One of the best ways to quickly orient someone to a lactation dairy ration is to compare it to the diets of a mama cow grazing native pasture and a feedlot steer. These are the two extremes
The best way to put a big plan in action is to start small. Starting small ensures each step is a sure-footed stride in the direction of your goals, rather than a random stab at the unknown. And
July 1, 2025• Iowa State University Extension is hosting a forage field day in Castana, Iowa, on July 31. Topics will include growing summer annuals for silage, baleage, and grazing; interseeding
Wilting a cut hay crop to baling moisture is rarely easy, but if you do it where rainfall and humidity are as common as mosquitoes during the summer, it can take a mental toll on the body
Custom harvesters, like most business owners providing goods or services, have dealt with or will deal with a customer who does not pay for the goods or services provided. Disputes, conflicts, mi
Last week, the 20th International Silage Conference made its way to the United States for a five-day event in Gainesville, Fla. The agenda was as full and diverse as the convention center ballroom tha
In 1930, there were nearly 40 million acres of oats harvested for grain in the United States. By contrast, USDA pegged harvested oat acres at about 900,000 in 2024; it’s become the rotary phone of
In a few days, we’ll be flipping the calendar to August. That will mark the beginning of the traditional late-summer alfalfa seeding window. But when does that window close?Recently, I got a phone
Below are examples of alfalfa and grass prices being paid FOB barn/stack (except for those noted as delivered, which are indicated by a "d" in the table below) for selected states at the end of
The event was made possible by funding from the NCR SARE partnership grant and NCR SARE research and education grant in collaboration with Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO
According to Jim Gerrish, being a profitable livestock producer is less about livestock management and more about land management. More specifically, it’s about taking care of the land in a way that
Pure stands of cool-season grasses offer unique challenges and rewards. Assuming stands have already been cut once, most grasses close the book on heading for the season and focus on providing leaf-ri
As the summer progresses, so does forage maturity, insect pressure, and the heat index. Thus, the combination of irritating grass seedheads, higher fly populations, and heat-stressed cattle is a recip
Below are examples of alfalfa and grass prices being paid FOB barn/stack (except for those noted as delivered, which are indicated by a "d" in the table below) for selected states at the end of th
Protect your investment in high-quality hay production with these bale storage practicesHaymaking takes multiple steps to achieve a high-quality product. Whether your goal is quality or quantity, the
“Go big or go home” wasn’t the motivation for Mark Van Dam when he established Rising Sun Dairy. Quite the opposite, as the self-proclaimed “micro-dairy” was designed for
It’s not unusual to feed supplemental hay on pastures during the winter or when forage is short during the growing season. In doing so, nutrients in the hay are imported to the pasture and spread
They are small, green, and the bane of alfalfa — potato leafhoppers. Sans an intentional effort to monitor their presence, usually with the use of a sweep net, they often lurk undetected. However,
