Alfalfa
A late first cutting can reduce forage quality across the entire season, making timing one of the most important calls in spring alfalfa management.
Protecting your hay’s quality and value doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be monitored.
The equipment builder is adding to its lineup of crop harvesters with two new forage choppers — the first completely new silage management machines from Deere since 2019.
About 45% of U.S. corn production acres and 36% of the soybean ground are dry. The western Corn Belt needs moisture, in particular. A big, wet snowstorm could help, says Eric Snodgrass.
Total hay production in 2024 was up 3.3 percent year over year and combined with May 1 hay stocks up 46.6 percent over 2023 levels. Total hay supply by 7.9 percent compared to year earlier levels.
The 2024 World Forage Analysis Superbowl marked the 40th anniversary of the contest rewarding the quest to produce quality forages
The extremely mild winter of 2023-24 created a safe haven for a common pest in northern climates that is now enjoying a feeding frenzy in alfalfa fields.
Hay is a high-dollar dairy investment, so it’s important to assess quality to make sure you get what you’ve paid for, and that your rations are formulated with accurate numbers.
Tightening profit margins behoove growers to pay careful forage options, micronutrients, plant health and productivity. Partnering with agronomists, nutritionists and dairy advisors is an important piece of the puzzle.
With fall just around the corner, now is the time to think about applying fertilizer to perennial forages.
The most important number to review on a forage analysis is the ADF or NDF content of a forage on a dry matter basis, not crude protein.
It is important to know that the success of the entire production will be based on determining a proper date to cut for the highest yield and quality.
Lower hay supplies and to potential for lower acres and lower production this year could increase hay prices significantly.
Alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the United States, and a primary livestock feed source.
Herrington Farms, Inc. of Troy, NY was named the overall winner of the 2021 World Forage Analysis Superbowl at the 2021 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.
With much of the country experiencing a forage shortage, there is still a good opportunity to build forage inventories by double cropping this year.
Whether your sampling square bales, round bales or baleage, it’s important to keep these eight tips in mind in order to get accurate quality predictions.
Do not bet the farm on speculative options to lower feed cost. In 2021, double-down on forage quality.
The benefits of diverse plant species are well documented — yet sometimes diverse mixes can be difficult to manage due to differences in palatability and maturity dates.
Here is a bit of information for those producers that are considering planting alfalfa this year.
Producers Worry About Lack Of Feed and Bedding Come Fall AgDay National Reporter Betsy Jibben talks with John Metzger, a dairy farmer from Kimmell, Indiana and Marcelo Oberto, an independent dairy consultant.
The U.S. government has refused the request made by the Belgian government to take two flocks of East Friesian sheep back to Belgium, one of the flock’s owners has told reporters.
Dairy farmers should consider alfalfa as a solution on prevent plant acres.
Dairy farmers in various parts of Wisconsin experienced severe alfalfa winterkill and injury this past winter. Losses were the greatest on heavy soil types with poorer drainage.
Improvements in corn and alfalfa varieties and crop management may result in very energy- dense dairy feeds, but lower fiber content can become a concern.
The brand will be managed by FGI and sold through existing Garst®, Golden Harvest® or NK® brand alfalfa resellers.
To compensate for the difference, dairy producers should delay first cutting, say Michigan State University Extension specialists.