2WinterGraze_ph
Snow and ice storms are often a part of life for cattle grazing winter pastures in northern states. For their owners, it means making those cattle as comfortable as possible and ensuring adequate nutr
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Problems with toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue usually come front and center in the heat of summer when cattle body temperatures rise and blood flow is reduced.Severe cold temperatures can also be
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Most cattle tend to graze in valleys and congregate by creeks, leading to overgrazing in riparian areas and letting quality forage on hillsides go to waste.However, some cattle are different, preferri
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In last week’s eHay Weekly we took a look at the big picture from USDA’s 2016 Crop Production Annual Summary. From that same report, here’s a list of the top five states as they ranked
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Water shortages in the West have prompted farmers and researchers to explore strategies that will cut water usage while at the same time maintaining profitable alfalfa yields. According to Dan Putnam

3Quick_ph
Some years things just don’ t go according to how they get drawn up in the pasture playbook.That was the case in Arkansas where the fall was not favorable for generating fall and winter pasture grow
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Forage sorghum, usually thought of as a Southern crop, has gained traction in the North during recent years. On some dairy farms, it’s being used for both heifer and/or milking cow feed.Forage sorgh
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With milk, beef, and hay prices being on the south side of desired for sellers of those commodities in 2016, one tidbit of good news on the input side of the ledger can be found in fertilizer prices.I
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Many beef cows have a heavier mature weight and greater milk production compared to 40 years ago. As such, “Most commercial producers would underestimate the mature size of their cows,” says
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Injecting manure into tilled fields or after an annual crop has been harvested is a common practice. Doing the same into a perennial forage hayfield has been viewed as more problematic because of the

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Even in the Deep South January plantings don’t make the preferred planting window list for winter pastures that will bridge the April to June forage gap. That said, it might be an option when
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Raising oats in the fall as forage for cattle is gaining popularity among dairy farmers.Wayne Coblentz, a USDA Agricultural Research Service dairy scientist in Marshfield, Wis., says that oats provide
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The importance of supplementing low-quality forages or winter pastures with protein is backed by significant research data and farmer experience. However, protein supplements are often exp
Alfalfa-checkoff
It’s been discussed most of the year and now the time has arrived. The first ever initiative to secure funding for alfalfa research through a checkoff program will begin on January 1
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The primary negative impact of seeding grasses with alfalfa is not lower forage quality, but rather variable forage quality, according to Cornell University forage researchers

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Many producers plant annual forages during the summer for winter use. However, a decision has to be made on whether to bale the forage or graze it during winter.“Producers interested in grazing the
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Winter feeding baled hay is a necessary evil once pastures go dormant. Strategies to feed baled hay are as numerous as the number of forage species being fed. One such alternative is referred to as ba
3WinterPlan_ph
Winter is the ideal time to prepare for the upcoming grazing season.Performing key activities in the off-season, like summarizing production and grazing records, analyzing last year’s manageme
2Mycotoxin_ph
Mycotoxins are toxic metabolic by-products of fungi. They have haunted the livestock industry for many years.It’s nearly impossible to predict or know for sure that mycotoxin problems exist wi
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With pastures entering dormancy and cornstalk grazing underway, it will soon be time to start delivering supplemental feed to the herd. Often, hay is supplied in the form of large round bal