Cover crops and manure are both tools. When they are aligned, they improve nutrient efficiency, protect water and can even add forage value. When they are not aligned, they create management friction, yield drag and frustration. 

Exploring sainfoin and other forage options, researchers are weighing nutrition, adaptability and bloat risk.

Homestead Acres Ag is a part of the Lerwicks' management transition process.

Sainfoin presents a compelling alternative for forage producers seeking to thicken old alfalfa stands or diversify their forage systems.

Stories abound concerning cow behavior on Western rangelands in both historical and contemporary accounts by the men and women who spend their days with livestock.

At some point, every pasture or hayfield needs to be renovated. Although there are many useful approaches to improving a piece of land for forage production, some cover crops offer distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Livestock enterprises can use crop acres seeded to cover crops and crop residue to stretch the grazing season and save on feed costs. Crop operations benefit from the nutrient value added through livestock manure and to help with pest management.

There are several benefits to seeding alfalfa-grass mixtures rather than pure alfalfa stands, starting with biodiversity.

Sorghum-sudangrass is a C4 (warm-season) annual. It can easily grow 10 feet tall and yield more than 5 tons of dry matter per acre during the hot summer.

Feed costs comprise 60% to 80% of the typical farm budget. If we can reduce those costs by 20% or even 10%, it will happily lower our break-even price. Read more about some grazing strategies to lessen the need for stored feed.