#ariculture

[agrimentorschandigarh]

[julieschulerart]

The afterbirth of a cow must be placed in an apple tree or the cow will not calf next year. Similarly, the afterbirth of a foal was to be hung in a thorn tree to secure the health of the foal. Hanging placentas in trees was an agricultural superstition practiced in northern England, largely of Germanic influence. (pictured: Farmyard by John Frederick Herring Jr. late 19th c.)

[wsudiscovery]

Year of the Sheep

Livestock aren't a common sight in the hills of the Palouse region where grain is grown. But, according to two wheat farmers and one WSU soil science doctoral candidate, maybe they should be. 

On 100 of their 1,300 acres, Eric and Sheryl Zakarison are experimenting with a combination of wheat, pea, perennial grass, and sheep production to promote diversify their farm. Jonathan Wachter, a WSU student, teamed up with the Zakarisons to demonstrate how this integrated system also increase soil nutrients, add biodiversity, and reduce greenhouse emissions and erosion. 

According to Zakarisons, the ewes are essential to their system. They eat low quality hay and turn it into milk for the lambs and meat for local markets. They also deliver calcium to the system and help control weeds like prickly lettuce.

Read more about the Zakarisons and Wachter's research in WSU News.