Utah State Extension in Weber County

The McFarlands work on a third-generation dairy farm that was originally a turkey farm just a few minutes from downtown Ogden. Drought, insects, frost, and the urban interface all make it hard for a small 125 head dairy operation to remain profitable.

One of their best assets, though, is 480 acres of land, which is enough to grow all their own forage.

"Up until recently we never bothered to consider fertilizing this land to increase yields or to consider forage crops other than alfalfa," says Larry McFarland. "Weber county Extension agent James Barnhill prodded us to try some forages that would increase protein in the dairy cow rations, so we tried soybeans and millet. Both proved successful, as did fertilizing. Fertilizing more than paid for itself by doubling the yield on our fields. This helped us increase our herd by 35 head and to remain a self sufficient operation.

"Without Extension's soil tests we never would have know this. James also helped us identify yellow striped cutworms early enough to stop them from ruining our crops," McFarland concluded.

To find out more about Weber County, click here. For more about Extension in other counties take the Extension tour of Utah.