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?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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