March 25, 2025
• USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced the reinstatement of its July Cattle and County Estimates for Crops and Livestock reports that were cut last year during a budget crunch.
• U.S. milk production totaled 17.7 billion pounds in February, according to USDA’ Milk Production report. This was down 2.5% from the year prior.
• Dairy producers added 15,000 more head to their barns month-over-month in February, putting the national dairy herd at 9.41 million head, which was the highest monthly total since May 2023. Milk production per cow was 1,885 pounds in February.
• Cattle and calves on feed for the U.S. slaughter market in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 or more head totaled 11.6 million head on March 1. That was down 2% from March 2024. Placements in feedlots during February totaled 1.55 million head and marketings of fed cattle totaled 1.63 million head, according to USDA’s Cattle on Feed report.
• Buffer drought risks in the long run with warm-season forages.
March 18, 2025
• Alfalfa hay exports totaled 155,265 million tons (MT) in January, according to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. This was down 9% year-over-year.
• To kick off the new year, the largest consumer of U.S. alfalfa hay was China, which imported 75,728 MT. Japan and Saudi Arabia followed with 28,946 MT and 18,695 MT, respectively.
• All other hay exports totaled 85,737 MT in January, which was up more than 6% compared to the first month of 2024. Japan led the charge with 44,693 MT, followed by South Korea (23,173 MT) and Taiwan (7,690 MT).
• Are any of these resolutions on your list this year?
• Before you seed anything this spring, double check these soil conditions.
March 11, 2025
• Here’s a crash course in alfalfa fall dormancy and winter survival if you’ve yet to select seed this spring.
• Consider planting these annuals to get ahead of a droughty summer.
• Try these tips to help heal winter pasture damage.
• Beware of compaction and the implications it has on crop growth.
• These mineral deficiencies and interactions can cause grass tetany.
March 3, 2025
• Follow these tips to tackle the spring flush.
• Help cattle through the homestretch of winter conditions with high-quality feed.
• Cattle can graze wheat pastures, but they should be off by first hollow stem.
• These walk-through scenarios can help estimate the cost of silage storage structures.
• Learn from these producers and their best forage management practices.