Many Montana livestock producers winter-graze mid- to late gestation cattle on dormant alfalfa fields to make use of the protein- and energy-rich forage...

This is the time of year when farmers like to put their perennial pastures out to pasture . . . so to speak . . . and let their cattle consume cornstalks, although the stalks are generally not what get devoured. It might seem that grazing corn residue is pretty straightforward, but the reality is that a high level of management is needed to maintain cattle performance and be good stewards of the land. In a University of Nebraska (UN) beef cattle extension webinar last...

There are plenty of exceptional haymakers across the U.S.; however, for commercial hay growers or those who simply have extra inventory to sell, haymaking is only half of the equation. There’s also hay marketing to deal with.Most companies have a marketing department or hire a marketing firm. Farmers generally don’t have that luxury. Marketing is just one more hat that needs to be worn and, for many, it’s not a hat that often fits very well.Depending on the year...

If they don’t bale hay in heaven, then Stan Steffen isn’t interested in making the trip...

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...

I was fresh of out college in the late 1970s and found myself working on a large dairy and grain crop operation in southern Illinois...

While livestock producers in the southern U.S. have their cattle grazing on lush cool-season annuals through the winter months, their counterparts along the northern U.S. border are pushing snow just to get access to more hay bales...

Below are examples of alfalfa and grass prices being paid FOB barn/stack (except for those noted as delivered, which is indicated by a "d" in the table below) for selected states at the end of the day on Friday, November 6. Large ranges for a particular grade and state are often indicative of location and/or bale size. Also check the USDA Hay Market Prices for additional locations and more detailed...

Winter, spring, summer or fallAll you have to do is callAnd I'll be there, yes, I will.You've got a friendThese lyrics from a 1971 song by Carole King remind us that we all need a friend. The same i...

Hay bales are a lot like snowflakes in that no two are exactly alike, but it’s a lot more important to know the differences between hay bales than snowflakes.Hannah Greenwell, an extension educator...