Lately, a verse from the Old Testament has been circling in my head. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV).

Beyond having resistance to root diseases, most of the criteria in variety selection has been based on the aboveground attributes such as forage yield and quality, leaf to stem ratio, fiber digestibility and resistance to foliar diseases and pests. Very seldom do alfalfa producers ask the question: what type of root system does the variety have below-ground?

Inflammation is not limited to obvious clinical cases; it’s a normal biological process that takes place every day in a cow. We should recognize it as part of the cow’s constant physiologic balancing act, and one that becomes especially delicate during the transition period.

Recently, I’ve had some deep conversations with producers around the concept that it’s not how much you can borrow but rather how much you can repay that matters. At the heart of the conversation is whether collateral or capacity to repay is more important.

Managed well, cover crops turn living roots and residue into a dependable weed‑suppression system.