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Forage is the foundation of all diets for ruminants. In addition to supplying nutrition for many different types of livestock, forages contribute to healthy biosystems and the overall ecosystem, providing shelter and food to animal species and preventing the erosion of soils and the contamination of waterways and other riparian habitat.
In recent years, cover crops have gained popularity throughout many parts of the nation. Much research has been done evaluating their use in cropping systems and their utility in improving soil health. More recently, more research has started investigating their usefulness as a forage source.
First, let’s agree the term “precision” is relative. Forage is a diverse system with an even more diverse set of management strategies. Regardless, every manager should be constantly striving to improve the precision in which nutrients are managed.
Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa is a popular weed management strategy for Western alfalfa producers. Aside from issues related to exporting an RR alfalfa crop to some countries, most growers seem pleased with the technology.
Our creator designed this world to operate through interwoven functions of biological components, which collectively form an ecosystem. Ecosystems function more efficiently when organism populations remain in balance with each other.
What does it cost to harvest a ton of hay?
I have asked this question to large audiences of hay producers. Several farmers can estimate their harvest costs fairly accurately; some know their costs exactly; others do not know what it costs them.
Alfalfa is a staple in many animal diets because it is an excellent source of fiber and high-quality protein. It’s complementary to other types of forage and grain, cost-effective and palatable.
Setting up a limited liability company (LLC) is a popular option in America and it could provide both tax and liability advantages for farmers. However, since every farming operation is unique and every farmer’s assets and liabilities differ, an LLC doesn’t fit the needs of every farming operation.
While farming in the ‘North’ brings the benefits of growing some of the best forages like alfalfa and cool-season grasses, it also carries the weight of fall decisions that will ‘make or break’ your profit due to risks of winterkill.
Someone once said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” That may be a fitting adage to describe the newest old idea for managing native grass pastures. Beginning in the 1990s, a group of range scientists at Oklahoma State began exploring an approach to managing pastures based on the interaction of fire and grazing.
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