The American Forage & Grassland Council 2013 tour in the lush Virginia countryside showcased a legacy of multi-generational farming.

This month, I want to identify and briefly discuss the top seven reasons I see that pasture weed control programs don't work as well as they should. A popular comedian has a top 10 list for his act, but since I'm only about 70 percent as funny as he is, I only have a top seven list.

U.S. agricultural banks increased farm and ranch lending by 13.9 percent, or $10 billion, in 2012 and held $81.8 billion at the end of the year, according to the American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank Performance Report.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Mayor Mike Brown have announced plans to build a new, world class nitrogen fertilizer plant near Grand Forks, North Dakota. The natural gas powered plant is projected to produce about 750,000 tons of fertilizer annually. The natural gas will be piped to the plant via a pipeline from a local source.  

What is small, brown and defoliates alfalfa? While there are several correct replies, the most common answer is the alfalfa weevil. If not managed properly, this pest inflicts a wealth of damage on important first-cutting alfalfa stands.

AGCO has begun further expansion of its Jackson, Minnesota, manufacturing center. During the next three years, AGCO will invest an estimated $42 million in infrastructure, increasing production capacity and efficiency in order to help meet growing demand for the tractors and application equipment built there.

Another harvest season is approaching and, as always, there is no guarantee the weather this season will be better than last. While some producers suffered from less forage supply than expected, many were starting from a comfortable supply left in bunks from the previous year.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published in the April 22 Federal Register a petition received from the Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International seeking nonregulated status for a low-lignin alfalfa.

One of the coolest springs on records has delayed most producers across the Midwest from getting in the field. Typically, 42 percent of the corn in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois is planted by the first week in May. This year, only 5 percent of the planting had occurred by May 3.

The following came in response to the article 'Drying forage for hay and haylage' which appeared in the May 2011 edition. Click here to read the original article.