Last week, the 20th International Silage Conference made its way to the United States for a five-day event in Gainesville, Fla. The agenda was as full and diverse as the convention center ballroom tha
In 1930, there were nearly 40 million acres of oats harvested for grain in the United States. By contrast, USDA pegged harvested oat acres at about 900,000 in 2024; it’s become the rotary phone of
In a few days, we’ll be flipping the calendar to August. That will mark the beginning of the traditional late-summer alfalfa seeding window. But when does that window close?Recently, I got a phone
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 event was made possible by funding from the NCR SARE partnership grant and NCR SARE research and education grant in collaboration with Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO
According to Jim Gerrish, being a profitable livestock producer is less about livestock management and more about land management. More specifically, it’s about taking care of the land in a way that
Pure stands of cool-season grasses offer unique challenges and rewards. Assuming stands have already been cut once, most grasses close the book on heading for the season and focus on providing leaf-ri
As the summer progresses, so does forage maturity, insect pressure, and the heat index. Thus, the combination of irritating grass seedheads, higher fly populations, and heat-stressed cattle is a recip
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
Protect your investment in high-quality hay production with these bale storage practicesHaymaking takes multiple steps to achieve a high-quality product. Whether your goal is quality or quantity, the
“Go big or go home” wasn’t the motivation for Mark Van Dam when he established Rising Sun Dairy. Quite the opposite, as the self-proclaimed “micro-dairy” was designed for
It’s not unusual to feed supplemental hay on pastures during the winter or when forage is short during the growing season. In doing so, nutrients in the hay are imported to the pasture and spread
They are small, green, and the bane of alfalfa — potato leafhoppers. Sans an intentional effort to monitor their presence, usually with the use of a sweep net, they often lurk undetected. However,
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
Many forages have their trade-offs, whether those be related to growth patterns, harvest management, storage considerations, or feeding precautions. Some examples include the summer slump in cool-seas
Hay fires become cause for concern when forage is baled too wet. Whether hay gets rained on or just doesn’t have enough time to dry down to proper baling moisture, wet bales can make a good harvest
Alfalfa typically hits its peak two or three years after it is established before annual forage yields start to decline. One way to give an aging stand a boost and extend its productive life is to add
We hadn’t seen a consecutive three-month jump in average alfalfa prices since February through April 2023, but that changed with the recent USDA’s Agricultural Prices report that showed another
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
