Many hay balers are also straw balers. Wheat straw makes for a no-brainer second enterprise using all of the same equipment needed for hay, only without the anxiety caused by maturity concerns, rain events,

There are several situations when the ability to seed alfalfa after a killed alfalfa crop might be the desired play. It certainly would be a “go-to” practice for many commercial alfalfa growers

As many readers know by now, I spent most of my adult life as an extension agronomist in a dairy-dominated Wisconsin county

Everybody has a nemesis, something that seems to screw up the plan of action more often than not. For the haymaker, that curse-worthy adversary is often cited as rainfall

Plant maturity is often cited as the primary driver of forage quality. Make no mistake — it is

The amount of hay in the U.S. haymow continues to shrink and is down another 7% from a year ago. Compared to May 1, 2020, the inventory is down 18% or 3.7 million tons

Have you started thinking about next winter’s hay supply?The question seems ludicrous given that we just recently passed the finish pole of this winter. But is it?Kenny Burdine doesn’t think

I just returned from south central Missouri where repeated heavy rains have left hayfields and pastures in a bog-like condition

We talk a lot about various forages and their utility on livestock farms and ranches. I’ll admit it: I’ve always favored and been intrigued by alfalfa with all of its benefits and warts. That

Decade ago, genetically modified (GM) alfalfa was commercialized. The occurrence of feral alfalfa populations along roadsides and in natural habitats is widely recognized

As the weather trends hotter, cold and sweet treats become more appealing. My two kids, aged 7 and 8 years old, have inherited my late father’s sweet tooth

One chance per year. That’s all you get. There are no do-overs — no country club mulligans. That one chance refers to the proper timing of making first-cut alfalfa, and given the price of other

It’s been well-documented that alfalfa yields have not improved at the rates seen in other agronomic crops over the past 50 years

Just as roast beef and mashed potatoes make for a natural combination on dinner plates, corn silage and alfalfa are brought together in most lactating dairy cow rations

Perhaps no other issue garners more attention from alfalfa growers than the moisture level of the crop in the windrow

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), are more frequently being used for applying pesticides on farms for crop protection

Mining for precious metals or diamonds requires tried and true equipment and techniques. Simply walking around aimlessly with a metal detector or sifting the dirt won’t often prove successful

Companion: noun; one that accompanies, is closely connected, or serves another. Though often associated with a person, in the alfalfa world, companion is typically associated with a cereal grass crops

If it’s true that fiber digestibility has a greater impact on milk production than the digestibility of any other feed component, then the road to greater feed efficiency and higher milk production

Brock Kiesler is a hay producer located in Greenville, Ind., where he farms about 450 acres of hay and row crops. Annually, he produces and brokers 50,000 small square bales, 650 big square straw bale