“The good news is that prices were up on Supreme and Premium quality alfalfa [in early 2018],” said Seth Hoyt as he reported on the state of the Western alfalfa and hay markets at the annual California Forage and Alfalfa Symposium in Reno, Nevada. “The bad news is that prices flipped from May to October.” Hoyt noted the decline in hay prices due to depressed milk prices and struggling dairies, as well as the tariff impact from the trade wars with China as affecting overall prices.

It’s open hunting season, and you’re hunting for a buyer. You have some used farm equipment to sell (join the club). Is it as easy as throwing up a message on Facebook or Twitter, or posting on Craigslist? Ha. If only. …

You might think getting hay dry in the arid West wouldn’t be a problem, but with afternoon thundershowers, it is often difficult. Finally, producers have an alternative to drying windrows to 12 percent moisture for baling. Instead, they can bale at 20 percent moisture with the assistance of a portable bale dryer.

It’s my professional duty to pry. Quite often, someone will say, “You’ve got to come see my …” – meaning their new invention, their operation, their business model or their product. It runs against my editorial grain to promote any element, so we (as an editorial team) are pretty careful in the writing approach to these “front” stories, as I call them.