Congratulations! You’ve done all the hard work. You’ve harvested your hay, cured it in the sun, raked it, compressed it into bales or packaged it, moved it to a safe, dry place and staged it to ship.

We had an unusual start to the season, but thankfully, the majority of corn and alfalfa is up and growing. From the moment moisture hits the seed’s germ, the plant growth cycle begins.

Exposure to deadly silo gases continues to occur wherever silos exist and will continue to be a hazard on the farm as long as silage remains a common feedstuff for livestock.

Editor’s note: The following are excerpts from a producer panel sponsored by AGCO/Hesston earlier this year at World Ag Expo.

It seems as though the weather this year is abnormal. But then, so was last year, as were several previous years.

I often receive calls from local producers shortly after the morning coffee-shop crew adjourns for the day. Recently, a caller asked: “What is the best height to mow forages for hay?” I gave him my usual extension educator reply: “That depends.”