Most is converted to animal feed that provides little nutritional value and makes no profit for producers. They don't decompose, and they're not usually made of the plastic recycled in these parts. Add concerns over mad cow disease and avian flu, says Marc Teffeau, "and it's conceivable in the future that the Food and Drug Administration might ban the feeding of animal byproducts back into the production cycle. Peat pots have been around for a while, but peat supplies are finite. But...

Horse owners wanting to learn more about the nutritive value of purchased hay or enhance knowledge of forage production and management can attend an all-day workshop scheduled May 3. The workshop will cover such topics as horse pastures, production, selection and feeding of various hay and processed roughages. Pasture management workshop for horse owners scheduled for May 3 Delta. Pasture management workshop for horse owners scheduled for May 3 Delta. Attendees will also receive a cap...

The petite 6-year-old is among pets throughout Central Virginia that may have been sickened by eating food containing adulterated wheat gluten from a supplier in China. Food and Drug Administration said tests of the food, urine and tissue samples of sickened cats have isolated melamine, a substance used in making plastics and also as a fertilizer. We re assuming it s a case involving the food, if the animal has a history of eating the food prior to the symptoms, particularly if (the...

Ward Rugh employees sweep up hay Thursday afternoon around the forge compactor, which is used to compress bails of hay and cut them to certain specifications for customers. The hay compacting is actually a process using four to six workers. The hydraulics allow the machine to compress 120-pound field bales into denser, more easily transportable bales that are half the original size. As they go by, a worker cuts the twine and the hay is pushed into the compactor, compressed and retied. The...

His current goal is to open up more feed for his cows and provide forage for the nearly 500 head neighborhood elk herd and keep them off his lower elevation forage base. The couple raises grass fed only beef so Steve takes his forage seriously. Like most conventional operations, they put up hay from their irrigated meadows and fed in the winter. He continually monitors the land and makes adjustments to the schedule throughout the year depending on forage conditions. The Oswald's direct...