The author is a dairy scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Alfalfa producers will have a couple of new options to consider in the upcoming growing season. Low-lignin alfalfas are being to...

Seed availability for alfalfa producers looks to be in pretty good shape for the 2016 growing season; however, like most years, there may be issues for those who wait to order elite varieties that are...

Several years of moderate winters have allowed meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) to reach crop-killing proportions in some areas of the West...

A strong U.S. dollar and increased competition are two factors that have led to a more difficult hay export situation. Looking back over 2015, forage exporters reflected on a year of frustration...

The 2013 to 2015 drought centered on California and Nevada has been termed “Exceptionally Severe” by USDA scientists, and has brought home with a vengeance the importance of water for...

January is a month for post-holiday adjustment, football play-offs, W-2 forms, farm meetings and year-end financial analysis. It’s also the month when the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) releases their Crop Production Annual Summary report. Prominent in the document are (near) final estimates of past year crop acres, yields and total production. It’s a good...

Though snow is not always a welcome occurrence, for alfalfa growers there is nothing that aids winter survival of the crop better than a good blanket of the white stuff. “Alfalfa loves snow,” says Bruce Anderson, University of Nebraska forage agronomist. “As single digit and below zero temperatures arrive, be happy if you received snow recently,” he notes. In a recent edition of Nebraska’s CropWatch, Anderson explains that last fall’s moderate weather...

Let's be honest . . . if you’re involved in a facet of production agriculture, yield is a big part of your life. On the farm, it’s an economic driver; at the coffee shop, fodder for b...

Let's face it, 2016 is not going to be a banner year for high milk and beef prices. As such, the prudent manager won't just blindly cut expenses but rather look for those places where eliminat...

Black Friday is but a distant memory, the unwrapping ceremonies are complete, and Santa is back at the North Pole sipping hot chocolate, if not something stronger. The attention this week turns...