Hay

The drought plaguing eastern Montana and much of North and South Dakota came on quickly and is intensifying, leading ranchers to sell their cattle and farmers to harvest early whatever crops that have grown so far this summer.

The estimate of area harvested was unchanged from the figure shown in their June acreage report and only up a fraction of a percent from last year.

International demand from China is changing the game for U.S. hay production.

Crops and pastures continue to suffer in North Dakota as drought persists.

Baleage can provide a high-quality fermented forage, but careful attention to management is needed to produce a consistent, uniform feed.

Extreme drought conditions throughout the Northern Plains have led to a shortage of hay and pasture

One of the contributing factors to our alfalfa stand losses is a root rot called Aphanomyces race 2. The prolonged wet conditions allowed this root disease to finish off already-weakened alfalfa crowns.

North Dakota drought worrying crop and livestock producers

Gov. Doug Burgum has further relaxed commercial driving restrictions to help drought-stricken North Dakota farmers and ranchers.

Last year, the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA) unanimously voted to start a national checkoff program that would fund industry research. This week, this goal took a big step forward as NAFA announces its first-ever request for proposals (RFP) for its U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative.