When you inhale air into your lungs and then exhale it, you are breathing or performing respiration. Our lives would be short if we did not constantly perform this simple action. Respiring supplies the cells in our body with needed oxygen and removes carbon dioxide waste. Like an engine An easy way to understand why...Read More

1. Soil Respiration The first part of the Haney Soil Health Test is soil respiration test or CO2 24 hr. burst test is an indicator of soil microbial biomass.  When we receive the sample we dry the soil over night at 110 F and then crush the soil and collect soil that passes through a...Read More

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Western Canada Conference on Soil Health and Grazing on behalf of Ward Laboratories, Inc.  If you missed out, the video recordings of the conference will be posted here.  The event was packed full of knowledgeable speakers and eager to learn producers.  Here are the key messages from...Read More

I don’t like political topics; however, with the buzz surrounding the new green deal, those of us in the beef industry need to speak up. Beef producers truly do provide a nutrient dense, environmentally responsible product. North American beef producers have made strides toward increased efficiency and environmental responsibility. Greenhouse Gasses In the past 20...Read More

Here at Ward Laboratories Inc there is always something happening.  This past month and the coming months include construction projects and new lab equipment.  This past week, we also became a zoo, I kid of course. In the lab we are adding new fume hoods and expanding for new stations and lab equipment.  Once the...Read More

Last week I attended both the Colorado Cattlemen’s Annual Convention and the Sandhills Ranch Expo at the Ward Laboratories Inc tradeshow booths.  At both locations, producers had concerns about nitrates.  The climate and weather however were contrasting conditions.  Colorado producers wondered how drought stress might affect the nitrate levels in their forages, while Nebraska and...Read More

Soil microbes are all the buzz these days, but what about rumen microbes?  Currently, it is very common to go to a ruminant nutrition meeting and hear about feeding the microbes first.  This is especially the case with the NRC Nutrient Requirements of Beef using the microbial protein and bypass protein system.  There are four...Read More

Grazing cover crops can be a cost-effective way to achieve multiple productions goals.  Cover crops can provide ground cover to prevent erosion, improve soil health over time, and provide nutrition to beef cattle.  However, cover crops are not a fool proof feed.  Turning cattle out onto cover crops to graze without proper feed tests can...Read More