There’s something about the feeling of a freshly made bed. Livestock can attest to this, too, but their version looks more like a new layer of straw. Even though straw is supposed to keep animals

The Willamette Valley in Oregon is the epicenter for grass seed production

Repairing a pasture is comparable to repairing a home, minus the hammer and nails. There is a spectrum of work that can be done, ranging from rejuvenation to renovation

When forage production is at a standstill because of the summer heat or winter cold, large round bales can be utilized as feed

Large bags or bunkers are required to put silage into storage, but something much smaller is needed to help maintain quality when the feed is taken out. Researchers at the University of Florida a

It’s no secret that alfalfa is a valuable forage. The crop is notorious for its nutritional quality, offering high levels of crude protein and an array of vitamins to many species of animals. Alfalf

Hay is for horses . . . but what kind of hay? While it is a fact that these animals require high-quality forage, there is some discrepancy between what horse owners believe to be true and what is actu

Hot, dry weather conditions are taking a toll on crop fields in the Upper Midwest – not to mention many other parts of the country. In these heat-stricken regions, producers are facing two challenge

With the first day of summer in the rearview mirror, temperatures are only expected to accelerate. Forage production, on the other hand, will likely slow down. This is when summer annuals can take the

Large square balers have come a long way over the past 40 years of their existence. Improvements like larger sizes, better performance on wet hay, and weight and moisture sensors have added prec

Summer weather can ruin our favorite foods – take a melted ice cream cone for instance. Hot, humid air can also ravage the quality of livestock feed, but these consequences can be much more serious

As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. But is the grass always mowed on the other side? Deciding whether or not to mow or clip pastures can leave farmers stuck on the

Despite their name, spuds aren’t the only thing potato leafhoppers snack on. They also have an appetite for alfalfa. The insects feast on forage in the summer, and this season’s weather patterns

If the early bird gets the worm, the early producer gets the high-quality hay. This time of year, hay is being stored for winter feed, and a timely cut is key to optimizing cattle nutrition and perfor

Leprechauns and pots of gold aside, four-leaf clovers aren’t the only lucky legume. Many members of the Trifolium genus, such as red and white clover, have powerful properties that make them a

Cool-season grasses are the star of the show during the spring and fall, but these forages tend to get stage fright during the hot, dry summer months. Planting summer annuals can mitigate the effects

Moisture is often used to combat fire, not ignite it. The latter is true for hay and straw, though, in barns housing bales with high moisture levels.When hay is baled at more than 20% moisture

Amber FriedrichsenAmber Friedrichsen is serving as the 2021 Hay & Forage Grower editorial intern. She currently attends Iowa State University where she is majoring in agriculture and lif

Spring is a time for new life, including a new growing season for warm-season perennials such as bermudagrass and bahiagrass. To effectively transition cattle to grazing these grasses, consider practi

Soil pH is often the first metric to be considered when assessing a soil’s ability to support economic crop production. The acidity of a soil impacts both nutrient sufficiency and potential toxicity