Bruce Nelson, state executive director for USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Montana, announced that Agriculture Secretary Vilsack declared four Montana counties as primary disaster areas and nine as contiguous disaster areas due to disaster designations authorized in Montana and South Dakota.

Due to the widespread drought conditions experienced over the past year, many growers are concerned about the potential for herbicide carryover injury to this year's crops. This potential is driven by two main factors.

Farmers who want to be counted and help determine the future of farming in America have until May 31 to respond to the 2012 Census of Agriculture. The USDA has already received more than 2 million completed Census forms.

When it comes to alfalfa, many growers believe they have to choose quality, yield or productivity and that increasing one element will automatically reduce the others. Fortunately, you don’t have to trade one for the other, if you keep a few fundamentals in mind:

Winterkill alfalfa is unwelcome anytime, but even more disheartening in a year where producers are already facing high feed costs.  But it's not time to panic, rather it's time to assess accurately the extent of the damage and make a plan.  Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin Extension, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, and University of Minnesota Extension all offer timely help and advice to producers facing these challenges.

While farms were scrambling to meet the May 10, 2013, deadline for having an oil spill containment plan (SPCC plan) as required by EPA regulations, Congress quietly delayed the EPA's ability to enforce the regulation. Amendment 29 to the recently enacted funding bill, H.R. 933, states that the EPA may not use any of its funds to enforce the SPCC rule against farms until after Sept. 26, 2013.

John E. Baylor, 90, of State College, passed away Sunday, May 5 at Mt. Nittany Medical Center of congestive heart failure. Born Sept. 16, 1922, in Belvidere, New Jersey, he was the son of Benjamin M. and Minnie Baylor. Baylor served 3 ½ years during WW II in the USAAF as a bombardier and Gunner Officer on B-24 bombers. After he returned home, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Farm Corps from Rutgers University in 1947 (class of ’44) and a master's degree from Rutgers in 1948.

The New Berlin Historical Society is home to an archive of photos and documents from the Swartz family, whose experimental farming methods at Cornfalfa Farms in Waukesha County gained national recognition in the early 1900s. The Swartzes led the way in making alfalfa a viable crop in the state, earning Peter C. Swartz the nickname “Alfalfa King of Wisconsin.”

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has unveiled a new website where the public can upload stories about technologies and innovation that have changed their work lives in agriculture – stories about precision farming, food-borne illness tracking, government practices, irrigation and hybrid seeds.

The National Hay Association’s technology committee has recently launched a new website. The new format allows users to browse NHA history, code of ethics, by-laws, member photos, videos and upcoming events.