“The U.S. dollar is having a huge impact on hay exports,” said Scot Courtright at the Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium earlier this month in Sparks, Nev

Many states lit up the U.S. Drought Monitor in some shade of yellow, orange, or red this past year, especially in parts of the Midwest, the High Plains, and the South

Teff grass is not as well known in the U.S. as other forage grasses

In an ideal world, pastures would always be green with plenty of forage, cattle would never get sick or eat something they weren’t supposed to, and if we’re dreaming big, toxic weeds wouldn’t

One of the core principles of plant breeding is to improve crop genetics so plants are better equipped to survive environmental stress

With haymaking activities ceased on most farms and bales tucked away in sheds or under tarps, attention now turns to machinery maintenance and hay marketing

Despite the fact there is no symbiotic relationship between alfalfa and ruminants, the nutrient composition of alfalfa complements the nutritional needs of ruminant animals surprisingly well

When teaching others to review and interpret forage analyses, the first number that I tend to focus on is fiber content

By and large, forage seed supply for spring plantings looks to be in good shape to support what is expected to be higher demand for new seedings

Forage research from universities and seed companies fuels advancements in the alfalfa industry. This research also lays the foundation for many producer recommendations, but scientific experime

Whether you are adjusting soil pH for a new alfalfa seeding, adding maintenance fertilizer to a mixed stand, or giving an old pasture a boost of nutrients, getting a soil test is probably on the to-do

Water bodies not subject to external forces remain calm and level. This is true of a lake or mud puddle; however, when impacted by forces such as wind, the normally quiescent waters become rough

Cows don’t necessarily need alfalfa or corn silage — they need energy, fiber, and protein. Forages with greater concentrations of these nutrients are ultimately more valuable to animals; however

It's the new “sexy” forage, also known as the cocktail mix; it’s mysterious, unknown, and risky

Thanks to research from Bill Weiss and Norm St-Pierre at The Ohio State University, we have a concrete understanding of the factors that contribute variance to feed sampling

To juice up the field day agenda I was attending, the organizers planned a round bale guessing game contest. One bale looked pretty normal while another was slumping worse than the Oakland Athle

With corn silage harvest underway — or almost underway — on many farms, crop fields will soon be ready to with seed winter forage. Wheat and rye are common cereal grains planted after corn

Really dry or really wet — it doesn’t matter because both conditions can be lethal to new spring alfalfa seedings. Depending on where you hang your hat, weather extremes on either end of the

The critical fall period for alfalfa has been said to start roughly six weeks before the first killing frost, which is roughly around the first week of September for most of the Midwest. This hard sto

As I sit here in the Bozeman, Mont., airport waiting for the Boeing 737 with my name attached to it, I’m pondering the fact that once again orchardgrass has been a big part of this trip. Both the