Ohio growers may find that although alfalfa can weather the current extreme heat and drought conditions from a quality standpoint, there will be less alfalfa overall because of the lack of moisture the region continues to experience, an Ohio State University Extension educator said.

The transportation bill passed last week exempts farmers from an onerous Commercial Drivers License requirement. American Farm Bureau transportation specialist Andrew Walmsley said, “Those farmers and ranchers that are using a farm vehicle to haul their calves or their produce to market were exempt from some requirements that were meant for long-haul truckers, commercial truck drivers.

The fact that Goss's wilt was a widespread corn disease in Minnesota in 2011 is broadly known.  The question of how much Goss's wilt will develop in 2012 is dependent in part on field and weather conditions. As of June 13, Goss's wilt had been confirmed over the previous week in several counties in Iowa and Nebraska. Thus it could also start to appear soon in Minnesota.

Indiana's forage crop yields are down and won't likely improve without decent rainfall in the near future, prompting a need for growers to take precautions to avoid further crop loss, says a Purdue University Extension forage specialist.

Forages initially were damaged during hard freezes in April and have struggled to yield amid the unrelenting hot, dry weather of May and June.

"Many producers have reported to me that their first cutting was reduced fairly substantially as compared with other years – down by 25 percent or more," Keith Johnson said.

The fourth annual Grazing Seminar series will be held Friday, Oct. 5 at World Dairy Expo. Topics will include using automatic milking systems (robotic milkers) in grazing systems and balancing supplementation with high grain costs. A question-and-answer session with grazing experts from around the world will also be held.

A Texas AgriLife Extension Service entomologist at Fort Stockton warns alfalfa producers and those buying the forage to be on the lookout for blister beetles. “Recently, I’ve been seeing a fairly large outbreak of blister beetles in Reeves County,” said Mark Muegge. “The extent of this outbreak is unknown, but alfalfa producers need to keep an eye on it. "The outbreak could lead to statewide implications since alfalfa from west Texas is shipped all over.”

Over the last four years, entomologists from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture have been releasing an army of tiny weevils. The weevils are being enlisted to fight back the advance of an invasive weed that displaces desirable forage in pastures, reduces native plant diversity and increases surface water runoff and stream sediment. Spotted knapweed originated in Eastern Europe, said Tim Kring, professor of entomology.

Alfalfa in some areas of Pennsylvania is experiencing water stress and the question of alfalfa management during this time is being raised. But before we discuss the management of water-stressed alfalfa, let's look at how alfalfa responds to drought conditions.

Cover Crop Solutions, LLC, has announced that its flagship cover crop, Tillage Radish – officially known as Variety CCS-779 – has been awarded U.S. Plant Variety Protection #201200292. Tillage Radish is now under the U.S. Plant Variety Protection pending statute and unauthorized propagation is strictly prohibited. This distinction indicates that Tillage Radish is a unique variety.

AGCO celebrated the grand opening of Intivity Center and the 75,000-square-foot expansion of its Jackson, Minnesota, manufacturing center June 7. The investment brings production of Challenger and Massey Ferguson high-horsepower wheeled row crop tractors to North America – a decision that was announced in early 2011.

The manufacturing center expansion will contribute more than $17 million dollars and 200 jobs to the local economy, bringing the total number of professional, support and skilled manufacturing positions at the facility to 1,050.