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

Hay harvesting and feeding strategies are as variable as the weather that often dictates them

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

Rapidly drying hay and forage to the desired moisture for safe conservation is both challenging and frustrating

Current hay and forage inventories are approaching their annual low

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

Nighttime temperatures last week were low enough to frost or freeze alfalfa plants across a large swath of the United States

A critical component of profitable alfalfa production is the need to establish a dense, vigorous stand

I’ve been waiting patiently for the inevitable to happen — for the word “hay” to morph into the word “haye,” or something similar

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