Taking a closer look at soil health may be more valuable now than ever before. Sound soil health practices boost soil biology and increase soil organic matter, which improves water availability and a crop’s ability to perform in all weather conditions.

The 2016 alfalfa production season has been a challenging one to say the least – somewhat reminiscent of 2009, or of periods in the early 2000s. Alfalfa producers enjoyed record high prices in 2014, but they dropped significantly in 2015, and this year has been worse yet.

The recent downturn in the farm economy, driven by low commodity prices, is putting a lot of pressure on farm and ranch families.

If you’re anything like me, you may not mind the cold temperatures in the winter, nor do you mind some snow.

If you are thinking of planting some alfalfa in the spring, there is a good chance you are considering planting a nurse crop along with it.

If you were engaged in crop production in central New York or north-central Pennsylvania this year, you already knew in early spring, when it stopped raining, that a federal disaster designation for your county was bound to happen.

In times of low commodity prices, such as milk or beef, the costs related to producing these products tend to be heavily influenced by feed costs.

Debt is a four-letter word, but it doesn’t need to be that kind of four-letter word – not if you manage things properly.

Is the market price for hay lower than your cost of production? Do you know your cost of production? I suspect many of us have not calculated it for a while. I recently went through the process of updating a budget for irrigated alfalfa hay in southern Idaho.

Like many areas, pasture productivity in Virginia is inconsistent. More often than not, we have a glut of grass in spring which is hayed from pasture only to be fed out later in the year – as early as September in dry years.