Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Mike Rankin

The author joined Hay & Forage Grower as the managing editor in April 2015. Since July of 2024, he has transitioned to senior editor. He had previously served 27 years as the Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin crops and soils agent with the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service. He also worked eight years on a large dairy and grain farm in southern Illinois.
The curse of rangeland cedar trees
Forage Flash

April 22, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Photo: University of NebraskaRangeland pastures are difficult enough to keep productive throughout the growing season without the encroachment of woody species. The problem, according to Bethany Johns...
There are no first-cut mulligans
Alfalfa

April 15, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
As the story goes, David Mulligan hit a poor drive off the first tee at a Montreal golf course. The errant shot may or may not have been the result of an extremely bumpy ride while travelling to the m...
Headwinds haven’t stopped this forage harvester
Shop Talk

April 14, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Farming is never easy, but it can be made that much tougher when you’re beginning from scratch...
Death by lethal ingestion
Forage Flash

April 8, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 B.C. for not believing in the popular Greek gods of his time and place. Without the option of an electric chair or firearm, the philosopher’s s...
Hard work and the luck of the Irish
Farm Visits

April 7, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
What happens when a Michigander meets an Irishman . . . in New Zealand?...
Our annual look at custom fieldwork rates
Forage Flash

April 1, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Custom rate guides are welcomed resources in those states that continue to do the survey legwork; unfortunately, many do not. Each year, eHay Weekly offers readers a one-stop shop for accessing custom...
What horse owners want from haymakers
Hay

March 25, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Selling hay in the horse market can be both rewarding and frustrating. Even so, that market is the lifeblood for many commercial hay producers, especially those who make small square bales.“We somet...
Corteva to phase out their BMR corn program
Forage Flash

March 18, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
Brown midrib (BMR) corn has been a staple feed on many dairy farms since the mid-1990s. These hybrids generally have a lower lignin content and higher fiber digestibility. Nutritional studies have hel...
Maximizing vs. optimizing a grazing system
Grazing

March 11, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
“We, as cattle producers, row-crop farmers, and as a society, have been pushed toward maximizing production as much as we can,” said Dan Glenn at the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association meeting las...
To bail or to bale
Forage Flash

March 11, 2025
BY Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
“Our” word is being horribly abused, and it’s about time that someone brings it to light.After last week, I decided it was time to say something. Please, stay with me, there is a dir...
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