With the 2017 hay crop tucked away in sheds and stacks, growing-season factors take a back seat to domestic and foreign demand in driving hay prices.

Seth Hoyt, Western hay market analyst, said the bottom line for the 2018 hay market projection is that “export buyers could be more of a driver in the alfalfa hay market in the West in 2018 than dairy buyers – similar to the 2017 season.”

Here’s a look back at just a few of the operations featured in Progressive Forage.

Monthly alfalfa hay exports dipped below 200,000 metric tons (MT) in September, just the third time that’s happened in the past 17 months. Despite the slight downturn, year-to-date 2017 alfalfa hay export sales topped 2 million MT and remain well on their way to a new record annual high.

The new Temporary Agricultural Workers Visa Program (H-2C bill) passed the U.S. House Judiciary Committee review Oct. 25. H-2C is described in the Ag Worker Act (HR-4092). H-2C is a proposed update to the current H-2A program. Hopefully the new program will simplify hiring temporary workers for farm work.

Farmers in New Mexico, Texas, Ohio and Michigan want to know more about a crop pest solution developed on farms in Northern New York and in the Shields Lab at Cornell University.

Growers’ opinions matter. It’s priceless information because it comes from boots-on-the-ground, multi-year experience. In alfalfa production, input about what farmers are looking for in a product is critical for seed companies to help create the next generation of varieties.

Creighton University released the October Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) with unfavorable results for the agriculture community in a 10-state area.

A U.S. District Court in Kentucky has ruled in favor of Deere & Company in a lawsuit that was filed to protect the use of the trademark green and yellow color combination on John Deere agricultural equipment.