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Mycotoxin contamination, caused by molds and fungi that appear in feed, is an urgent concern in dairy rations across the country this year. A recent mycotoxin report warns that contamination levels in the 2018 crop present a medium-to-high risk to livestock.
I visited with a rancher in Mississippi last month. He said the best career advice he’d been given was, “All that glitters is not gold.” He went on to say that many young farmers today in Mississippi think raising poultry will end their financial woes – in essence, it would be their gold field.
Those of you who have followed my articles know that I like to illuminate the complex challenges facing forage and livestock producers. Like you, I would prefer things were simpler, but unfortunately, just the opposite seems to be happening.
Growing your business. What does that mean to you?
It’s not uncommon to think that growing your business means you must sell more products or services or have more customers.
“Diversify” seems to be a buzzword around agriculture these days. Any commodity conference is bound to have a workshop on the topic. Yet what do they really mean for a forage grower?
At face value, Tim Hall of Hall’s Hay in Idalia, Colorado, is a cross between a hay broker and a hay processor. He buys high-quality alfalfa hay from growers in Colorado and Wyoming and packages it into small bales for the retail hay market in the Southeast.
Some farmers in Pennsylvania and New York grow winter annual small grains for forage before and after corn silage. Producing two crops in succession, or double-cropping, offers multiple benefits such as reducing soil erosion; improving nutrient retention and weed suppression; and enhancing soil structure and biological activity.
Progressive Publishing welcomes Madison Anderson to the editorial team for the summer. She will be working with the Progressive Forage and Ag Proud editorial teams, writing feature stories and news articles.
Forages play an integral role on any livestock operation. In many parts of the South, the ability to grow both warm- and cool-season forages allows producers to benefit from grazing throughout most of the year on their operations.
