Proper care and nutrition for the human infant or bovine calf is often pontificated upon as a critical step toward the optimum development of the young adult or cow. In other words, the future is only

The USDA makes its assessment of dry-hay stocks in May and December of each year. Last May, spring hay stocks rocketed 47% above the previous year, or about 6.7 million tons.The rising stocks trend co

The National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) announced last week that alfalfa will now be included as a short-term perennial option in the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 3

Driving through Midwestern countryside over the holidays, I observed no shortage of sacrifice paddocks with bale feeders surrounded by cattle. More often than not, the feeders were also surrounded by

Few things in life are certain, but one of those things is that stored hay quality never improves and most often declines, depending on the initial baling moisture and storage conditions.Althoug

It’s been another year of ups and downs on farms and ranches. If you weren’t locked in on eHay Weekly every Tuesday morning, here’s a list of the 10 most popular articles that filtered

With a new year comes opportunities for new alfalfa seedings. For those whose list of resolutions includes establishing alfalfa, it is encouraged to secure seed supplies early, and selecting varieties

In regions where tall fescue dominates the pasture base, stockpiling can be an economical way to preserve forage quality and feed cattle through the winter. With that said, the way in which stoc

Hopefully, no haymaker puts up a crop that they know will mold; however, many haymakers have pushed the moisture limit and hoped the mold fairy wouldn’t pay a visit. Sometimes, she just comes uninvi

The relative maturity rating of a corn hybrid is often one of the first characteristics considered when selecting what will be planted. This maturity metric has been around a long time, but its utilit

“They don’t need water access; there’s enough in the grass.”I’ve heard this line more than once from livestock graziers. Typically, the “no water” strategy is

On most grazing operations, woodlots are separated from pastures and cows in the same way that bird dogs typically aren’t housed with the chickens. The latter will probably never change, but the

American dairy consumption is having somewhat of a renaissance with the latest data boasting the highest levels since 1959 at 661 pounds per capita. While consumer trends and grocery shopping habits a

Reflecting on another drought year may put a fire under some farmers’ seats to be more proactive about forage availability next season. Adding warm-season grasses into hay and grazing systems might

In regions where wheat fields dominate the agricultural landscape, farmers often use fall and spring growth as a source of forage — weather permitting. What seemed like a questionable year to use

Who can forget those old Miller Lite beer commercials when a variety of celebrities were enlisted to tout the product as either tasting great or being less filling? Of course, in the eyes of the Mille

The offseason is planning season, which includes preparing for pasture and hayfield improvements. In this case, a good plan will justify why, how, and when stand maintenance is required, as well a bud

In every edition of eHay Weekly, we offer examples of market prices for alfalfa and grass hay from selected state USDA reports. Those reports are also used to complete the Market Update column toward

I’m a big believer in no Christmas preparations or activities until after Thanksgiving. So, when it was suggested that I hang the Christmas lights on the house last week, my response was a hard “n

Winter can be a critical growth period for weaned calves that are retained as backgrounders. This stretch of time sets the stage for final animal performance, which may be helped or hindered by the gr