Net wrap and baler twine configured out of plastic as thin as five-thousandths of an inch thick can hold the shape and support the weight of bales well over 1,000 pounds...

When it’s time to harvest alfalfa for silage or hay, we are usually concerned about getting the crop cut at the right time, hitting weather windows for good drying conditions, and removing the crop from the field while maintaining the correct moisture and quality...

Alfalfa has been termed the “Queen of Forages.” Unfortunately, her highness is a fickle ruler...

Although the USDA has Hay Quality Designation Guidelines (see tables) based on nutrition tests for alfalfa, that alone does not cover all of the terms and grades we use to describe hay. Many of the terms we use are subjective since not everyone follows the USDA chart, or if they do, it may not be comprehensive enough to fully determine quality...

Growing concern has been that many farmers lose too many leaves during the harvesting process...

Technology is evolving faster than ever before, and farming technology is no exception...

Weighing the costs and benefits of an opportunity can be the first step in the decision-making process. Farmers know both sides of this scale hang heavy when that decision pertains to agricultur...

There are many routes to high-yielding alfalfa, but few of them don’t go down the potassium road. I was reminded of this after reading a recently published five-year study in Agronomy Journal that w...

Adding a farm enterprise is often a complicated and hand-wringing exercise in decision making. But every once in a while, the stars align and an additional enterprise just makes perfect sense with lit...

For haymakers, natural rainfall can be the devil or the savior. It’s needed and then not needed. Raindrops on the roof can make us sleep better or not sleep at all. A haymaker’s life is spent pray...