We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
An interviewer asked me how one can make a living in the cow business.
Actually he said, “As we’re heading into the next couple of years with declining cattle numbers and steady prices, how do you think you should position yourself to take advantage of the market?”
I assume he’d mistaken me as an authority in the cattle business. Maybe he thought I was a Wall Street speculator who heard rumors of another run on ethanol.
You may know people who suffer from math anxiety. They avoid situations where mathematics and calculations are required. However, avoiding math is simply not an option when working with agriculture.
If you are a parent, I think you’ll agree with me that one of the hardest life lessons to teach (or to learn, for that matter) is choice and accountability.
Mature, healthy and productive alfalfa stands have developed an extensive crown and root system, enabling the crop to withstand adverse climatic conditions such as drought.
Water is a crop input that seems to fall free-of-charge from the sky. But specialists at Syngenta say there are definite costs associated with water, whether it comes directly from rainfall or through irrigation.
The California dairy silage sector has increased its acreage the most dramatically under conservation tillage, says Jeff Mitchell, a cropping systems specialist at the University of California – Davis.
Fertilizing alfalfa with phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) can increase yield and stand longevity. However, to maximize production and profitability, it is important to adjust fertilizer rates to meet the specific nutritional needs of plants in each field.
Agriculture has changed in many ways during the last 50 years. One of the greatest changes has been the use of no-till planting methods.
The problem of soil erosion with conventional row-crop production has been significantly decreased by using herbicides to kill a cover crop and planting without tillage. Though often overlooked, no-till technology is well-suited to be used in forage crop establishment.
Should you stop planting corn to get haylage in on time? First-crop alfalfa harvest is getting under way, yet there are still cornfields waiting to be planted.
Forage may be stored for winter feeding when pasture production is limited, for use in confinement feeding systems or for cash hay.
Hay is the most popular storage method since it stores well for long periods and is better suited to cash sale and transportation than silage.
