Many recent forward-looking articles have shared the central themes that uncertain availability and rising costs are expected to drive 2022 input costs near or above historic levels.

True or false: Hay is priced, along with other farm commodities, with its value dictated by recent and local auction prices.

Some years back, the typical self-propelled forage harvester offered 300 to 600 horsepower. Fast-forward roughly 20 years. Forage harvester designs evolved with the times and now offer upward of 1,000 horsepower or more.

The most fundamental hay and forage fact is that quality losses begin at cutting. It’s impossible to preserve all the quality found in a standing crop. Once mown, the impact of metabolic and weathering losses can significantly impact crop quality.

Q. How has auto-guidance changed modern hay production? A. In years past, some producers thought of auto-guidance simply as taking the operator out of the equation. Today, many understand that these systems provide real tangible benefits.

Most people who consider themselves to be mechanically inclined often struggle with the question of whether to tune up or trade in a disc mower-conditioner. For some it’s like admitting defeat to trade in.