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Hay and forage supply is improved over the 2011-2013 time frame, when regional droughts and Upper Midwest winter survival affected forage supplies. With current increased forage supplies, the price of hay has declined somewhat from the highs of the past few years, but not as much as one might expect given the decline in the commodity groups of grain and grain byproducts.
The combination of recent droughts and the recently adopted federal farm bill has given hay and forage producers new options with Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Insurance (PRF) – a risk management tool available to producers to offset loss of forage production due to drought conditions.
Two things every farmer should know about his or her farm business are cash flow and profitability, says Paul Dietmann, emerging markets specialist for Badgerland Financial.
He defines cash flow as, “The ability of the farm to generate enough cash to cover all expenses and loan payments, pay for family living costs and income taxes, and have enough cash left for re-investment in the farm and to put some in savings.”
As farmers closed out financials for 2014 and worked on plans for 2015, I saw a potential crop-planning trend emerge. Many farmers called to inquire about alfalfa seed selection and production considerations.
One of the best ways to accomplish pasture renovation is by frost seeding, sometimes referred to as overseeding. It is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to establish legumes in existing grass pastures, hayfields and in cereal grains to establish cover crops.
I don’t think there is a city block in Tonopah, Nevada, that is level. Tonopah is rich in silver mining history – complete with historic old hotels and at least a couple of parks full of antique mining equipment. The town sits a-straddle a high ridge with large flat areas of land on both the east and west sides.
With the spring planting season approaching, now is the time for forage growers to make sure their self-propelled application equipment is in proper working order and ready to hit the fields. Pre-season maintenance checks and advance planning can increase productivity by maximizing the uptime of your machines and avoiding costly breakdowns.
Several years ago, we decided to change things up a little bit on our place. My dad was getting older, the kids were starting to leave home for college, and I was spending more time away from home. It seemed like the ideal time to cut back on the number of cows we were running to ease the stress, headaches and burdens that accompany calving time.
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