March 2025 Hay Pellets

March 25, 2025

• USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced the reinstatement of its July Cattle and County Estimates for Crops and Livestock reports that were cut last year during a budget crunch.

• U.S. milk production totaled 17.7 billion pounds in February, according to USDA’ Milk Production report. This was down 2.5% from the year prior.

• Dairy producers added 15,000 more head to their barns month-over-month in February, putting the national dairy herd at 9.41 million head, which was the highest monthly total since May 2023. Milk production per cow was 1,885 pounds in February.

• Cattle and calves on feed for the U.S. slaughter market in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 or more head totaled 11.6 million head on March 1. That was down 2% from March 2024. Placements in feedlots during February totaled 1.55 million head and marketings of fed cattle totaled 1.63 million head, according to USDA’s Cattle on Feed report.

• Buffer drought risks in the long run with warm-season forages.

March 18, 2025

• Alfalfa hay exports totaled 155,265 million tons (MT) in January, according to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. This was down 9% year-over-year.

• To kick off the new year, the largest consumer of U.S. alfalfa hay was China, which imported 75,728 MT. Japan and Saudi Arabia followed with 28,946 MT and 18,695 MT, respectively.

• All other hay exports totaled 85,737 MT in January, which was up more than 6% compared to the first month of 2024. Japan led the charge with 44,693 MT, followed by South Korea (23,173 MT) and Taiwan (7,690 MT).

• Are any of these resolutions on your list this year?

• Before you seed anything this spring, double check these soil conditions.

March 11, 2025

• Here’s a crash course in alfalfa fall dormancy and winter survival if you’ve yet to select seed this spring.

• Consider planting these annuals to get ahead of a droughty summer.

• Try these tips to help heal winter pasture damage.

• Beware of compaction and the implications it has on crop growth.

• These mineral deficiencies and interactions can cause grass tetany.

March 3, 2025

• Follow these tips to tackle the spring flush.

• Help cattle through the homestretch of winter conditions with high-quality feed.

• Cattle can graze wheat pastures, but they should be off by first hollow stem.

• These walk-through scenarios can help estimate the cost of silage storage structures.

• Learn from these producers and their best forage management practices.