When corn is standing in the field, two primary harvest options exist: combine grain or chop silage.

Determining what the grain is worth is easy. Multiply grain yield by bushel price. Subtract harvest, hauling, drying and storage costs if you desire net returns.

Silage management begins with evaluation – of the stored silage in a bunker or pile and of the products used to protect it.

The process of producing silage involves harvesting a fresh forage crop at a near-neutral pH from the field, putting that crop into an enclosed storage system of some sort (e.g., bales, bags, bunkers, pits, piles, towers, etc.) and acidifying the material to reduce its pH, which prevents the growth of spoilage organisms.

During these times of unpredictable weather and relatively short hay supplies, hay growers need all the help they can get to maximize the quality of the forages they put up.

I mentioned to Jock Warren of the Royal Flying Service of Royal City, Washington, that I understood that there were old crop dusters and bold crop dusters, but no old, bold crop dusters.

Farmers in the Tucumcari area of eastern New Mexico have received limited amounts of water or no water at all for irrigation since 2002.

The question arises often as to which grade of hay is a “better buy” or how does the price for hay compare on a nutrient or feed value basis.

Rhizoma peanut, or perennial peanut, is also known as Florida’s alfalfa because of the superior forage quality.