When it’s time to harvest alfalfa for silage or hay, we are usually concerned about getting the crop cut at the right time, hitting weather windows for good drying conditions, and removing the crop

Alfalfa has been termed the “Queen of Forages.” Unfortunately, her highness is a fickle ruler

Although the USDA has Hay Quality Designation Guidelines (see tables) based on nutrition tests for alfalfa, that alone does not cover all of the terms and grades we use to describe hay. Many of the terms

Growing concern has been that many farmers lose too many leaves during the harvesting process

Technology is evolving faster than ever before, and farming technology is no exception

Weighing the costs and benefits of an opportunity can be the first step in the decision-making process. Farmers know both sides of this scale hang heavy when that decision pertains to agricultur

There are many routes to high-yielding alfalfa, but few of them don’t go down the potassium road. I was reminded of this after reading a recently published five-year study in Agronomy Journal that

Adding a farm enterprise is often a complicated and hand-wringing exercise in decision making. But every once in a while, the stars align and an additional enterprise just makes perfect sense with lit

For haymakers, natural rainfall can be the devil or the savior. It’s needed and then not needed. Raindrops on the roof can make us sleep better or not sleep at all. A haymaker’s life is spent

It seems many people in the farming and ranching communities are still having a hard time coming to terms with the concept of climate change and what role human beings might play in this process

In the Midwest, over the last two decades, both June and September have shown a trend toward warmer average monthly temperatures

Dealing with an honest broker who is well-versed in the market can have many advantages that can save a farmer or customer time, resources, and money

In my last column, I had discussed how to train your grazier’s eye to conduct ongoing pasture inventories

Will it head early? Will it head late?These two questions follow grass varieties around like a lost puppy. They get asked by grass breeders during development; they get asked by marketing departments

Another flip of the calendar means the first cutting of alfalfa is fast approaching for many farmers

Fall dormancy of alfalfa is an important trait to consider when selecting a variety, but how relevant is it to farm-scale production?

Do fresh, newly planted pastures provide better nutritional quality for grazing livestock than older pastures?

Drought is on farmers’ minds across Missouri and other states. Monthly precipitation has been below average 17 of the last 22 months in Columbia, Mo

During my years as an extension agent, I would occasionally be called out to a farm for the purpose of evaluating a failed or thin new alfalfa seeding field

Although alfalfa has been grown and studied for many generations, there are still some mysteries surrounding the crop that continue to dog us