There is a reason green is the “lucky color” during the month of March for most cattle producers. Cool-season forages are about to reach their peak production for the year, and many producers are enjoying the benefits of high-quality forage for their herds.

Forage intake potential plays a key role in supporting cow-calf animal performance. Three factors that affect forage intake are forage quality, animal weight and stage of production of the animal.

Winter “feeding season” is upon us, and with that comes a list of questions related to the appropriate type of feed to select, amount to provide and frequency of feeding.

Cow energy requirements change throughout the year. As we enter into the winter months, it is important to remember the nutritional needs of the cow herd are a dynamic situation which operate as a yearly production cycle.

As feed prices have skyrocketed over the last several months, many producers are rethinking their winter feeding strategy in the southeast U.S. While weather is a big driver of our forage growing conditions, there are many forage management strategies that allow us to extend the grazing season well into the fall forage gap.

Alfalfa is a perennial forage legume suited for hay, silage or grazing management systems. The “Queen of Forages’’ is high-yielding and produces excellent-quality forage with high energy and protein for livestock.

In 2020, there were 8.5 million acres of cotton harvested in the U.S. From this acreage, an estimated 4.5 million tons of whole cottonseed was generated.

Bahiagrass is a warm-season perennial grass widely used in the Coastal Plain region of the southeast U.S. for forage production.

Heat stress in the cattle herd may be a concern during the warmest months of the year in the southeast U.S. Unlike humans, cattle get rid of excess heat in their system through breathing and panting more than sweating.