Welcome to Southern States Cooperative!

Fresh vegetables are not getting any cheaper and sometimes there are health concerns too. Your front yard may look nice, but is that sunny spot really pulling its weight for you? Consider turning that area into a front yard vegetable garden. Using a little imagination and a little elbow grease you could be helping to feed your family with fresh vegetables, enhancing you and your family’s health and saving your money too.

Every fall, as the leaves start falling, it's time to start thinking about how to get them off of your lawn. Consider two basic methods: mulch them into the lawn with your mower, or pile them up with a rake or blower and haul them away. There are pros and cons to each technique.

Starch and sugar in the horse’s diet can cause an increase in blood glucose (called a glycemic response), which causes an increase in blood insulin. High blood insulin concentrations or insulin resistance has been implicated in the development of equine health problems. A CRF research study was conducted at the University of Kentucky to evaluate the effects of starch and soluble fiber levels in the concentrate or grain portion of the diet on the horse’s blood glucose and insulin levels.

It’s natural to fertilize your lawn in the spring, but don’t let the cooler temperatures of autumn fool you. Fall is the best time to fertilize the grass, even better than springtime. After the summer’s heat and humidity, grass regains its strength before winter with a good fall fertilizing. It also helps grass develop a thick and deep root system, so it can survive next summer’s heat.

Whether flowers, vegetables or fruit, a bountiful garden is a thing of beauty and the result of much hard work. Don’t let it become a dangerous place for your children. Take a few minutes and check your garden for these hazards that could cause accidents.

Now is the time to start planning a fall wildlife food plot. There is no better way to assure the health and vitality of whitetail deer, than to provide them with a nutritious source of food. See how you can get FREE deer feed, a FREE Whitetail Institute instructional DVD and a FREE $20 Southern States Gift Card when you purchase a 2010 Wildlife Food Plot Package.

Southern States presents an article series on steps you can take to minimize the effects of drought and dry weather conditions on your lawn and pasture.

• Repairing your lawn
• Simple summer lawns
• Lawn-care essentials
• Choosing a sprinkler
• Rain or shine: always be prepared
• Managing pasture during drought
• Watch out for nitrate poisoning
• Managed grazing

It’s summertime, and the living is easy—especially if you’re taking in the evening breeze from your lush backyard patio. Transforming an ordinary porch or outdoor space is one of the easiest and most gratifying ways to increase the useable square footage of your home. All it takes is some planning, a streak of creativity and a little elbow grease to add a living space you—and your neighbors—will love.

The growing season for your lawn is almost over. You might think that all that remains is a quick mow to tidy things up until next spring. You would be quite wrong. Once weeds have appeared in the spring, the seeds are set and your battle with them could take years. Late summer and fall are the perfect times to take action to help your lawn compete successfully with weeds in the spring and emerge from the winter looking its best.

Southern States presents a series of articles on pest control for your home, herds and stables. Pests and insect infestations can spread disease, cause health problems and undermine your bottom line. We share the products and know-how you need to keep your family and your livestock healthy and happy.

• Basic Fly Control
• Pest Control Around the Home
• Controlling Fire Ants
• Livestock pest management
• Pest and fly control for horses

Your native wildflower garden could become a shining example of the wild areas where you live, enhancing your garden, the environment, habitat for wildlife, and also giving you and yours much pleasure with minimal maintenance requirements. There is a huge variety of wildflower plants to choose. Set up your garden canvas and let nature paint the picture.

You may not realize it, but your cat needs regular dental care, too. Dental problems are one of the most common health issues in cats. With regular care and the knowledge of what problems to look for, however, you can do much to help your feline friend live a long and healthy life.

Heatstroke in dogs is a serious condition that can lead to severe damage of internal organs or even death. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help your dog avoid a dangerous rise in body temperature. Read on to learn more about signs of heatstroke, ways you can prevent it and what to do in an emergency situation.

As the summer days grow longer and hotter, many animal owners find themselves facing drought conditions, or at least considering the possibility of dry days ahead. The following tips and reminders can help horse and livestock owners get through the hard times until rains return.

Children can learn many things in a garden. Working with plants and the soil teaches them about nature, the life cycle and the importance of nurturing. This year, set aside space in the family garden for your kids to try their hand at it. No matter what their ages, gardening can be educational and fun.

Learn how to optimize your wheat and fall fertilizer program with SFP Monday, August 2 at 8pm EST on RFD-TV. Join host Max Armstrong as we share success stories from growers who have taken their yields to the next level with products like AVAIL and NutriSphere-N. We'll also be taking calls and answering questions. Whether you're new to the SFP difference, or just want to learn more about it, check your local listings, mark your calendar and stay tuned.

Accidents around the house are a nuisance that most dog-owners are familiar with, but did you know they may indicate a more serious health concern? Learn about the different behavioral and medical issues that most commonly cause urinary issues in dogs, and you might be surprised to find that options are available to treat even the most persistent problems.

Vertical elements in your garden add visual interest by drawing the eyes upward. These elements could be plants and trees, as well as gazebos, trellises and other architectural structures. Upright items are not only decorative, but also practical. In many cases they support colorful climbing vines and flowers.

You have your water garden all set up and ready to go. Planting it is the next step but you need to consider what you can plant, where you should plant it, and how much you should plant. You have three zones to consider, submerged aquatic, surface aquatic, and marginal. Each zone is a separate environment that needs to merge with the others.

Cats are a law unto themselves and, as they get into their senior years from around 10 onwards, they may display all kinds of symptoms and behavior changes. Understanding what causes your cat to behave the way it does and learning what changes you can make will help your senior cat to be comfortable and happy.