This year’s record rains have caused different problems for hay producers than the droughts of years past. Unlike recent years, forage quality – not quantity – will be the big issue in meeting the nutritional needs of livestock. But how do you measure forage quality?

In football, there is always hype about the quarterback – but when it comes to winning, they certainly don’t get the job done alone. What I love about team sports is you only win when you put a mixture of talent together. If you took all the top quarterbacks in the NFL and made a team, they would probably not fare well on the field because they all bring similar skills. Diversity trumps when winning games.

Editor’s note: At Progressive Forage Grower, one of the comments we frequently hear is, “Where do you get your hay reports? That isn’t what my neighbor just sold his hay for.” We also get questions like, “Is that an on-the-stump price or delivered price?”

So we asked Tess Norvell from USDA Market News to tell us more about how those market prices are collected and compiled.

A thorough evaluation of a potential grazing property does not stop with forage and fence. You must put equal weight on the business characteristics that come with the land. These factors are not always obvious but greatly impact your daily activities. Make sure to investigate the following categories for each property you consider.

“I’ve been waiting 33 years for these boys to have this conversation!” Helen declared as she jumped to her feet. In that moment, I realized a lot about this family’s problems and, not coincidentally, the difficulties most people face in planning for succession.

“Salt of the earth” is the phrase I would use to describe those I meet at farm association, credit and banking meetings. In conversations with farmers and bankers, I am always struck by their sincere desires to try and solve the problem of a declining ethical culture.

Recently, I was asked to speak at a chopper school in Turlock, California, hosted by Mycogen Seed. We talked about two main points: Corn silage comes in during one period of time each year and requires intense management because you will feed that for the next 12 months or more, and kernel processing will help or hurt your feed cost and ultimately your bottom line – it’s your choice. Finally, are we doing what the cows need as we improve technology at harvest?

“Sometimes you have to spend a little money to make money” applies perfectly to testing stored forages like hay and silage. Sometimes “making money” actually means saving money when appropriate or spending money to ensure optimum production.