Latest News From Alfalfa

When is Alfalfa Ready to Cut?
When is Alfalfa Ready to Cut?

With alfalfa being one of the most important forage crops on the farm and feed prices on the rise, it’s critical to ensure your stand is harvested in a timely manner to maximize quality while preserving quantity

Unspoken Truths About Pests: Armyworms
Unspoken Truths About Pests: Armyworms

This pest can cost you 15% to 50% in yield loss.

Leigh Rubin
The Secret of Creating a Perfect Cartoon* Certain conditions apply

An evening of Cows and Cartoons with Rubes cartoonist Leigh Rubin hosted by Jane and Steve Sinton and California Rangeland where Leigh as he explains The Secret of Creating a Perfect Cartoon.

Leigh Rubin
Cows and Cartoons with Leigh Rubin

Jane and Steve Sinton and California Rangeland Trust invite you to join us for an evening of Cows and Cartoons with Leigh Rubin as he explains The Secret of Creating a Perfect Cartoon.

Leigh Rubin
No Foolin'!

No Foolin'

Leigh Rubin
What's in a name?

What's in a name?

Calyxt Expands Its Gene-Editing Tech To More Crops
Calyxt Expands Its Gene-Editing Tech To More Crops

“We just celebrated 10 years as a company,” says CEO Jim Blome. “And we showed that in 15 months we pioneered a regulatory path, launched a product, and took it all the way from the grower to the food company.”

Forage Myths Are Costly: Forage Quality Impacts Your Bottom Line
Forage Myths Are Costly: Forage Quality Impacts Your Bottom Line

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.

How to Price Standing Hay
How to Price Standing Hay

One of the “normal” elements of this highly abnormal time is the fact that hay-making season soon will commence throughout most of the country.

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How to improve farm productivity with satellite technology in 2020
How to improve farm productivity with satellite technology in 2020

In 2020 farmers stand under the growing pressure from customers, suppliers, and policy-makers. This ever-growing food demand forces the agriculture industry to seek newer ways to improve the production technology.

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Hay Acres on the Rise and Fall?
Hay Acres on the Rise and Fall?

Looking to 2020, regional supply and demand will continue to be the driving force behind the swing in hay acres and prices.

A mixed forage, which does not qualify for an MFP payment, is that with less than 60% alfalfa.
USDA Clarifies Alfalfa MFP Rules

This week USDA issued clarification on the alfalfa issues farmers are experiencing related to MFP.

Online Forage Management Course Offered by Cornell
Online Forage Management Course Offered by Cornell

A convenient and in-depth virtual course on forage management is being offered by Cornell University.

“There’s a good amount of alfalfa that was planted this year that will need to be replanted,” says Sara Hendrickson, forage product manager for Dairyland Seed.
Fall Alfalfa Checklist

With winter right around the corner, it’s not too late to be thinking about 2020 alfalfa crops.

Build Better Baleage for a Better Bottom Line
Build Better Baleage for a Better Bottom Line

“The reality is, bale density, or the hardness of the bale, has a heck of a lot to do with your return on investment.”

Feed, Bedding Worries Linger As Crop Conditions Stay Subpar in Ohio
Feed, Bedding Worries Linger As Crop Conditions Stay Subpar in Ohio

AgDay national reporter Betsy Jibben talks with Nate Like, a livestock producer in Hamler, Ohio; Andy Stickel, a producer in Pemberville, Ohio. Feed, Bedding Worries Linger As Crop Conditions Stay Subpar in Ohio

Producers Worry About Lack Of Feed and Bedding Come Fall
Producers Worry About Lack Of Feed and Bedding Come Fall

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.

Initial Hay Stocks Decline for the 4th Year Straight
Initial Hay Stocks Decline for the 4th Year Straight

High prices rationed hay disappearance between December 1 to May 1 to the lowest level since 2013/14 at 64 million tons.

When to Cut Alfalfa
When to Cut Alfalfa

Harvesting alfalfa to achieve the right balance of quality and yield depends on cutting the plant at the right stage.

5 Alfalfa Factors to Manage

Get closer to making the type of alfalfa you need in various rations by keeping these factors in mind.

Alfalfa in Bermudagrass Checklist
Alfalfa in Bermudagrass Checklist

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

Don’t Ignore Alfalfa During Planting Season; Watch for Weevil Now!

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

Don’t Ignore Alfalfa During Planting Season; Watch for Weevil Now!
Don’t Ignore Alfalfa During Planting Season; Watch for Weevil Now!

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

Declining hay acres and fewer dairy cattle might have an impact on what direction hay prices go.
Hay Outlook: Milk and Grain Prices Could Impact Hay Demand in 2019

Declining hay acres and fewer dairy cattle might have an impact on what direction hay prices go.

A Look Back at the U.S. Hay Market Over the Last 100 Years
A Look Back at the U.S. Hay Market Over the Last 100 Years

Harvested tons of all hay trended higher during most of the 20th Century, but lower during the 21st Century.

Alfalfa in a hay field.
Alfalfa: Queen of Forage Crops

In order to successfully produce alfalfa, there are several things that are important.

Alfalfa stem count technique at the Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center, Sept. 11, 2018.
Assessing Your Alfalfa Stand

A simple stem counting technique can give you a good idea about your alfalfa stand’s yield potential.

<p>Enhancements to the 9- and 10-foot side-pull Model Year 2019 disc mower conditioners from Case IH combine fast cutting with high-quality conditioning to maximize field time.</p>
Case IH Updates Disc Mower Conditioner to Optimize Haying Window

Case IH unveils latest updates to model year 2019 disc mower conditioners.

Alfalfa and hay yields are high in North Dakota many farmers say, replenishing much needed feed supplies.
North Dakota: A Year of Recovery from Drought

More than 80% of North Dakota is drought-free this year, a welcome change from 2017.

Windrow disease presents special challenges.
Managing Windrow Disease in Alfalfa

Windrow disease presents special challenges.

Striped blister beetle adult feeding on leaves.
Watch for Blister Beetles in Alfalfa

Defoliation caused by blister beetle adults is usually minor. However, the main concern with these insects is that the adults contain a chemical known as cantharidin that is capable of producing painful blisters.

Managing Seeding Year Alfalfa
Managing Seeding Year Alfalfa

Alfalfa seeded this spring is ready, or soon will be ready, to cut.  Use the following harvest guidelines to get the most from your first-year alfalfa. 

The Cost of a Windrow
The Cost of a Windrow

If we want to save the energy of the starch and sugars for our cattle, we need to dry off the first 15-20% moisture as quickly as possible.

Alfalfa hay in windrows.
First Cutting in Alfalfa: Why Cutting Management is Important?

First cutting is the most important and critical of the alfalfa growing season. A late start of this growing season will determine multiple things during this year’s production.

It’s Time to Watch For Pea Aphids in Alfalfa
It’s Time to Watch For Pea Aphids in Alfalfa

Although pea aphid populations can vary quite a bit from field to field it is important to monitor their populations to ensure that loss due to their feeding doesn’t occur.

Pricing 2018 Standing Alfalfa
Pricing 2018 Standing Alfalfa

One of the challenges when pricing standing hay is the lack of an established market like corn or soybeans.

Planting Roots, Desert Oasis in Texas
Planting Roots, Desert Oasis in Texas

Jay Hill is a farmer in Texas is saving more than 1,000,000 gallons of water a day.

To maximize hay forage quality, grass hay needs to be swathed by the end of the boot stage before the seed starts to emerge from the leaf sheath.
Hay Harvest Considerations

Forage maturity is the biggest driver of nutritional quality.

First cutting alfalfa has historically been the highest-yielding cutting of the year
The Importance of First Cutting Alfalfa: Quality Versus Yield

First cutting alfalfa has historically been the highest-yielding cutting of the year

A guide for Michigan alfalfa producers on tips for managing their crop.
Alfalfa Management Calendar for Michigan

A guide for Michigan alfalfa producers on tips for managing their crop.

Alfalfa winter kill in Beresford, South Dakota. Second year of establishment.
Assessing Winter Injury in Alfalfa

As we move forward to a late spring, temperatures are warming up and alfalfa producers are having questions on how to access their alfalfa fields for winter injury.

Planning for the Alfalfa Growing Season
Planning for the Alfalfa Growing Season

Here is a bit of information for those producers that are considering planting alfalfa this year.

The hay harvest is projected to see a minor drop from last year, but is still higher than the 2016 hay crop, the smallest harvest since 1906.
Hay Acreage Projects for 2nd Lowest Harvest Since 1906

The hay harvest is projected to see a minor drop from last year, but is still higher than the 2016 hay crop, the smallest harvest since 1906.

Scientists Create New ‘Toolbox’ to Better Study Alfalfa
Scientists Create New ‘Toolbox’ to Better Study Alfalfa

To accelerate alfalfa research and cultivar development, scientists at the Noble Research Institute developed the Alfalfa Breeder’s Toolbox, a web-based portal to allow alfalfa breeders and researchers share data.

Terry, left, DenaMarie and Wayne Springer are pushing toward open-pollinating corn and direct-to-consumer beef.
Wayne Springer is Tired of Paying $300 for Traited Corn Seed

Wayne Springer is tired of paying $300 for a bag of traited corn seed. Unafraid to change horses in midstream, the 60-year-old producer is transitioning from a row crop farm to a ranching operation.

Blake Harlan
California Producer Embraces Technology Early and Often

Blake Harlan grew up in a culture of innovation and it&#39;s paid off for his farming business.

Bayer_Monsanto_Seeds_Bloomberg
Founder Re-Launches Midwest Seed Genetics

Formerly merged into Channel Bio Corp (owned by Monsanto) Midwest Seed Genetics will be relaunched in the Corn Belt for the 2017/2018 season. Founder&nbsp;Don Funk says this comes at a time that farmers are asking for more options.

Alfalfa_Hay_Swathing_Cutting_New_Kuhn_FC_Triple_Mower_Conditioner
What's the Effect of Rain Damage on Hay?

Hay that has been cut and then rained on can lose quality in four ways.

alfalfa
Significant Alfalfa Losses Experienced in Eastern Wisconsin

Significant alfalfa losses experienced in eastern Wisconsin