Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Mike Rankin

The author joined Hay & Forage Grower as the managing editor in April 2015. Since July of 2024, he has transitioned to senior editor. He had previously served 27 years as the Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin crops and soils agent with the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service. He also worked eight years on a large dairy and grain farm in southern Illinois.
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From potholes to pot roast
Farm Visits
June 17 2025 North Dakota Highway 34 runs east and west through the middle of the state and carries drivers for a not-so-grand total of about 57 miles, beginning to end. Examining the landscape, you will find the
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Mycotoxins in pastures: Say it ain’t so
Forage Flash
June 17 2025 We know about toxins in Kentucky 31 tall fescue. We also know that mycotoxins can be an issue in corn silage. Now, University of Florida researchers are finding that some warm-season pastures and hayf
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Don’t sleep on sudangrass
Forage Flash
June 10 2025 Sorghum species are prominent in providing extra summer forage for grazing or mechanically harvesting. Typically, we hear about farmers planting either forage sorghum or sorghum-sudangrass. Sudangrass
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When alfalfa gets crispy
Forage Flash
June 3 2025 One of the redeeming values of alfalfa is that it has a deep root system, which allows it to reach subsoil moisture and stay relatively productive when topsoil moisture starts to become limited. But e
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When is it too late to seed?
Alfalfa
May 27 2025 Everyone has their opinions on how to best seed cool-season grasses and legumes for successful establishment. Variables include factors such as planting rate, type of drill or seeder, weed control met
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May 1 hay stocks jump 15% from 2024
Markets
May 20 2025 In their annual inventory of the collective U.S. haymow, USDA pegged May 1 hay stocks at nearly 24.1 million tons, which was up by nearly 3.1 million tons (15%) from the previous year. This follows a
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May 1 hay stocks jump 15% from 2024
Markets
May 20 2025 In their annual inventory of the collective U.S. haymow, USDA pegged May 1 hay stocks at nearly 24.1 million tons, which was up by nearly 3.1 million tons (15%) from the previous year. This follows a
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Make baleage, not wastage
Forage Flash
May 13 2025 Waiting days for a good-quality hay crop to dry and then have it rained on just as it was getting close to baling moisture can be demoralizing. It’s like losing a baseball game with two outs in the
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Early interseeding yields great fall forage
Forage Flash
May 6 2025 Grazing fall corn stalks is a common practice throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. But what if we could improve that brown crop residue with green and growing forage? Interseeding annual fora
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Grasses gone wild
Forage Flash
April 29 2025 It’s that time of year when grass paints the landscape in green and grows like it’s on a designer steroid. As temperatures warm, cool-season grasses are well rested and ready to take advantage...
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The curse of rangeland cedar trees
Forage Flash
April 22 2025 Photo: University of NebraskaRangeland pastures are difficult enough to keep productive throughout the growing season without the encroachment of woody species. The problem, according to Bethany Johns
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There are no first-cut mulligans
Alfalfa
April 15 2025 As the story goes, David Mulligan hit a poor drive off the first tee at a Montreal golf course. The errant shot may or may not have been the result of an extremely bumpy ride while travelling to the m
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Headwinds haven’t stopped this forage harvester
Shop Talk
April 14 2025 Farming is never easy, but it can be made that much tougher when you’re beginning from scratch
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Death by lethal ingestion
Forage Flash
April 8 2025 The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 B.C. for not believing in the popular Greek gods of his time and place. Without the option of an electric chair or firearm, the philosopher’s...
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Hard work and the luck of the Irish
Farm Visits
April 7 2025 What happens when a Michigander meets an Irishman . . . in New Zealand?
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Our annual look at custom fieldwork rates
Forage Flash
April 1 2025 Custom rate guides are welcomed resources in those states that continue to do the survey legwork; unfortunately, many do not. Each year, eHay Weekly offers readers a one-stop shop for accessing custom
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What horse owners want from haymakers
Hay
March 25 2025 Selling hay in the horse market can be both rewarding and frustrating. Even so, that market is the lifeblood for many commercial hay producers, especially those who make small square bales.“We somet
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Corteva to phase out their BMR corn program
Forage Flash
March 18 2025 Brown midrib (BMR) corn has been a staple feed on many dairy farms since the mid-1990s. These hybrids generally have a lower lignin content and higher fiber digestibility. Nutritional studies have hel
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Maximizing vs. optimizing a grazing system
Grazing
March 11 2025 “We, as cattle producers, row-crop farmers, and as a society, have been pushed toward maximizing production as much as we can,” said Dan Glenn at the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association...
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To bail or to bale
Forage Flash
March 11 2025 “Our” word is being horribly abused, and it’s about time that someone brings it to light.After last week, I decided it was time to say something. Please, stay with me, there is a dir
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