Latest News From Pasture-Forage

Dry conditions persist across parts of the U.S., with nearly half of the nation’s corn crop and 37% of the nation’s hay crop areas experiencing drought. Cattle producers could be forced to make more tough decisions.

As the carbon market continues to develop, a multitude of factors lend to its complexity. These intricacies weigh heavy on the minds of many ranchers entertaining the idea of partaking in the carbon market.

Virtual fencing system provides advanced technology to cattle producers and ranchers to manage natural resources more effectively.

For 2022, the national average for cash rents on cropland is $148 per acre. That’s up $7 from last year and eclipsed the previous high of 2015’s $144 per acre.

Amid continuing drought, the 2022 hay supply data illustrate why so much herd liquidation has occurred this year. It also speaks to the continuing challenges that cattle producers will face to get through the winter.

Pollinators placed on international conservation organization’s Red List as endangered. Habitat loss, climate change, pesticides and disease were cited as some of the major factors in the species’ decline.

Drought has been a topic of conversation among ranchers for several months. Join us Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 3 p.m. CST as we discuss drought and it's impacts on producers.

Haying ditches has unique safety concerns any year due to the highly variable sloped surfaces of ditches. Unsafe conditions can create wear and tear on equipment, damage equipment or cause injuries or even death.

Project will impact working ranches and rural communities, while quantifying the value of soil health and other ecosystem functions.

The small village of Cooperstown is arguably the most important place to travel for fans of one sport. How did it become such a draw? It all goes back to one man’s cow pasture...

American ranchers face a dry start to the summer grazing season as about half of the nation's beef cows reside under some designation of drought. Texas shows 76% of pastures in poor to very poor condition.

High winds and eerily dry conditions across Kansas and the Southern Plains have created what’s been a battleground for continuous wildfires this year, as the fires are robbing some ranchers of vital grass.

Land is the common ground on which all other resources thrive. That’s why monitoring, managing and maintaining soil health is key to productivity and, ultimately, profitability on the ranch.

Grassroots Carbon has provided payment to 10 Texas ranchers for their adoption of reversative grazing pastures which have resulted in nature-based, measured, verified and certified carbon credits.

Federal Wildlife Service plan aerial gunning of estray cattle located in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico despite local ranchers concerns.

Critical fire weather is forecast through Dec. 26 for portions of North and West Texas, with Dec. 24 holding the most potential for wildfire activity, particularly in the Panhandle

The Crop Residue Exchange, developed by the University of Nebraska/Lincoln, is a free online tool designed to link cattle producers to crop producers with available grazing resources.

The combination of smaller yields and fewer acres harvested will translate into another year of rising hay prices, says the Livestock Marketing Information Project.

Join Drovers editor Greg Henderson and experts from all segments of the beef value chain to better understand the current and future dynamics of this crisis at 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 5, for this free discussion.

“We like to say that the program isn’t about the cow, but the how,” says Lauren Miller, VP Carbon Footprint Solutions at Grassroots Carbon. “Our aim is to scale up the restoration of prairie grasslands..."

AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths reports that evaporation has increased the salinity in stock dams in South Dakota, some to lethal levels for livestock.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Sand County Foundation a grant to empower farmers with real-time data about their conservation practices.  

Pasture lease rates in a 14-county area of the Flint Hills of Kansas were reported 2% to 3% higher in 2021 compared to 2019, according to the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

The latest U.S. Drought monitor indicates drought is gripping pastures, with 60% of the nation's cow herd is now in some level of drought or dryness, and it's causing cow slaughter numbers to climb.

Montana ranchers embrace holistic management to improve the natural resource.

Pasture, Rangeland and Forage, or PRF, insurance is a risk policy designed to provide annual protection for farmers and ranchers through USDA. Policies covering 2021 have a signup date of Nov. 21, 2020.

Managed livestock grazing can help regenerate soils.

If you're going to kill alfalfa in the fall, make sure to plant a cover crop. Best option is to kill alfalfa in the spring.

Freshly baled hay with more than 20% moisture will heat up and actually reduce the energy level of the hay.

Dilution of fescue pastures by interseeding novel fescue is one way to solve the problem of toxic summer pastures.

Is silage corn considered a cover crop? The short answer: it depends. 

Most of cattle country has had abundant to excessive moisture this year—as evident from my travels from Oklahoma to Montana.

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 Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) lowered hay yields across the board this week and edged prices up as this spring continues to have devastating impact on fields and fieldwork.

The Feed Emergency Enhancement During Disasters Act (FEEDD Act) would allow producers who are utilizing prevent plant to at least graze, hay or chop a cover crop to feed livestock.

All hay contains some mold, but when mold becomes noticeable the decisions become important.

High-moisture grass baled above 24% moisture can cause spontaneous combustion. Overheated bales can burn down a hay barn.

The latest Crop Production report from USDA-NASS shos May 1 hay stocks at 14.9 million tons, down 2.9% year over year.  However, May 1 hay stocks in 2018 were also small. 

So you want to plant alfalfa into your Bermudagrass this fall. Make sure to check our list before getting started!

In recent years, Marestail has increased in the pastures and rangeland of the Panhandle and Sandhills of Nebraska. 

Typically arriving during planting season while tractors race to the fields, it is easy to put scouting for weevil damage on the back burner.

Fields with extensive damage may need to be destroyed, rotated out, and replanted with and annual forage.

Hopefully, the first round of hay harvest only a few weeks away. Two free “Beef Tips” videos from Purdue Extension could help beef producers maximize the quality and quantity of their forage crops.

Weeds can reduce the quantity and the stand life of desirable forage plants in pastures and hayfields.

Flood waters are receding, but the challenges in recovery for farmers and livestock producers are just beginning. Beth Doran, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach beef specialist, recommends producers get out in their fields as soon as possible.

The excess rain during fall, coupled with having fed hay for the last several months has caused areas in many pastures to be destroyed, with very little grass left. 

The Midwest Cover Crops Council, with the University of Illinois Extension, will be holding its annual meeting in Springfield, Ill., Feb. 20-21. The theme is, “Cover Crops and Soil Health: The Practical Way Forward.”

Hay produced on irrigated grass and subirrigated meadows can be a potential supplementation source throughout Nebraska.

Farmers and scouters alike will want to check out a new app from the Midwest Cover Crops Council, with links to additional articles and more photos.

Every year county agents get questions from producers concerning if they should burn their Bermuda grass hayfields. There are several benefits to burning your hayfield.