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.
Be mindful of the August forage “to do” list
Forage Flash

Aug. 6, 2024
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
August marks a significant demarcation date for forage producers. With only a month of what we typically consider summer left, the start of the cooler fall season becomes reality with a one-page flip...
Big hay in big sky country
Farm Visits

July 25, 2024
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
From its headwaters, the Missouri River takes a circuitous route through Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota...
Clipping pastures: an age-old debate
Forage Flash

July 23, 2024
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Farmers are known to have strong opinions and often readily express them. From a pasture management perspective, few topics illicit stronger feelings than when the clipping topic is put on the table.I...
High alfalfa yields start here
Alfalfa

July 16, 2024
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
There are many routes to high-yielding alfalfa, but few of them don’t go down the potassium road. I was reminded of this after reading a recently published five-year study in Agronomy Journal that w...
Cool, clear water
Forage Flash

July 16, 2024
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
It was the Sons of the Pioneers who first brought the Western classic song “Cool Water” to the masses during the 1940s. It chronicled the story of a parched man and his donkey in search of c...
Drought is over, rain is back: Now what?
Forage Flash

July 16, 2024
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
It’s always difficult to discuss weather conditions and related responses when your canvas is the continental U.S., or even just a state. As this was written last week, some areas of the country are...
A golden opportunity for haymakers
Hay

July 9, 2024
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Adding a farm enterprise is often a complicated and hand-wringing exercise in decision making. But every once in a while, the stars align and an additional enterprise just makes perfect sense with lit...
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