Growing up on a row crop farm in Mississippi, the only experience I had with hay or forages was pitching small square bales onto a trailer. We baled a couple dozen acres of grass hay for the goat herd
Winter, spring, summer or fallAll you have to do is callAnd I'll be there, yes, I will.You've got a friendThese lyrics from a 1971 song by Carole King remind us that we all need a friend. The same i
The alfalfa seed industry has gone through a massive makeover in the past 20 years. There are significantly fewer seed marketers, breeding programs, and the number of university testing trials is down
Large round bale storage. Much has been written and spoken about the virtues and inadequacies of various storage options. Most often, the debate comes down to building a hay barn or not.Although a lot
The problem is easy to identify, and so are the plant symptoms. The answers are often less apparent.There’s no need for a magnifying glass to see that large equipment, driving across alfalfa fields
The window for planting annual and perennial grasses in the fall is a wide one, depending on latitude and what is being seeded. Even so, the basic components of establishing a productive stand remain the
The Midwest dairy farmer’s lament was to the point: “If I didn’t have to worry about winterkill, I’d definitely grow more alfalfa.”This farmer, like many others sitting at
August 4, 2020• The Sunbelt Ag Expo is pulling the plug on a live event this fall, but the Southeastern Hay Contest will still be held in some alternative format. Forage samples must be submitted
Editor’s note: This is the second of three columns by the authors who will attempt to address the many issues associated with putting a value on alfalfa hay and haylage.In the first article of this
There’s an old saying: “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” It’s usually said of a person who has potential that has never been fulfilled. Perhaps no forage species deserves the
Back in the day, I would constantly correct people when they referred to a “fall seeding” of alfalfa. Fall is simply too late; more correctly, it was, or at least should be in the North, a
Let’s face it: When it comes to making hay, the cutter, baler, and forage harvester get most of the glory and attention. But on many operations, there is also the all-important step of raking.Used
A couple of weeks ago, my neighbor purchased a new push lawnmower and parked his old lawnmower in the front yard by the road. The old model was both leaking and burning oil. “Somebody wil
Some forage topics attract debate as if allowing mail-in election ballots was being discussed. One such example that has been around for a number of years now is whether there’s any compelling reaso
One of the recurring themes we continue to hear these days is in regards to the high level of division and partisanship that currently exists throughout society. As such, the vast amount of land
When I was in high school, I got a job on a local dairy farm in northeast Ohio. In addition to all of the normal activities that come with working on a dairy farm, my employer also had a sugar bush.&n
It was actually a sulfur study. I was at Joe’s farm to gather some alfalfa tissue and soil samples from one of his fields as part of a statewide assessment on sulfur fertility. What with fewer indus
