You’ve probably read that alfalfa is the nation’s fourth-largest crop. But did you know that total U.S. alfalfa acreage has been in decline for the past decade? The National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) reports 2012 harvested alfalfa at just more than 20 million acres, a 22 percent decline from a decade prior.

We’ve all heard the joke, “If it’s on the Internet it must be true.” In reality, anyone can create a website and put information on the Internet, whether it’s true or not. Often, entities that are selling a product will only list information that supports their products. It is important as consumers that we seek out balanced, factual information.

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.

Brandon Fawaz was skeptical. It took Fawaz about eight years to warm up to the idea of using soil moisture sensors on his land. However, as a result of implementing the sensors in his operation in 2010, Fawaz states, “Our entire system has not changed due to the moisture sensors, but our practice has.

“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.