First frosts and freezes suggest the need for heavier Carhartt attire and mark the cessation of plant growth, if not life. Alfalfa will often slow or cease growing before a frost or hard freeze, and i

The time of day cool-season grasses are harvested can affect forage nutrient concentrations, and thus, animal intake and digestibility. The driving factor of this fluctuation is the amount of nonstruc

Tall fescue pasture renovation takes months of preparation, especially if farmers convert toxic forage to a novel-endophyte variety. After killing the existing crop and cleaning the slate for the next

With the country’s beef cow herd at its lowest level since the 1960s, the number of calves also continues to shrink. This puts a tight clamp on the availability of stocker cattle.Currently, CattleFa

It seems society has become fixated on winners and losers. For better or worse, compromise has become a strategy to be avoided. For pastures, compromise takes on a different meaning. To compromis

Air fryers are the best thing since sliced bread. They are perfect for cooking frozen foods, roasting vegetables, and reheating that leftover piece of pizza in your fridge without making the crust sog

Before you utilize the annual forages you seeded this summer to boost your stored forage supplies or extend the grazing season, consider if these plants could be toxic to livestock. Sorghum, sorghum-s

Containing a typical mix of both grasses and legumes, pasture weed control has always been an exercise in tradeoffs. Most herbicides either control grasses or broadleaves without regard to desired spe

Between chopping corn silage, cutting the last crop of hay, and stockpiling fall forage this time of year, pasture maintenance and renovation projects can fall through the cracks. But making time for

When people talk about plant diversity, I’m not sure too many include Canada thistle into their list of cherished species. Without control, this perennial can turn a mixed pasture into a seemingly

Cows don’t want to eat moldy feed, and farmers don’t want to feed moldy silage. The solution seems simple enough until all of the other factors of corn silage harvest and storage are added

Most inaccuracies of hay test results can be attributed to the fact that the sample taken was not representative of the hay lot. “Grab samples only represent the quality of about 1 square foot

The U.S. drought monitor is virtually clear across the eastern half of the country thanks to ample rain. What the map doesn’t show are the negative effects excessively wet forecasts have had o

This time of year, we hear a lot about stockpiling forages to extend the grazing season, especially with tall fescue. But there are other forage species that can also be successfully stockpiled. One o

Dealing with annual weeds in pastures and hayfields is grueling enough before prickly plant parts are added to the mix. Stiff hairs, thorns, and spines on stems and leaves not only deter livestock fro

Hay producers, cover your eyes and plug your ears — the following includes 10 reasons to stop making hay.To be sure, the list comes from Carson Roberts, the state forage specialist with Univer

Stockpiling forage is a practical strategy farmers can use to extend their grazing season. The accumulation of late summer growth can provide livestock with high-quality forage into the fall and throu

You can’t always have it all, especially when it comes to forage quality and yield. This trade-off is often debated to determine harvest timing, but it exists in terms of cutting height, too.At the

In 1930, there were nearly 40 million acres of oats harvested for grain in the United States. By contrast, USDA pegged harvested oat acres at about 900,000 in 2024; it’s become the rotary phone of

In a few days, we’ll be flipping the calendar to August. That will mark the beginning of the traditional late-summer alfalfa seeding window. But when does that window close?Recently, I got a phone