Seeding Cover Crops with Drones

Drones have many applications for livestock producers that extend the growing season and build soil health by keeping the ground covered 365 days a year. Ryan VonderHaar and Luke Boeckman of L&R Ag in Saint Rose discuss the technology and best practices for using drones to spread seed and spray chemicals. Cliff Schuette of Breese has been using cover crops to extend the growing seasons for his 250-head herd of cows since 1996. He's transitioned to drones after previously using planes and helicopters to "put seed in place to grow while row crop is still growing.”

Water Systems for Rotational Grazing: HDPE Pipe, Portable Tanks & What Actually Works

Jeremia Markway of Markway Ranch and Logan Karcher of the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition walk through practical water infrastructure strategies for managed grazing operations — including HDPE poly pipe, Plasson couplers, portable tanks, and how to plan a system that grows with your herd.
Fence Infrastructure for Grazing Operations

Jeremia Markway of Markway Ranch (Truxton, MO) and Logan Karcher of the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition break down perimeter fencing priorities, fence type tradeoffs, and why investing in quality materials from the start can make or break a managed grazing system.
Converting Cropland to Pasture: What Actually Works

Thinking about converting row-crop ground to pasture? Luke Jones of Understanding Ag and ILGLC's Logan Karcher share what they've each learned firsthand about building productive pasture on former cropland. They cover why going straight to perennials usually backfires, why annuals-first is the smarter path, and the soil biology reason that warm-season native grasses need extra time to establish on conventionally farmed ground.
Weed Management for Graziers

Thistle in your pasture? Foxtail taking over? Before you reach for the sprayer, it's worth asking what those plants are actually telling you about your soil.
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Soil Biology for Graziers

What's really going on underneath your pasture — and why does it matter for your operation's profitability and resilience? In this clip, Luke Jones of Understanding Ag breaks down soil biology in plain terms: what the soil food web is, how livestock actively improve it, and why understanding it changes how you think about every management decision you make.