Pastures rarely fail overnight – and with strategic management and interseeding, they don’t need a full reset to recover.

A warm, dry fall followed by sudden near‑record snowfall has left many Midwest pastures at higher risk for winterkill.

As an alfalfa stand ages and thins, the primary question becomes: Is this stand good enough to keep? Now is a good time to evaluate stands as more time is allowed for planning crop rotations than when stands are evaluated in the spring and determined to be uneconomic.

Many grasses and legumes can be utilized in pastures or hayfields today to improve production, and new varieties are better than some of the traditional forages. When selecting something to plant, look at what might work best in your situation.

With acreage trending down, now is the perfect time to get started in alfalfa and capitalize on the opportunities it offers.