According to USDA’s 2014 Census of Agriculture, 97 percent of the 2.1 million farms in the United States are family owned and operated. Unfortunately, the trend for the last few years ha
It seems that 2017 has brought more discussion about whether a beef cattle operation should buy or bale hay than what I recall seeing in the past. The beauty of such a discussion is that there is no c
The push to improve alfalfa forage quality through lowering lignin content and, more importantly, improving fiber digestibility is in full-throttle mode. You’d have to be living under a rock to thin
In many parts of the United States, alfalfa is cut three to five times per year for three to five years; then the stand begins to lose productivity and it is rotated to another crop.Research has shown
One of the long-standing topics of debate in the forage world is whether it is advantageous to cut in the morning or during late afternoon. People still hang their hat on one side of this argument or
I’ve come to the conclusion that no forage species offers more complexities and mind-boggling management alternatives than toxic tall fescue. It is both a gift from God and at the same time a curse
With a growing need for alfalfa, the Peoples Republic of China aims to significantly ramp up domestic production, according to a recent GAIN Report published by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service
I’ll admit it — for many years my eyes glossed right over the ash content of a forage sample. That’s not the case anymore.Ash content in harvested forages can have a significant role
It’s usually a no-win deal. The hay is ready to cut ... perhaps past ready ... but there’s a chance of rain over the next few days. So, do you cut and take a chance on the crop getting washed?
After the speaker spent the better part of 45 minutes discussing the virtues of high forage fiber digestibility, he opened the floor up for questions. First out of the chute came this question in the
Harvesting hay from the road right-of-way is a common practice in many parts of the United States. While the phrase “It’s better than feeding snowballs” is often associated with road
Never, ever complain or worry about a dry late winter and early spring.We’ve probably all done this and perhaps still do, but more often than not Mother Nature evens the score in May and June
These articles cover alfalfa variety breeding and characterization, the progression from breeder seed through foundation to commercial seed, some basics of alfalfa seed growing and cleaning, and seed purity
Grass-fed beef is a growing niche market that provides opportunity for marketing cattle with enhanced value. In the Upper Midwest, selling grass-finished beef in local markets can also take adva
A common practice for many producers during the fall is to look for the cheapest protein and energy supplements to go along with their hay for winter feeding
Bermudagrass varieties fall into two main groups: selections of common bermudagrass that can be planted from seed and hybrid bermudagrass that must be propagated by vegetative means
In prior Hay & Forage Grower articles, we covered alfalfa variety breeding and characterization, the progression from breeder seed through foundation to commercial seed, and some basics of a
