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Getting ‘unstuck’ with teff

Zachary Smith shares the challenges he faced when adding teff to his crop rotation over a decade ago and offers advice to those interested in growing teff.

August 29, 2022

Kaylee Mecham

One of the most talked about forage crops in recent years has been teff grass. Producers have been trying to figure out what it is and what the benefits are of growing teff.

Challenges to using native grasses for forage production

July 14, 2022

Patrick Keyser

Despite the many positive attributes of native grasses, these grasses, like all forages, have their drawbacks.

3 ways to find forage in a drought

May 4, 2022

Rebecca Kern-Lunbery

In Nebraska, the effects of the drought are prevalent. We have seen no April showers, instead wind and grass fires. These conditions are forecast to persist. So we are going to need to start making our forage plans early.

Just how ‘hot’ is tall fescue?

April 30, 2022

Lisa Baxter, Abdolmajd Ronaghi, Uttam Saha, and Dave Sparks

Tall fescue, a cool-season perennial grass, grows on approximately 1 million acres in north Georgia and more than 30 million acres in the U.S. Cattle can graze on this grass for an extended period from early spring to fall.

Five considerations for spring grazing in a drought

January 31, 2022

Rebecca Kern-Lunbery

Under the drought conditions of the 2021 growing season, I heard many concerns from livestock producers about forage supply shortages, low quality of the forages available and, of course, nitrate accumulation in those forages.

Pasture-cropping practice could improve degraded grassland soils

January 7, 2022

Kay Ledbetter

Adopting the ecologically sensitive, low-cost conservation management pasture-cropping practice could help landowners regain the health and resiliency of soils sustaining degradation over the years.

Protect your pasture

November 30, 2021

Owen Feenstra

Almost all forage production can be traced back to one crucial input, one necessary ingredient: rainfall. In the farming and ranching community, the health of our operations is heavily dependent upon this one crucial variable.

Winter feeding: Substitute vs. supplement

November 30, 2021

Caitlin Hebbert

It’s “officially fall” for most producers. The temperatures are dropping; calves are being weaned; culls are getting shipped; marketing plans are being executed.

Tale of two grasses

August 31, 2021

Woody Lane

Photosynthesis is a little like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – it comes in a variety of flavors. Some folks can probably recite all the ice cream flavors from memory, but how many folks know the types of photosynthesis?

Six cautions when grazing cover crops

July 8, 2021

Rebecca Kern-Lunbery

Grazing cover crops can be a cost-effective way to achieve multiple operational goals. Cover crops can provide ground cover to prevent erosion, improve soil health over time and provide nutrient-dense forage for grazing. However, turning cattle out onto cover crops to graze without understanding the risks can lead to a wreck.