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Good business skills critical in custom bale-wrapping

November 6, 2013

Custom bale-wrapping is a growing business in the Midwest and Eastern U.S., where wetter weather makes it difficult to put up dry hay.

Subsurface drip irrigation on alfalfa

October 31, 2013

Inge Bisconer

Micro-irrigation, also known as drip irrigation, is the fastest-growing irrigation technology in the world.

Expanding vision with infrared technology

September 30, 2013

Blain Hope

Infrared imaging is one of the trending technologies of crop production. Blain Hope of AgSpecific has been using this technology for the past four years to help producers identify crop issues that might affect yield loss.

A buyer’s guide to seed certification

September 30, 2013

Chad Hale

“Buy certified seed!” It’s a slogan we have all heard from extension agents and other professionals who give advice about purchasing seed. What do those blue certified tags mean, and how important is certified seed to your operation? This article aims to answer those questions.

Theoretical length of cut: Theory and practice

September 30, 2013

Dan Wiersma

Corn silage season is here, and one harvest-time adjustment growers must make is the length of cut, or particle size. Most dairy producers I know have set goals to improve milk production and quality; beef producers using high-forage diets want to sustain high growth rates for their cattle.

Hiring quality family and non-family employees

September 30, 2013

Bernie Erven

Hiring and keeping quality employees is absolutely necessary if high profitability, growth and productivity are to have any chance of becoming a reality.

Failure to find needed employees threatens the business. Inviting family members into the farm business who do not fit or meet a clear need is as damaging as hiring a non-family member who does not fit.

Monitoring nitrogen dynamics in cover-crop mixtures

September 30, 2013

Denise Finney and Charlie White

Cover crops are one of the many tools farmers can use to manage nitrogen on the farm and for the environment.

Plan now for quality winter feed

September 30, 2013

Chris Penrose

Did you get up enough hay this year? What was the quality of your hay? The drought of last year and the excessive rains in many parts of the country this year have left us with two forage problems going into the winter: not enough hay, and the hay made will be of very poor quality.

Crop records – You’ll thank me later

August 29, 2013

You have field dust in your eyes, sunflower seeds on the cab floor, you need to run to town and pick up a new clutch for the truck, and you’re wondering if the market is strong enough to sell your calves.

Putting your reputation in the hands of a hay hauler

August 14, 2013

Peter Delman

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.