an entomolois from the ground up,” said Thelma gist who loves insects.

Heidel-Baker, soil conservationist for “About seven U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

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Dung beetles can indicate healthy soil.

“The cow poop needs to be broken down, otherwise it can smother out the pasture grass,” Heidel-Baker said. “Insects are the key to that.”

Dung beetles do a lot of the magic, Heidel-Baker said.

“Dung beetles live in the cow patties and break down the patties in a couple of days,” she said. “A sign of a healthy ecosystem is to have dung beetles.”

The declining number of insects is a challenge.

“This study from 2017 was done in nature preserves,” Heidel-Baker said.

“It showed a 76% decline of insect biomass from 1986 to 2006.”

Red clover is one of go-to plants on Heidel-Baker’s farm.

“It’s a legume, nitrogen fixer, favorite plant for the cows to eat and a favorite for the bumble bees,” she said. “I have

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species of insects,” Heidel-Baker said.

“One of the best food sources birds can feed their young is caterpillars because they are a great protein source,” she said. “It’s estimated that it takes up to 8,000 caterpillars to feed a chickadee to survive to adulthood.”

The farmers have planted oak, popular, cherry, willow, hickory, chestnut and cedar trees to support insect and grass bird populations on their farm.

“We’ve diversified our farm income to make it easier to be farmers,” HeidelBaker said. “We don’t just sell milk. We sell beef, chickens and eggs to make the whole system work for us.”

There are a lot of challenges with farming.

“We want to have resiliency and a place that allows us to be able to survive and thrive,” Heidel-Baker said. “That’s where grazing has been the answer for us.”

Martha Blum can be reached at 815410-2254, or mblum@shawmedia.com.

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11 AG MATTERS | Shaw Media/ December 2021

found five species of bumble bees on blooming plants in the spring. our farm.”

“The dandelions are where I often Monarch butterfly populations have see the first bumble bees because also declined a lot over the last several there’s not much else in bloom,” Heidel-Baker said. decades, Heidel-Baker said.

The Wisconsin farmers have created “Monarch butterflies have to lay their habitats for other organisms besides eggs on a milkweed the cows on their farm, including a plant,” she said. “It’s half-acre of pollinator planting. the only plant the “There’s been a huge decline in the caterpillar can feed number of birds across the U.S., with on, but milkweed is 2.9 billion birds disappearing since a toxic plant for live- 1970,” Heidel-Baker said. “One group stock.” that has been really impacted is the However, the grassland birds.” cows on Heidel-BakDuring June and July, a part of the Heidel-Baker er’s don’t eat the pasture on the farm is not grazed to milkweed plants in the pasture. allow the grassland birds to nest there.

“The cows take a bite “Now we have boboand realize it tastes bad link birds on our farm and spit it out,” she said. because their habitat “In the U.S., it “And we also provide is not disrupted as high quality grass which much,” Heidelis estimated gives them the choice to Baker said. eat the good stuff versus there are 3,600 Trees are the bad stuff.” also very Dandelions provide dispecies of valuable for versity for soil health in healthy ecobees.” pastures, Heidel-Baker systems. said. “ O a k Heidel-Baker “We call dandelions trees are the ice cream to the cow one of the world because cows love most ecothem,” she said. “The flowers are not logically valuable trees bejust for livestock — they are also for cause they can be the host bees and pollinators.” for hundreds of different Dandelions are one of the earliest

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