Developing a fair and equitable method of charging for custom harvesting forage has long been a popular point of discussion. Most operations charge clients on a per-ton, per-hour or per-acre basis.

Over the last few years there has been some increasing interest in custom feed and forage production.

Sales of standing forage require an estimate of market price and a method of determining yield – whether forage is sold by the bale, ton or acre – as a starting point for negotiations between the buyer and seller.

Growing concern over a worsening world water crisis has brought even greater scrutiny to production agriculture’s thirst for water. That’s no surprise since agriculture consumes about 75 percent of the world’s water supply, according to estimates by the United Nations Environment Programme.

In the interest of full-disclosure, I must confess that my family dairy chooses not to utilize the services of a custom harvester; however, my in-laws have been working with a custom harvester for the last six years. Which one is right? I’d argue both, given their specific situations.