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How often have you harvested a beautiful field of alfalfa or a newly established stand of a high-quality variety of alfalfa, only to find out later that the lab test results were only average?
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Forage producers differ greatly in their tolerance for weeds that invade hayfields or pastures. In the West, where hay is often grown for retail or export, there is nearly zero tolerance
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It’s well known that the growing environment can impact the quality of forage. Cool temperatures generally are favorable for improving fiber digestibility, hot temperatures will speed plant maturity
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One of the rituals here at the W.D. Hoard & Sons Company is that the editors of each magazine proof copy from all the other magazines. This being the case, I read a lot of articles on the care of
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Measuring forage yield has never been easy, at least compared to weighing grain crops off the combine. During my university extension days, I spent many years dragging around heavy pad scales, one per

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Although growers in the West and the South are well underway with this year’s alfalfa harvest, those in the Northern half of the U.S. are still greasing their mowers
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The U.S. haymow is about 12% emptier today than it was one year ago.Based on USDA’s Crop Production report released last week, May 1 hay stocks dropped by almost 2.5 million tons
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Hay harvesting and feeding strategies are as variable as the weather that often dictates them
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Although the popularity of game shows on television has never been higher, rarely do you hear questions that pertain to agriculture. One might argue that there needs to be a game show with
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The rising value of protein over the last 10 months should cause dairy producers and dairy nutritionists to reconsider the value of alfalfa hay and silage in dairy rations

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Rapidly drying hay and forage to the desired moisture for safe conservation is both challenging and frustrating
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Current hay and forage inventories are approaching their annual low
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IT SEEMS pretty straightforward. In the West, we irrigate pastures; in the East, we don’t. In the East, it rains frequently, and in the West, it doesn’t. Plain as black and white
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Nighttime temperatures last week were low enough to frost or freeze alfalfa plants across a large swath of the United States
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A critical component of profitable alfalfa production is the need to establish a dense, vigorous stand

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I’ve been waiting patiently for the inevitable to happen — for the word “hay” to morph into the word “haye,” or something similar
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When our little Jack Russell Terrier needs an outdoor potty break, he jumps up on a bench in our living room and rattles the window blinds with his nose
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Hay prices were up across the board during February, according to USDA’s Agricultural Prices report. The average price of U.S. alfalfa hay in February climbed for the third consecutive month
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Dealing with rain is just part of the deal if you’re a haymaker in the humid East. Even in an average year, working around raindrops is a challenge, but in a wet year, the frustration can exceed
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Warm, sunny days after a long dose of winter weather can make it tempting to turn cattle out on the greening new grass. However, cattle turned out too early in the spring can lead to several issues