5 Jan 2012, Comments (0)

Montana Cows Love Weeds!

Author: kvoth

The Montana Farmer’s Union used my training method this past summer to help three different ranchers teach cattle to eat Canada Thistle.  Chris Christiaens of MFU says, “It is working!”  According to an article in the Prairie Star, Christiaens says that the cattle kept the plant grazed to about 5 inches through the summer.

Like all educated cows, the trainees in this program went on to add other weeds to their diet.  In this case they started grazing musk thistle and bull thistle.  According to the Prairie Star article, eveyone involved was amazed at how quickly the cattle adapted to their diets, and they are looking forward to watching the trained cows teach their calves. (more…)

24 Dec 2011, Comments (0)

Virginia Farm Bureau Article

Author: kvoth

I talked with Kathy Dixon of the Virginia Farm Bureau last week.  I think she did a great job of summarizing our conversation.  You can read it here.

Meanwhile I’m busy putting together my talks and slides for this series.  If you want to be sure I cover particular weeds of concern to you, do let me know and I’ll add them to what I’m preparing.

15 Dec 2011, Comments (3)

West Virginia Extension Talks About Cows Eating Weeds

Author: kvoth

I love to see my pictures in such good company!

West Virginia University Extenstion staff, Chuck Talbott, Ed Rayburn and Rakesh Chandran, did a demonstration on Morgan Farm teaching cows to eat weeds.  One of the results was that Chuck told me he found that cows were already eating a lot more weeds in pasture than he thought they were.  I wrote earlier about how I helped them tweak their process a bit to make sure they were successful.

They put together a slide presentation called “Weeds, Monocultures and Monsanto…a time to embrace diversity.” They describe some of the benefits of cows eating weeds, and something about what they learned in the process.  Check it out and you’ll find the protein values for ironweed, spiny pigweed, smartweed, common lambsquarters, curly dock, Canada thistle, buttercup and mustard species (brassica spp.).  You’ll also find some good information about stocking rates and grazing.

14 Dec 2011, Comments (0)

My Virginia Forage and Grassland Council Tour

Author: kvoth

I’m looking forward to 4 presentations that I’ll be doing for the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council.  Here’s a link to an article in the Times-Virginian about the series. If you’re in the area and you’d like to attend, here’s a link to the brochure and registration information.  The cost is $35 before January 1, 2012 and $50 after the first of the year.

I’ll be sharing what researchers have discovered in the last couple decades about how animals choose what to eat, and how we can use that knowledge along with some animal behavior tips to get cows to eat our weeds for us.  I’ll also be talking about the benefits of weeds, and helping folks think about how they can adapt the training process to meet their own needs.  I hope to see you there!

9 Dec 2011, Comments (0)

2012 Presentations and Workshops

Author: kvoth

You can catch up with me in a lot of places this winter.  Here’s a start on where I’ll be.  Check back for updates as they come in.

If you don’t see a location near you, check with your local extension agent, RCD or NRCS office or the folks who set up educational opportunities near you.  I can work with them on scheduling an event. (more…)
  • Kathy Voth, Livestock for Landscapes

  • Kathy Voth, Livestock for Landscapes

  • Website: livestockforlandscapes.com
  • In 2004, I developed a method for training cows to eat weeds in as little as 10 hours over 10 days. The training process is just a matter of understanding how animals choose what to eat and applying some simple behavioral principles. Now the cattle I train eat every bit as much variety as my goats ever did and they do it without all the hassle of fencing. I use this blog to share information about what I learn as I continue to train cows and manage them to improve rancher profitability and landscape sustainability.
  • YouTube: kathyvoth