What can you afford to pay for land rent and still be competitive? Margin management has become critical to farm success. "Keeping in mind feed market volatility, it looks like feed will be cheaper based...
Creating solutions to forage needs. Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois, presented "Playing the crop-year cards we've been dealt" webinar on Monday, July 8. Labeled the "perfect storm" by Mike Rankin,...
2013 Farm Progress Hay Expo had plenty to see and learn about. For hay and forage enthusiasts, the 2013 Farm Progress Hay Expo was the place to be. There were numerous equipment line-ups and demonstrations...
With record-low hay stocks, many farms will need to stretch their forage supplies. by Abby Huibregtse, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor The USDA recently released estimates for hay in storage, and it's...
Don't make rash changes based on a single ingredient analysis. Repeated sampling teases out if this is true variation or an error. Feed and forage nutrient composition always vary to some degree. But limiting...
Silage piles aren't always a best buy. Producers and consultants often jump to the conclusion that flat feed storage is the most economical. They could be wrong
Spreaders and other implements are beginning to hit fields across the country as we begin the 2013 cropping season. But have you taken the time to evaluate your nutrient recording keeping system lately?
Ev Thomas of the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute shared his experience with growing forages, especially alfalfa, on the March 11 Hoard's Dairyman webinar, "ABCs of alfalfa harvest."
The replant window for corn can be quite narrow. Even though corn is a crucial ration ingredient, as the growing season progresses the decision to plant another crop
In our February 10, 2013, issue, four producers from Vermont, New York, Wisconsin and California shared their thoughts on feeding high-forage diets to their herds. With the level of detail these producers...
Frost seeding red clover into wheat stands will not reduce grain yields. However, it can prevent soil erosion, provide nitrogen credits and be fall forage in this double-crop system. If you grow wheat...
Marshall McCullough was a University of Georgia dairy nutritionist who wrote for Hoard's Dairyman for many years, including the book Roughages for Dairy Cattle.One day after looking at some extremely high...
If you grow wheat as part of your dairy cropping mix, this could be a good time to try "frost seeding" red clover to boost forage production. But it is important to follow seeding recommendations. The...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives November 12, 2012: "Sorting through our cropping strategies" presented by Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin-Madison Brought to you by Merial and their Best in Class...
Drought-stressed alfalfa fields need extra attention "Lack of water at optimal times cannot be made up later with additional rains or irrigation," said Dan Undersander, when discussing the state of alfalfa...
by Amanda Smith, Hoard's Dairyman Associate Editor Early and frequent harvesting at the bud stage to yield dairy quality alfalfa comes at a cost to the plant, noted Dan Undersander with the University...
J and Allan Schanbacher have never planted oats any time but early spring. But this year they planted 63 acres in mid-August as they scramble to make up for drought-ravaged hay and corn crops
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives August 27, 2012: "Sorting through your forage supply options" presented by Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois Brought to you by Biotal Forage Inoculants (www.qualitysilage.com)....
Chopping or baling soybeans can help fill forage needs. That's the message from the University of Illinois' Mike Hutjens who has posted a 7-minute video discussion on the subject