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...

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...

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...

Energy level and crude protein content tend to be the primary forage quality characteristics producers refer to when feeding livestock; however, forage fragility is another key factor to consider when...

Whether it’s frozen water tanks, slick driveways, or frosted windshields, ice can instigate a number of problems on farms in the winter. While some of these problems are simply solved wh...