Shore Up Safety When Harvesting Forages
By making just a few simple adjustments, Larry Minner and Dave Anderson say most operators could benefit both in terms of an improved safety record and lower insurance premiums
When You Can’t Give Your Farm Workers Raises
Today's economic climate is making it tougher for businesses to raise the salaries and benefits of top-flight employees.- Even so, many custom operators are finding that a few well-placed, low-cost gestures can go a long way toward keeping employees motivated and feeling appreciated until better times return
Diesel Fuel Prices Steady For Now
Following a major price spike in 2008, stable diesel fuel prices were welcome news for custom operators last year. Barring unforeseen developments, the trend is likely to continue through at least the first half of 2010
Internet Marketing Resources
Don’t have the resources or inclination to develop a Web site of your own to market or advertise your hay? Here are some other Internet options
Marketing Hay: Casting A Wider Net
When Gary Carmichael moved from dairying to commercial hay growing more than a decade ago, he quickly figured he'd need more than traditional marketing
Hay Export Outlook Brightens
By just about every measure, 2009 was a tough year for U.S. hay exporting firms. As the new year gets under way, though, many leading exporters believe
2010 Weather: Drought Relief
After dealing with widespread drought conditions for nearly a decade, the U.S. as a whole experienced a big-time reprieve in 2009. Yet, as weather experts
Dairy's Long Road Back
Keeping tabs on dairy-industry developments is a large part of Jon Hill's job as sales manager for Nevada Hay Growers Inc., a cooperative representing
Great Expectations
The high yield potential of energy crops like switchgrass and miscanthus, demonstrated in university and company research trials, generates plenty of
Beef Looks To Recover
Following a two-year expansion period mid-decade, the beef industry's cow-calf sector moved into a liquidation phase in 2007-2009. The number of beef
Silage Slideshows
Take a couple of minutes to view two producers’ methods to cut silage losses and make more profit.
Packing At High Silage Densities
Doing a bang-up job of packing haylage going onto storage piles to maintain forage quality and prevent dry matter losses is a top-tier priority at 2,800-cow Dairy Dreams, LLC, near Casco, WI
Battling Shrink
Keeping feed shrink to a minimum on a dairy is always sound strategy, but especially so when feed prices skyrocket (last year) or milk prices tank (this
More Grass, More Milk
Helping cows stay healthy is goal No. 1 at the Lardinois dairy near Pulaski, WI. Feeding more grass and less alfalfa in the dairy's total mixed ration
Packing It In
Doing a bang-up job of packing haylage going onto storage piles to maintain forage quality and prevent dry matter losses is a top-tier priority at 2,800-cow
