Ritchie Fount
June 26, 2023

Go with the flow: The importance of water consumption in dairy cattle

Name the single nutrient that can impact milk production the most drastically. Hopefully, you answered “water” but if you didn’t you are not alone. For most producers drinking water is not a top of mind concern. But consider this, water … Read More

June 12, 2023

For 100 Years Ritchie Industries Has Brought Fresh Water to the Ranch & Farm

Stagnant water, algae blooms in the summer, and stock tanks full of ice in the winter were all problems Thomas Ritchie, an Oskaloosa, Iowa native, was busy trying to solve. In 1921, Ritchie patented the first automatic waterer valve that … Read More

May 22, 2023

From Drought to Derechos – 2020 Challenges All Facets of Beef Production

Iowa beef producers have been in a heavyweight fight with Mother Nature for the past couple of years. 2019 was the blow of devastating floods and 2020 is the one-two punch of drought and derecho damage. No matter how vicious … Read More

May 8, 2023

Learn How to Keep Your Waterers Ice Free This Winter

The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting “the winter of the great divide” for the 2020-21 season – cold and snowy in the north with drought in the west. Time will tell if this prediction is accurate but one thing you can … Read More

April 24, 2023

Frozen No More: Five Steps to Prep Your Waterer for Winter

Healthy horses spend 70 percent of their day eating forage and drinking water. During the winter, horses have a natural tendency to drink less water in colder temperatures so you need to be diligent with providing fresh, clean water at … Read More

April 10, 2023

Keep the Fresh Water Flowing This Winter

Water is the Most Important Nutrient We Provide Cattle “Although water is the cheapest nutrient we may purchase or provide, it is the one we provide the most of on a per pound basis,” said Ted Wiseman, extension educator for … Read More

March 29, 2023

SBA Selects Ritchie Industries, Inc. as the 2023 Iowa SBA Small Business Exporter of the Year

Company Also Honored as SBA’s Region 7 Exporter of the Year (DES MOINES, Iowa) – The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced the selection of Ritchie Industries, Inc. in Conrad as the 2023 SBA Small Business Exporter of the Year … Read More

Three Tips to Get Your Horse to Drink More Water During Winter

1. Turn Up the Heat During the winter, horses have a natural tendency to drink less water in colder temperatures, so you need to be diligent with providing fresh, clean water at the right temperature. Researchers at the University of … Read More

March 22, 2023

Keeping Dehydration at Bay

What is the best way to tell if a horse is getting the proper amount of water?  In general, there are two simple tests you can do to assess how well your horse is hydrated – the skin pinch and … Read More

March 15, 2023

Your Horse and Water Quality

The biggest measure of water quality is total dissolved solids (TDS). TDS is comprised of inorganic salts (principally calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates) and some small amounts of organic matter. Elevated TDS can make your water have … Read More