April 22, 2025

• Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.6 million head on April 1, according to USDA’s Cattle on Feed report. This was 2% lower year-over-year.

• Cattle placements in feedlots during March totaled 1.84 million head, and marketings of fed cattle during March totaled 1.73 million head.

• The fourth edition of the World Alfalfa Congress will be held November 3 to 6 in Reims, France. Click here for more information.

• Early spring is the best time to spray for buttercup.

• Here are more tips on planting, fertilizing, and grazing summer annuals.

April 15, 2025

• The U.S. exported 152,065 metric tons (MT) of alfalfa hay in February, according to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. This was down roughly 2% from the January total and about 19% lower year-over-year.

• China imported the most U.S. alfalfa hay among all trade partners in February with 73,870 MT. Japan was the second-largest export market with 23,716 MT. South Korea edged into third place with 22,465 MT, followed by Saudi Arabia at 20,761 MT.

• All other hay exports totaled 80,085 MT in February. Japan led the charge with 37,742 MT, despite this being almost 30% less volume than the previous year. South Korea imported 22,918 MT of other U.S. hay, followed by Taiwan with 10,603 MT.

• The Clemson Cooperative Extension Service is offering an online course to help forage growers incorporate climate-smart practices on their farms. Register here.

• Start supplementing cattle diets with magnesium now to prevent grass tetany this spring.

April 8, 2025

• Scout timothy fields for early-season mite feeding damage.

• Soil test and fertilize warm-season annual and native grass stands.

• Here are some forage tips for the month of April.

• Targeted grazing could help reduce the incidence of wildfires.

• Cull cows, wean calves, and stretch forage supplies with supplemental feed to manage grazing herds during drought.

April 1, 2025

• The first USDA Prospective Plantings report of the year pegged all harvested hay acres at 48.5 million acres for 2025, which is down 2% from total production in 2024. Corn planted for all purposes was pegged at 95.3 million acres in the same report, up 4.7% from last year’s total production. Of course, these estimates are expected to change as the year progresses.

• Here’s why grazing too soon can be detrimental to perennial forages.

• Seed cereal grains like oats to get a head start on forage supplies.

• These factors of water quality can affect herbicide efficacy.

• Use these methods to find forage moisture and improve ration management.