Your Ag Network

Farmers and ranchers only make up around 5% of America’s population. Unfortunately, that is a population that also keeps shrinking. There is an old saying, “When the cows leave the land, the people leave the land.” I don’t want to lose any more neighbors. I don’t want to erode any more of our most precious resource, our young people who leave rural America and don’t come back.

I am concerned, and I am not alone. I remember the skyrocketing interest rates of the late 1970’s and early 1980. Farmers and ranchers along with other borrowers were paying 12% to 16% interest on their loans. Farmers borrow money almost every year to finance fertilizer, seed, chemicals, and machinery to plant, care for, and harvest their crops. The inflationary costs destroyed thousands of farms...

THEE Hot Barn Report! Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!

THEE Hot Barn Report! Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!

As I passed the man on that old international cabless tractor, the amount of life he has lived was visible on his face. The interesting juxtaposition was not lost on me.

THEE Hot Barn Report! Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!

Just when I think I have seen it all, it never fails, there is always a surprise on this stretch road.

After a busy week away from home last week, there was nothing better than having my husband make the coffee this morning and get back in to the routine of getting the kids on the bus!

THEE Hot Barn Report! Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!

The stock show word of the day is “PRIDE”! Everywhere I look around at the Black Hills Stock Show, I see people that are proud of what they are doing.

It has been an absolute pleasure connecting with cattle producers here at the Black Hills Stock Show. It makes my heart swell to everyone collaborating and working together.

THEE Hot Barn Report! Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!

I am still in the thick of it up here at the Black Hills Stock. Yesterday was an amazing day starting the morning off with the first ever Cattle Industry Townhall meeting at the Stock Show. A strong crowd of a couple hundred people were on hand. Views of the livestreaming were strong and there is no doubt that event was well received.

Today is a huge day! Check out the Your Ag Network Facebook page or YouTube channel to watch the cattle industry town hall meeting! What?!?! Your Ag Network even has a YouTube channel! Amazing, right! Truly thee best farm and ranch radio network out there, covering the events that are important to producers.

THEE Hot Barn Report! Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!

I had a blast last week walking through history and sharing with you stories and facts about the Omaha Stockyards! If you missed an episode or love cattle industry history, you can catch all of those episodes from last week on the Your Ag Network app or website.

I am a complete sap for cattle industry history. Learning about the Omaha Stockyards just leaves me in complete awe!

The Omaha Stockyards spurred growth of jobs in other industries related to the stockyard. Immigrants flooded in from all over Europe. The men worked long, grueling hours to build a life for themselves and their families.

THEE Hot Barn Report! Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!

By 1892 the Omaha stockyard was pulling in 25 million dollars' worth of business. Around 1900, the stockyards added new pens and brick floors along with new concrete watering troughs and weighing scales. The sheep barn was also rebuilt to hold 100,000 animals, and the new block horse and mule barn was hailed as “the largest and best single barn in the world. At its height of, the Omaha stockyard c...

Before there were livestock markets and sale barns dotted the Midwest prairie towns, the big ranches were sending their market stock to the huge livestock market in Chicago, IL.

So, cattle towns were midwestern frontier settlements that catered to the cattle industry. The economies of these communities were heavily dependent on the seasonal cattle drives from Texas, which brought the cowboys and the cattle that these towns relied upon. Cattle towns were found at the junctions of railroads and livestock trails. These towns were the destination of the cattle drives, the pla...

Before we dive into this week, I wanted to let you know that I will be back on the road next week headed to meet with cattle producers. I have learned that cattlemen travel in very small circles, mostly from the ranch to the sale barn and occasionally to the feed store.

I took a special trip this week to Hot Barn reporting market, North Platte Stockyards. As I was getting close to North Platte, I realized I really didn’t know where I was going.

There is just something about a dog. There is something about raising kids and dogs together. And none of this has anything to do with Border Collies. You choose the dog for you and sometimes the dog chooses you!