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Forage growers, like the rest of the farming world, must deal with pests of various descriptions – weeds, bugs, molds, fungi and the occasional virus as well. It reminds me of the “thorns and thistles shall it bring forth …” and “in the sweat of thy face you shall eat …” kind of problem mentioned in Genesis.
Alfalfa is a major forage crop in the U.S., and the organic component has been growing to supply organic milk producers. A number of insect pests attack this crop, but the alfalfa weevil is probably the most familiar to growers.
“Make hay while the sun shines.” This phrase is the hay producer’s version of “carpe diem” or “seize the day,” but without proper preseason maintenance, the opportunity to seize a hay day can be cut short without notice. We want every hay producer to enter the field with confidence, so our team of experts have come together to create a guide for your preseason maintenance needs.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little valley called Pleasant Valley. Pristine streams ran down from wooded hillsides. Wild game was abundant. Fish flourished. The peasants tilled their farms and irrigated them with mountain water. The livestock grazed the grassy meadows. It was a contented community, though lacking in material wealth.
The Environmental Protection Agency has revised the 1992 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulation to increase protections for agricultural workers and their families.
Danny Nusser, regional program leader for Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, is one of the many folks coordinating hay and other donations for those affected by a rash of wildfires in the Central Plains in recent weeks. He estimates that at least 6,000 bales of donated hay had been received at one supply point in Gray County, Texas, as of March 15.
While the 2017 growing season begins to awaken, hay prices remain in a slumber.
The pickup in buyer interest in early February failed to spring life into hay prices, which remain the lowest in six years. While widespread winter precipitation improved moisture conditions in many areas, the south-central U.S. continues to report drought conditions.
For as long as there have been farmers there have been farm wives. And today, we are not just farm wives; many of us are farmers in our own right. In an occupation where work, family and lifestyle are so impossibly intermingled, a female farmer faces a unique set of challenges.
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