Respiration in plants involves the breakdown of starches and sugars to produce energy and carbon dioxide...

The productivity of a perennial grass pasture is quite literally anchored in its root system...

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is like a business deal between alfalfa and rhizobia bacteria. Alfalfa lets rhizobia live in nodules on its roots and provides the bacteria with nutrients produced during p...

Chopping small grains in the spring is one way to bolster silage supplies for the rest of the year, but doing so can invoke a lot of questions and options...

Forage stands can tell a story about previous pasture management. Although the story may start at the beginning of the growing season, strategic grazing and timely harvests throughout the summer can d...

Don’t be fooled by the white flowers scattered across pastures and sprinkled along fence lines — they could be poison hemlock. This biennial weed grows quickly in the spring and can pack a t...

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...

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...

When the summer sun sets over northwest Illinois, the crew members of Silver Streak Ag Services LLC cut their engines and climb down from their tractor cabs. Their job might not be done — in fact, it may have just been getting started — but they submit to their growling stomachs and pause for a paper plate meal in the middle of the field. This is a nightly tradition for John and Monica Osterhaus, owners of the custom forage harvesting business near Chadwick, Ill...