The supply of proprietary dormant alfalfa seed – conventional and Roundup Ready – looks to be adequate for 2013 spring plantings while non-dormant supplies are already tight, say representatives of major alfalfa-seed companies....More
A team of university marketing students recently suggested that Steve Rader should change the name of his fermented alfalfa product from Chaffhaye to AlphaHaye to more accurately reflect its quality....More
A shorter, leafier, brown midrib forage sorghum delivers the yield and quality of taller BMRs without the lodging risk, say farmers and forage agronomists who’ve tried it....More
Brown midrib forage sorghum outperforms silage corn in moisture-deficit situations, and it’s less-expensive to grow. But the cost advantage for non-irrigated forage sorghum vs. corn isn’t as great as many people think, says Chris Teutsch, Virginia Tech forage specialist....More
High feed prices have helped put Western dairy producers deeper in debt or into bankruptcy court, says Tom Barcellos, Western United Dairymen president and a Tipton, CA, dairy producer....More
Slurry seeding a legume into grass pastures can increase forage yield and quality and provide a more complete feed for grazing livestock, says Tim Harrigan, Michigan State University ag engineer....More
Tim Zweber recently agreed to buy a few truckloads of 150-RFV organic alfalfa hay for a reasonable price. Before the purchase was finalized, however, someone else “bought it out from under me” for $275/ton, he says....More
Two mysterious alfalfa diseases have cropped up in fields in recent years. Deborah Samac, a research plant pathologist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, says both attack crown buds and roots, producing thin stands....More
Disposing of waste ag plastics – everything from silage bags and bale net-wrap to baling twine and feed and fertilizer bags – has long been a source of frustration for hay growers and livestock producers like Bill Findley, Waynesburg, OH....More
The logistics of collecting, transporting and processing have been major hurdles in providing farmers with environmentally friendly alternatives to dispose of ag plastics. So says Lindsay Smith, founder and CEO at Terrecon, Inc., which uses recycled plastics to make interlocking sidewalks....More
Kevin Lee used to put waste plastic in dumpsters provided by a local landfill. Now Lee, who operates a 240-cow dairy farm near Magnolia, OH, recycles half of it. He’s participating in the Carroll County Farm Bureau recycling program....More
Move cattle every day to graze only as much grass as they’ll eat. That’s the strategy two Arkansas cattlemen used to survive – with grass in pastures and cattle management plans intact – a summer drought so devastating for other producers....More
Hay marketing activity has been light in recent weeks due to high prices and a limited supply. Prices have been holding mostly steady while edging upward in a few states....More
Cal/West Seeds, one of the four major alfalfa-breeding companies, has been acquired by Dow AgroSciences LLC, which also acquired Dairyland Seeds in 2008. Along with Cal/West and Dairyland, Pioneer Seeds and Forage Genetics have bred the bulk of alfalfa seed for U.S. and international distribution....More
Ever have a hay sale go bust because your forage analysis didn’t come back with the same results as the buyer’s? Ever have a high-testing hay not “milk” as expected? You’re not alone. Arguments over the consistency of hay tests are as common as rain on your first cut or maybe even cheesehead hats at a Packers game. It’s a part of the hay-trade landscape....More
