Selling hay in the horse market can be both rewarding and frustrating. Even so, that market is the lifeblood for many commercial hay producers, especially those who make small square bales.“We somet...
The National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) announced last month that alfalfa will now be included as a short-term perennial option in the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 328 Practice for Conservation Crop Rotation...
Almost every phone call home turns into an extensive update of the goings-on at my family’s farm. The latest conversation with my dad about the approaching planting season, for example, landed...
Farmers and farm consultants often seek rapid and inexpensive methods to assess the feeding value of forages in the field to make timely harvest or grazing decisions...
Horses are classified as hindgut fermenters. The main site of digestion and absorption of dietary sugars, starches, fats, and protein is the small intestine...
Efficiency — it’s a word we throw around a lot as a reason for making a change. Every time farm prices tank, the rally cry from many different sources is to “become more efficient.” I’m sure...
According to the USDA’s Crop Production Annual Summary released last month, the nation’s forage production appeared to have ended on an overall positive note in 2024...
Hay exports in 2024 totaled 3.179 million metric tons (MT). According to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), this was down less than 1% from the previous year. Despite a strong start to t...
Why are we always talking about La Niña? Doesn’t she get tired of thwarting crop growth with dry weather and threatening farmers with drought conditions? According to Matt Makens, the c...
