Dale Carnegie said, “If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” In college, my freshman dorm room was located on the ground floor. I had a habit of arising early while others slept. One morning, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.

The basis for high crop yields comes from a proper crop nutrition program and fundamental soil testing. Recent surveys indicate that 20 percent of the fields in Pennsylvania do not have a current soil test. With high crop yields, the plant food contained in the soil is depleted more rapidly.

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing alfalfa seed and fashioning your overall forage management plan, including yield potential, stand persistence and winter hardiness, disease resistance and forage quality.

Imagine cutting next year’s first crop of alfalfa and seeing a perfect stand of deep green, healthy alfalfa flowing through your haybine. Your neighbor says it’s the best stand of alfalfa he’s ever seen. It’s obvious that your silo will not hold your entire alfalfa crop.