In its third year, the U.S. Custom Harvester Chopper Challenge continues to pit self-propelled harvesters against one another in the same field.

Applicators are a critical tool for anyone looking to apply inoculants at harvest. At the Vita Plus Custom Harvester Meeting, Feb. 20 in Madison, Wisconsin, Dan Dohrmann of Dohrmann Enterprises, Inc. shared advancements in applicator technology and general equipment maintenance.

Dairy producers have expressed interest in feeding corn as Shredlage. At the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Randy Shaver has been conducting feeding trials to see what makes it tick inside the cow. He shared his results with those looking to put up feed for dairies at the Vita Plus Custom Harvester Meeting, Feb. 19 in Madison, Wisconsin.

In the most recent FG poll, we asked readers "How much time do you spend on the Internet each week for forage-related information?"

Enjoy this short slideshow of some of the things we saw at World Ag Expo 2013, and watch your March 1st print issue of Progressive Forage Grower for more details!  FG

Two years of drought have forced adoption of new technology and management practices in crop irrigation, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist in Amarillo. Nich Kenny, AgriLife Extension irrigation specialist, said the key factor moving into the 2013 season will be for producers to concentrate on their irrigation management. “There are new water pumping regulations in place, and we are coming off two years of pretty significant drought,” Kenny said. “What that means is on two fronts, these guys are limited to how much water they have available.”

The National Corn Growers Association has announced that the enhanced Compliance Assurance Program, which includes on-farm refuge assessments, an online survey and IRM education and awareness, is seeing strong success and an increase in the number of growers planting their corn refuge.

Phosphorus in manure is a valuable resource for crop production when applied correctly and has proven to improve crop yield to higher levels than commercial fertilizer. In contrast, inappropriate use of animal manure has been reported to negatively impact the environment. It's important to understand the forms of phosphorus in manure and how manure interacts with soil before improved manure management strategies can be developed.