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

Beef cow-calf, stocker, and backgrounding enterprises rely on the forages available to keep production costs low

Stockpiling is an important management practice that defers forage availability for a time of later use. In the southeastern U.S., perennial grasses such as tall fescue and bermudagrass

Over 2.5 million acres of nonirrigated dry hay are produced annually in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida, with an average yield of 5,750 pounds per acre

For many Western alfalfa growers, rodents fall into a major pest category right along with insects, diseases, and weeds

The current drought in the West has likely had no greater impact on other agricultural entities than on alfalfa, according to Dan Putnam, the longtime extension forage agronomist

Selecting a grass species or variety for the production of hay or pasture forage isn’t a decision that should be made without some careful thought. In fact, an argument could be made that selecting

Alfalfa growers in the western U.S. are very aware of how important it is to have adequate irrigation water to produce a crop

There will be a lot of gift wrapping going on this week. It’s my opinion that the ability to wrap gifts correctly and neatly is a genetic trait that is either inherited or must be learned