The transition into 2022 is well underway, with no shortage of questions related to supply and demand, domestic and export supply chains, input costs and growing conditions. We’re still waiting on some final numbers from 2021.

The hay bales are wrapped and all nestled in sheds, while supply chain distractions bounce around in our heads. You get the picture. Here’s a look at forage market conditions entering the second week of December.

The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced changes to crop insurance programs that are designed to address producer needs while supporting conservation and climate mitigation efforts through the management of cover crops.

A dramatic rise in fertilizer prices is weighing heavily on U.S. crop farmers and input suppliers as they prepare for the 2022 planting season. Prices for nitrogen-based fertilizers commonly used for corn production have skyrocketed to all-time highs in recent months.

Here’s a look back at which stories captured the most online attention from readers of Progressive Forage.

If you’re producing and marketing hay, costs are headed higher; if you’re buying, alfalfa prices continue to rise. Here’s a look at conditions entering the second week of November.

A proposal to expand exemptions and modernize farm truck regulations has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.

An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought, which are now covered by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP).

Editor's note: This article has been updated with the latest 2021 hay production estimates. Multiple factors are coming into play as the 2021 hay harvest season winds down and new-crop marketing picks up.

Highlights

Progressive Forage provides a look at 2021 U.S. and major forage state cropland and pastureland values, as well as cropland and pastureland rental rates per acre.