Warmer weather is drawing insects that overwinter out of dormancy, and alfalfa weevils are no exception. Start scouting these insects now to limit the damage they can do to plant leaves before f...

Cereal rye, winter triticale, and winter wheat make a good menu for stocker calves and cows on spring pastures. These three species of small cereal grains bring similar forage quality to the tab...

A large majority of haymakers still utilize a forage conditioner on their mowers. These units are mostly out of sight, but they shouldn’t be out of mind.Back in my university extension days, we star...

Let’s be clear: Alfalfa doesn’t match perennial pasture when it comes to soil carbon storage, but it’s a whole lot better than annual row crops such as corn and soybeans.As the dairy industry mo...

Forages that were subject to drought conditions last year are like athletes returning from the injured list. Even though these plants are starting to grow and turn green, they require careful ma...

In areas where temperatures are hovering around the freezing point, alfalfa heaving may become a prominent issue. This uprooting of plants as a result of repeated freezing and thawing cycles may be an...

Although the days of growing oats for horses have morphed into grandfather tales on most farms, the cereal grain remains a valuable and often-used species in the forage toolbox. Whenever fast forage t...

Concerns and documented cases of wheat pasture bloat are starting to swell as fields of wheat and small grains green up in the Southern Plains. This disease, also known as frothy bloat, causes excessi...

After some tough months of feeding hay on a regular basis, the thought of moving cattle to lush, green pastures seems enticing; however, realize that this a drastic change in an animal’s diet...

It’s that time of year when the greening of the Fescue Belt may soon give way to the yellowing of the same region, at least in many pastures and hayfields. Buttercup species only offer eye appe...