In normal times, markets would be focused on yield and production as summer winds down. However, in a year when a virus and politics seemingly infect everything, even hay isn’t immune.

When most of the U.S. went under quarantine in early March, many spring ag educational meetings, trade shows and conferences were rescheduled, cancelled, or turned into virtual meetings. 

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced on Aug. 7 changes for emergency haying and grazing of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This includes changes outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill that streamline the authorization process for farmers and ranchers.

Often, I consult with livestock producers testing forage for their animals. Inevitably there are two numbers on the report they are most concerned with, protein and relative feed value (RFV). Protein is an important value to understand if the forage meets animal requirements, and RFV is a useful index to quickly compare or rank forages.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial forage legume with high forage yield and nutritive value. The “Queen of Forages” is one of the most widely grown forage crops in the U.S. with most production concentrated in the northern and western regions of the country.

While several factors contribute to rainfall variability, if the tropical cyclone events were taken out of the data set, the annual mean rain from other events has not increased.