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1. Planned grazing, low-input cattle keys to ranch’s profitability
Written by Jesse Bussard
Published June 27, 2013
Excerpt from article:
Drought has gripped much of eastern Colorado to some degree or another on and off for the past 12 years. Because of this, many cattlemen have destocked herds. Some search desperately for hay to keep the remaining cattle they have on the range.
However, even with these challenges some producers, such as Kit Pharo of Pharo Cattle Company (PCC), have taken a different path.
2. Hay Bale Decorating Contest of 2013
Contest ran Sept. 1 through Nov. 27, 2013
Once again, Progressive Forage Grower readers showed contagious enthusiasm for our annual Hay Bale Decorating Contest. The voting section and winners announcement both received very brisk traffic.
3. Timing of the last alfalfa cut
Written by the forage specialists at DuPont Pioneer
Published August 27, 2013
Excerpt from article:
Deciding your fall alfalfa harvest schedule is like a juggling act – you need to think about your forage inventory and needs, potential yield, risk of winterkill and even harvest cost.
Robin Newell, DuPont Pioneer forage business manager, offers tips to help plan your final 2013 alfalfa harvest.
4. Standing corn excellent option for winter-grazing cows
Written by Jesse Bussard
Published September 11, 2013
Excerpt from article:
George Lake of Thistle Creek Farms in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, looks at raising cattle a little differently than most.
He had no choice but to do so when he returned home 30-plus years ago to take over the family farm after serving time in the Marine Corps in Texas.
5. Bunker silo face collapses
Photo article, photos courtesy of Silostop and Ruthie and Keith Bolsen
Published June 17, 2013
Excerpt from article:
It’s the headline no one wants to read, the hospital visit no one wants to make, the funeral no one wants to attend.
This silage season, will you pack the silage pile or will the pile pack you? The choice is yours. You’re in control. At the very least, you can take control by following these silage packing safety precautions, no exceptions – every time.
6. Top 7 reasons pasture weed control programs don't work
Written by Eddie Funderburg
Published May 28, 2013
Excerpt from article:
This month, I want to identify and briefly discuss the top seven reasons I see that pasture weed control programs don't work as well as they should.
A popular comedian has a top 10 list for his act, but since I'm only about 70 percent as funny as he is, I only have a top seven list.
7. Forage cost of production can have significant impact on 2013 hay prices
Written by Phil Kaatz
Published July 10, 2013
Excerpt from article:
Knowing production costs for forages helps producers set current prices in a turbulent hay market. During the next several months, hay and forage producers will be pricing their current year’s production for their customers.
Because of low forage yields in 2012, and declining inventories, the subsequent year-end hay supplies were the lowest since 1957.
8. The five most common silage mistakes
Written by Jim Mattox
Published August 13, 2013
Excerpt from article:
Next to managing employees, managing the silage harvest is perhaps the biggest management challenge of all. Detailed planning and great communication are the keys to success.
Very often it is not the things that are done right, but the things that are done wrong that have the most lasting effect.
9. Ingenuity on the farm: Pickup-bed hay spears
Written by Zepplin Smith
Published September 20, 2013
Excerpt from article:
I’m Zepplin Smith, a student at Olton Independent School District, Olton, Texas.
Early in my high-school career my ag-science teacher, Trent Houchin, and I were in a pasture checking my cows and discussing options for involvement in FFA, and I was really intrigued by the thought of designing and building my vision. So the journey began on building the hydraulic pickup-bed hay spears.
10. Making cents of silage inoculants
Written by Jim Mattox
Published February 27, 2013
Excerpt from article:
My professional experience has put me in front of many cattle owners and farm managers skeptical of silage inoculants.
Many saw it as paying for pixie dust – unsure of what it could really offer. I understand their skepticism, but in the past few years, considerable research indicates silage inoculants are effective at reducing nutrient loss and increasing animal performance. FG
