Writer Amber Friedrichsen, Managing Editor

Amber Friedrichsen

The author is the managing editor for Hay & Forage Grower. Amber Friedrichsen joined the Hay & Forage Grower staff as an associate editor in May 2023. As of July 2024, she has assumed the role of managing editor. Friedrichsen also served as the editorial intern in 2021 and 2022. She graduated from Iowa State University in May 2023 with a double major in agricultural communication and agronomy. Friedrichsen grew up and worked on her family’s diversified crop and livestock farm in eastern Iowa near Clinton.

This Granite State dairy looks rock solid

Farm Visits

March 31 2025 When John and Beth Haynes bought the family dairy from his parents in 1981, they probably didn’t anticipate that four decades later a pink and orange Dunkin’ Donuts sign would be within eyeshot...

Lock in on spring nitrogen

Forage Flash

March 25 2025 Nitrogen fertilization may be furthest thing from a one-size-fits-all situation. The nutrient required for plant growth and protein synthesis is a critical factor of forage production, but its m

Give your bales a good look

Forage Flash

March 25 2025 Although forage quality can be objectively defined by the results of a hay test, it sometimes takes on a more subjective connotation influenced by farmer standards for hay appearance, texture, or even

Alfalfa qualifies for conservation payments

Alfalfa

March 24 2025 The National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) announced last month that alfalfa will now be included as a short-term perennial option in the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 328...

An alfalfa weevil wake-up call

Alfalfa

March 18 2025 Almost every phone call home turns into an extensive update of the goings-on at my family’s farm. The latest conversation with my dad about the approaching planting season, for example, landed

Grazing heifers are the new cash cows

Forage Flash

March 18 2025 Raising replacement heifers can be costly for a dairy farm, with feed costs for these animals typically comprising the biggest chunk of that expense. One solution is to let heifers harvest forage them

It pays to play with alfalfa

Hay Crop

March 4 2025 Corn silage has the advantage over alfalfa when it comes to average yield per acre. Considering the former feedstuff only warrants one harvest a year, it may have a leg up on alfalfa in terms of manag

Nine of their best forage decisions

Forage Flash

March 4 2025 An agronomist, a beef farmer, and a dairy farmer walk into a bar . . . or in this case, the breakout session at the Midwest Forage Association Symposium. What ensued during the panel discussion last m

Be on alert for alfalfa heaving

Forage Flash

Feb. 25 2025 With a week of warmer-than-average temperatures displayed on my weather app following a sub-zero cold snap, I’m a little concerned about alfalfa injury and winterkill. This isn’t the first...

Don’t play the bale weight guessing game

Forage Flash

Feb. 25 2025 Unless you’re putting your round bales on a scale, you’re probably guessing bale weight all wrong. The key word here is “guessing,” which spells trouble in terms of feed expenses...

Farmers made more hay on less land in 2024

Hay Quality

Feb. 21 2025 According to the USDA’s Crop Production Annual Summary released last month, the nation’s forage production appeared to have ended on an overall positive note in 2024

Hay exports flatlined in 2024

Hay

Feb. 18 2025 Hay exports in 2024 totaled 3.179 million metric tons (MT). According to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), this was down less than 1% from the previous year. Despite a strong start to...

Seed alfalfa green this spring

Forage Flash

Feb. 18 2025 Alfalfa seedbeds are typically prepared with tillage and a cultipacker to reduce residue and create a smooth soil surface, but this can leave fields more susceptible to erosion. One alternative is to

Here’s what La Niña could bring

Hay

Feb. 11 2025 Why are we always talking about La Niña? Doesn’t she get tired of thwarting crop growth with dry weather and threatening farmers with drought conditions? According to Matt Makens, the c

Hot topics in hay and forage

Grazing

Feb. 4 2025 Hot topics, current issues, controversies, trends — whatever buzzwords grab your attention, the intention is to generate discussion. Though what qualifies as a hot topic to one person may be irrelev

Is it okay to graze dormant alfalfa?

Forage Flash

Feb. 4 2025 Despite already being one month into the new year, some farmers are still staring down a long road of winter hay feeding. This may not be as daunting where opportunities exist to graze winter pastures

Graziers agree that this grass isn’t great

Grasses

Jan. 29 2025 One of the favorite parts of my job is getting to visit farms all over the country

Key Changes

First Cut

Jan. 29 2025 When I grew up, I wasn’t going to be an ag journalist. In fact, I wasn’t going to work in agriculture at all. I was going to be the lady at the department store who played the piano

Which one is the wonder legume?

Grazing

Jan. 28 2025 “If there ever was a wonder legume, it’s probably red clover,” said Chris Teutsch at the American Forage & Grassland Council’s annual conference earlier this month in Kissimmee,...

Make a case for relief assistance

Forage Flash

Jan. 28 2025 Torrential rains, drought, flooding, and even hurricanes were all felt in pastures and hayfields across the country last year. Although no amount of money can atone for the long-lasting effects of the

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