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 same. “Planting is what we call a critical control point,” says Matt Poore, a professor and ruminant nutrition extension specialist at North Carolina State University. “If you do a really good job at that point, it helps with a good outcome far down the road. If...

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 the meeting table...

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 by...

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 bridesmaid moniker more so than red clover...

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 “late...

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 i...

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...