Nov. 15 2018
On occasion, growers ask for advice on forage seed mixtures. When growers are considering new alfalfa seedings, their questions focus on what other legume or grass species to add with alfalfa, and how...
Aug. 10 2018
Wiersma is the alfalfa business manager with DuPont Pioneer. Thomas is retired from the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute and president of Oak Point Agronomics Ltd. Soil fertility is an
July 16 2018
“It’s a game changer,” shared Ev Thomas of Oak Point Agronomics during the Hoard’s Dairyman webinar, when talking about forage advancements in alfalfa production
July 16 2018
The lowdown on
July 9 2018
There’s considerable interest in reduced-lignin alfalfa, which comes from both genetically modified varieties and those developed using conventional plant breeding. Reduced-lignin alfalfa can provide very...
May 21 2018
After planting, the best strategy to promote a good stand of alfalfa is weed control
March 10 2018
The plant breeders who developed reduced-lignin alfalfa probably didn’t spend much time considering its use in alfalfa-grass seedings
Feb. 10 2018
During our careers, we’ve had the privilege of seeing not just one, but several new plant genetic technologies dramatically change the crop production landscape
Sept. 10 2017
It’s never too early to begin planning for late summer and early fall management of alfalfa (and alfalfa-grass). First, check your recent soil analyses, and take soil samples for a new analysis
June 15 2017
The older we get, the faster summer seems to go by. Just as we begin to enjoy bright sunshine and warm weather, fair time and school time come along to signal the approaching end to another summer
April 10 2017
In alfalfa fields, weeds are no more welcome than rain on freshly cut hay. Weeds compete for the same resources needed to grow a good crop of alfalfa: water, nutrients, and light
Feb. 10 2017
Choosing the right machinery for harvesting alfalfa can have a large impact on forage yield. While we certainly need to drive over the field to harvest it, we can minimize the effect traffic has
Dec. 5 2016
Dairies in the West aren’t just competing with each other for alfalfa hay but with dairies all over the world.Just like milk, alfalfa exports have become a huge business
April 25 2016
Once it's harvested, it's all you have to work with. That's the story with forage quality. At last week's Tri-State Dairy Conference, Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin-Madison forage specialist,...
Dec. 14 2015
Across U.S., the "queen of forages" is also a king of crops. Dairy cows love alfalfa, so it's no wonder that demand for it comes overwhelmingly from milk producers. And despite recent years of volatile...
Aug. 24 2015
In a nutshell, economics has been the primary driver that caused almonds to speed past alfalfa for total acreage for the first time in modern California history. The higher returns per acre for the nut...
Jan. 5 2015
Western dairy producers, especially those in California, have been squeezed by high feed prices; perhaps none more than those for alfalfa hay. With the state's ongoing drought, competition from other crops...
Dec. 22 2014
Continued drought in California produced a host of takeaway messages at the 2014 Alfalfa, Forage and Grains Symposium, December 10-12 in Long Beach, Calif., including: Huge improvements in alfalfa irrigation...
Sept. 16 2013
Milk producers in the nation's third largest dairy state are beginning to feel the effects of low snowpack levels last winter. They figure to last well into 2014. Between August 27 and September 5, irrigation...
July 19 2013
MUCH more than meets the eye has gone into making "the queen of forages." Looks are deceiving when it comes to what is perhaps dairy producers' favorite cattle feed. Alfalfa is known to date back at least...