Tires can make great containers to hold feed and water for cattle, but those tires also can pose health risks. If the tires have wire in the walls, the wire can break off and cattle can swallow it. Cattle ingesting wire can develop hardware disease, a condition that could result in their death. Performing regular maintenance on the tires is the best way to avoid hardware disease. (Photo by Carl Dahlen, NDSU)

Shearing sheep before lambing begins can have a tremendous inpact on flock productivity. Research shows shearing prior to lambing may improve blood flow to unborn lambs, resulting in healthier and more productive lambs. Shearing before lambing also can result in a cleaner environment for newborn lambs, help the lambs nurse sooner and improve the value of the wool clip.

The 2012 Field Crop Insect Management Guide has information and pesticide recommendations for most crops grown in North Dakota. The guide also has information on managing pests on rangeland and noncrop areas. The recommendations conform to the current federal and state laws and regulations relating to pesticide chemicals.

The 2012 Weed Control Guide has an easy-to-follow format that will help producers with sometimes difficult herbicide application decisions. The guide also lists other publications that are available to provide even more specific information.

The guide is based on federal and state herbicide labels, research at North Dakota Research Extension Centers and other information from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

The flavor quality of milk starts at the farm. Make it a practice to check the flavor of your milk regularly because milk flavor can change in quality suddenly if production conditions are altered. For most effective flavor evaluation, milk samples should be warmed to the 55 to 70 degree range. Temperatures below 50 tend to mask potential off-flavors.