Sept. 19 2023 To juice up the field day agenda I was attending, the organizers planned a round bale guessing game contest. One bale looked pretty normal while another was slumping worse than the Oakland Athle
Sept. 19 2023 The temperature was approaching zero, and the January wind howled from the west across the bare Iowa cropland. There I was, facing west, with camera in hand and ready for the cows to be let out to get
Sept. 12 2023 Really dry or really wet — it doesn’t matter because both conditions can be lethal to new spring alfalfa seedings. Depending on where you hang your hat, weather extremes on either end of the...
Sept. 6 2023 The hills of Wisconsin’s Driftless Region were masked in a smoky haze from wildfires burning much farther north. Earlier that morning, it had rained. It wasn’t the best of hay drying days....
Sept. 5 2023 In his book, “Fundamentals of Weed Science,” author Robert Zimdahl relates a story about British General John B. Burgoyne. The British had planned to divide the states along the Hudson River....
Aug. 29 2023 Corn silage harvest season is upon us, and with that comes the opportunity to capitalize on the labor, management, and economic investment of prior months. Of course, that also means there is equal op
Aug. 22 2023 As I sit here in the Bozeman, Mont., airport waiting for the Boeing 737 with my name attached to it, I’m pondering the fact that once again orchardgrass has been a big part of this trip. Both the...
Aug. 15 2023 Extension specialists from North Dakota State University (NDSU) encourage farmers who plan to bale graze during late fall and winter to begin placing bales where they will be needed. Moving bales from
Aug. 8 2023 Its complexities are many. It is both a blessing and a curse . . . loved and hated. Many have trouble living with it, but they would never engage the thought of living without it. This is the world of
Aug. 8 2023 It seems drought has dominated the agricultural news feed for several years. Extended dry weather can dramatically reduce hay yields, but wet weather or simply baling hay that is too high in moisture
Aug. 1 2023 Simple fact: Many farmers pull the trigger too early on drought-challenged corn for silage and either chop the immature plants or disk them under
July 25 2023 With the turning of the calendar to August next week, the window opens for Northern regions to begin seeding alfalfa and alfalfa-grass mixtures. That window progresses to later dates as we move south
July 18 2023 Although it takes a little time and investment, ammoniating low-quality hay, cornstalks, or straw can help improve its protein content and digestibility
July 4 2023 The average hay price for alfalfa regressed to $279 per ton during May, according to the USDA’s Agricultural Prices report. May’s alfalfa hay price was down $8 per ton from the previous month
June 27 2023 Dry weather — to varying degrees — has beset a large swath of the U.S. during the beginning of the 2023 haymaking season. In the Midwest, I have never seen so much first-cutting hay get baled
June 13 2023 Source: U.S. Drought MonitorThe abundant rain and snowfall in the West put a temporary Band-Aid on many areas that were either devoid of moisture or had their irrigation spigots shut off
