As far back as 1,000 B.C., alfalfa was the preferred feed for domesticated animals. Wildlife knew it was a preferred feed long before that and used it for cover and nesting as well.

Farming has been a very profitable business for the past decade. When there is a period of farm prosperity, the main asset farmers own – land – becomes more valuable as demand for farmland increases.

Based on the title, you might be wondering if prognostication is some kind of new forage management practice – and in a way, it is. Prognostication means “to predict, using current indicators as a guide.”

The U.S. farming sector has exhibited very strong financial performance during the past five to seven years in terms of income generation, cash flow and debt servicing capacity, and equity accumulation, but that strong performance has been accompanied by increased volatility.

“It’s hard to find any help that isn’t as confused as we are.”

For Mark Davies, the middle-generation son in this farming family, it was a dubious beginning for what should have been a major step on the road to a more certain future.