Take a trip and never leave the farm Spring 2021

“Take a trip and never leave the farm,” had a whole other meaning in the ’70s than it does today. There was no internet back when Jim Stafford was singing Wildwood Weed on the radio. 
With modern technology, farmers can conform to COVID-19 travel restrictions and attend meetings, seminars, and other events without leaving their kitchen tables. 
The pandemic continues to alter our perceptions of normal, along with phrases and words. 
“See you in Nappan” is usually emblazoned on the cover of the Spring issue of Atlantic Beef & Sheep. However, the Maritime Beef Test Station 48th Annual Breeding Stock Sale will be held online once again this year. Jacy McInnis says the April 3 sale will feature 50-plus top-quality bulls and 20-plus high-end heifers (page 30). 
In addition to the Nappan sale, LiveAuctions.tv will also handle the 40 bulls and 50 bred heifers being offered at the March 20 Balamore “Thickness Sells” Sale (see back cover for details). 
But some organizers responsible for Maritime steer shows and sales have devised ways to preserve their decades-old traditions. Exhibitors, buyers, and supporters will be socially distanced and protected, but they will be in a show ring (page 48).
You can stay on the farm, but you’d better buckle up. Atlantic Beef & Sheep will take you on a trip to Inverness County, Nova Scotia, where Don MacLean will introduce you to Dougie Beaton and his bison (page 32). 
And Emily Leeson will take you to visit the sheep at Ferme Soucy & Fils in Saint-Basile, the oldest ancestral farm in northern New Brunswick (page 40).
And on page 21, we’ll fill you in on IBaCC, the potential ground-breaking new treatment for Barber pole worm. Nova Scotia purebred sheep breeder and retired biology professor Dr. Gwyneth Jones says it is “not a silver bullet, but a realistic hope for the future.”
ABS provides some expert advice about pregnancy toxemia in sheep and goats (page 38) and on nutrition for lambing (page 50). 
On page 22, Dan Woolley reports on Bill Thomas’ three pillars of forage management: yield, quality, and forage stand persistence.
And we’ll say goodbye to old friends (page 57).
There’s usually a stretch of bad road on any trip. Republicans in the U.S. dragged Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) out of their closet while asking questions during U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s confirmation hearing (Ribs, page 14). And Charlie Gracey has a few things to say about that in his column on page 28.
While we won’t be able to shake your hand when we see you in Nappan, we’ll watch for you online.