As haymakers tackle first cutting and grazing livestock relish in lush pastures, it may seem a bit early to think about seeding summer annuals, let alone harvesting them. But having a plan for these f

Over time, what once was a monoculture of perennial grass may turn into a mixed stand of grasses, legumes, and even some unwanted species. But just because a pasture isn’t what it used to be doesn�

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

In their annual inventory of the collective U.S. haymow, USDA pegged May 1 hay stocks at nearly 24.1 million tons, which was up by nearly 3.1 million tons (15%) from the previous year. This follows a

According to Matt Makens, 1998 is also when farmers started a decades-long wrestling match with high-frequency drought

As my kids approach their teenage years, I’ve realized my ability to influence their habits from a fatherly perspective needs to evolve

Sorghum has long resided in the shadow of corn grown for silage. Even though the former species is often touted for its drought tolerance and water-use efficiency, sorghum silage has rarely been a dai

Waiting days for a good-quality hay crop to dry and then have it rained on just as it was getting close to baling moisture can be demoralizing. It’s like losing a baseball game with two outs in the

Horse hay has its own set of standards that are exclusive to equine. Many of these standards fall under the physical attributes of the bale, followed by the nutritive qualities of the forage, but clea

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

As we get ready for the upcoming hay season, numerous engineers have been hard at work to give us the first true new development in the small-square business in a long time

In last month’s column, I had talked about where the best place in the U.S. to be in cow-calf production might be

To optimize something is to make the best or most effective use of it. Rather than maximizing one aspect of a resource or minimizing its worst part at the expense of all others, optimization finds the

Natural water sources in pastures are only as valuable to a grazing system as the quality of water they contain. In other words, the health and performance of livestock will suffer if animals are subj

Grazing fall corn stalks is a common practice throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. But what if we could improve that brown crop residue with green and growing forage? Interseeding annual fora

It is difficult to discern what direction, if any, hay prices are headed based on data from USDA’s Agricultural Prices report for March. The average price of alfalfa hay jumped by $8 per ton compare

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

Twenty minutes from everywhere. That’s what Carol Johnson said it felt like living in the-middle-of-nowhere Rush Valley, Utah

Soil test is a good tool, but it only tells part of the forage story

Vermeer, a leader in hay and forage solutions, announced an expansion of its product line to include triple mowers, rotary rakes and a large tedder