During this period when fertilizer prices are rising with each passing day, those in the hay business have cause for restless nights. Most hay crops remove large amounts of nutrients from the soil, al
At its core, grazing isn’t that complicated. Animals have been eating on their own without any help from humans for centuries. The challenges begin when spaces become confined and animal numbers
As the calendar turned to April this past week, it marked the start of alfalfa’s spring-seeding season in many regions. Spring alfalfa seedings must typically run a gauntlet of weather conditions
April 7, 2026• Kansas State University Extension offers this laundry list of tips for improving hay quality.• Are you ready to stop feeding hay this spring? Is your pasture?• Leverage summer
The average price for alfalfa hay dropped only $1 per ton and settled at $159 in February, according to the USDA’s Agricultural Prices report. For four consecutive months ending with February, the
Below are examples of alfalfa and grass prices being paid FOB barn/stack (except for those noted as delivered, which are indicated by a "d" in the table below) for selected states at the end of the
Custom rate guides are well-used resources in those states that continue to do the survey legwork; unfortunately, many do not. Each year, eHay Weekly offers readers a one-stop shop for accessing custo
March 3, 2026• Kim Ricardo is the new forage field specialist with South Dakota State University Extension. In this role, Ricardo will help farmers enhance the productivity and sustainability
There seems to be a new spring trend in alfalfa fields — earlier and more abundant alfalfa weevils. Along with this comes earlier and more damage.As growing seasons expand on both ends, alfalfa fiel
Let’s say, for example, you got bored during the pandemic, couldn’t go anywhere, had plenty of time on your hands, and decided to put up some extra corn silage. Then, for whatever reason, you
Below are examples of alfalfa and grass prices being paid FOB barn/stack (except for those noted as delivered, which are indicated by a "d" in the table below) for selected states at t
Poor animal performance and elevated feed costs can be the result of a misleading forage test. This article will focus on hay specifically, but the concepts discussed apply to all types of forage, including
Once you’ve done the groundwork of listing what you own in your asset inventory and what you owe in your liability list, you have the raw materials for one of the most powerful tools in farm management:
Whether you have naturally low inherent organic matter such as in the southeastern United States or high inherent organic matter like prairie soils in the Upper Midwest, how you manage your farmland has
As is often the case when I sit in the office on a windy, cold winter day, I work on my to-do list. I have several such lists that I’ve crafted over the winter, and I don’t think I have ever
Although I write this looking out the window at a white, frozen landscape, it will soon be spring and time to plant crops, including alfalfa. Alfalfa can be challenging to establish due to its small seeds
Farmers must have hope that the tiny seeds they sow will develop into productive plants; hope that new practices will have positive impacts on their land, livestock, and bottom lines; and hope for future
As snow turns to rain, and as previously frozen ground reverts to mud, we shed our long underwear and other arctic attire while watching the landscape transform from brown to a lush green. We do
Winter cereals are grown for a variety of agronomic and nutritional reasons. Moreover, cereal silage is utilized as feed for just about every large ruminant animal type and class, but no group demands
