As each year winds down and we approach a new one, we tend to reflect on the previous 12 months. This year is no different, with the top moments in sports, music, or news filling year-end headlines. In

Few sights capture rural life quite like hay bales dotting a golden field beside a red barn. It’s a postcard image of hard work and harvest. But for those who grow, haul, and sell hay, the bales

This Iowa couple would have never guessed they’d be raising and selling grass-fed, grass-finished beef across the country when they first met as summer interns for a National Football League team

In recent years, regenerative agriculture has become a popular topic in our industry. The idea is to improve your production system using the principles of soil health, which include reducing soil disturbance,

When new federal rules and legal challenges put paraquat under scrutiny, alfalfa producers began looking for other spring burndown options

I have never been a fan of flashy cars or used car salesmen. My first car was a green 2005 Ford Taurus with a huge dent in the passenger door

Money stress weighs heavily on farmers — especially hay farmers. Fluctuating hay prices, a pile of bills, and equipment breakdowns are all cause for worry. Add in weather you can’t control,

Ketosis is defined as a metabolic state in which a shortage of carbohydrates and protein requires cows to use body fat to fuel body function. While it has long been a common disease in U.S. dairy cattle,

“Slop” is the 2025 Word of the Year, according to Merriam-Webster. The mainstream media’s definition of slop probably isn’t what comes to farmers’ minds when they hear the

While during any television broadcast of our local Milwaukee Brewers, the pitcher inevitably throws a neck-high fastball over the plate. Often, the batter unloads on such a pitch but misses by a foot

Heifers aren’t usually analyzed for feed efficiency on forage, but a study at Oklahoma State University (OSU) shows high forage efficiency early in life could foreshadow long-term production potenti

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 th

The pasture mealybug — a small, fuzzy, white, invasive pest that feeds on multiple grass species — has been reported and confirmed for the first time on North American soil. Known for causin

Farmers remember the sting of high fertilizer prices in 2022 and the bite that expense took out of their budgets. Fortunately, fertilizer prices have dropped drastically since that steep peak — but

Now that farmers have shifted from harvesting forage and grazing pastures to selling and feeding hay, forage analysis should be critical to marketing and purchasing decisions. But not all sellers and

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

Photo: Garland Dahlke, Iowa State UniversityGrazing cattle on snow-covered windrows may seem a bit obscure, but windrow grazing has shown to be an effective way to lower winter feeding costs. The p

During this gift-wrapping season, perhaps it’s apropos to discuss our use of bale-wrapping options, specifically those for round bales since plastic twine is used almost exclusively on other bale

Alfalfa’s perennial nature is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it provides high-quality forage cutting after cutting, and its establishment costs can be spread over several years of a produ