Only occasionally do forage and livestock producers see record-high prices and profit margins for extended periods of time. Even though prices for feed, seed and fertilizer are also at historical highs, many farm and ranch families will find themselves with more than the usual amount of cash left over in 2014.

In a study conducted in 2005, Steve Orloff, farm advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, Yreka; Dan Putnam, alfalfa and forage specialist, UC Davis; and Blaine Hanson, irrigation specialist emeritus, UC Davis explored the drought tolerance qualities possessed by alfalfa.

It’s a most natural cycle. Forages are fed to livestock that produce manure, and manure is returned to the soil to provide the nutrients to produce the next crop. After all, it’s what has happened on pastures and rangelands for millennia.

Some aspects of ensiling remain constant, whether it’s corn, grass or alfalfa. Fermentation, for instance, of all silages is about the same. There are, however, some differences in harvest processes for grass silage.

Tip, named for the white end of his tail, had to be a master of PR. Dad told me that Tip was on my lap being petted on his ride to our house as a weanling pup. I don’t remember the trip, so I must have been younger than 3 at the time.

Three types of bale wrappings are used with large round bales – twine, net wrap and plastic wrap.

My daughter Anna is in her junior year in college as a political science major. She’s strayed a bit off the family path in terms of her college career, but we still allow her to come home – on occasion.

When manure needs to be spread during summer, sometimes the only place available is an alfalfa field. Manure can provide valuable nutrients to alfalfa, particularly phosphorus, potassium and boron. This may increase alfalfa yield or reduce fertilizer costs. Alfalfa also will absorb the nitrates from manure, reducing the risk of environmental contamination. But manure can cause problems for alfalfa.