October 1, 2023

October 1, 2023 Progressive Forage digital magazine

October 1, 2023

Key drivers to corn silage yield

September 5, 2023

Krull identified several key drivers of corn silage yield and quality, including management, environment and genetics. Poor management will not compensate for poor genetics or adverse weather conditions and vice versa.

Forage Market Insights: Never-ending summer

September 12, 2023

Joy Hendrix

While the promise of cooler weather and fall are quickly approaching, moisture conditions continue to determine the availability of winter feed.

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Precision technology finally shines its light on hay and forage production

Innovation in precision ag will not be determined by acreage or output because technology is much more sophisticated today, and our mutually ambitious future outlook will not allow it.

September 18, 2023

Matt Schleicher

Dairy producers have waited long enough for precision ag to acclimate to their unique and varied operations. While precision farming in row crops has enjoyed exceptional growth over the past 20 years, it’s been slower to take root in hay and forage.

Tools and processes for discovering your farm’s financial story

Consistent farm records, financial ratios, farm trend analysis and peer comparison are some of the tools that can help producers evaluate their financial situation.

July 21, 2023

Kevin Bernhardt

How often have you heard about the importance of having financial statements? Perhaps you have heeded that advice and have used a variety of spreadsheet tools, software and outsourcing alternatives for creating accurate balance sheets and accrual income statements. Now what?

Ensiling and preparing to feed weather-challenged crops

Summer weather patterns have led to unusual and stressful crop growing conditions before and right up to harvest dates.

September 7, 2023

Renato J. Schmidt and Bob Charley

Erratic weather patterns across the U.S. have stressed many silage crops in the field. Some regions and forage crops have experienced prolonged high temperatures and drought.

Alfalfa-grass mixes increase forage quality to support high-producing dairy cows

March 13, 2023

Rink Tacoma-Fogal, Debbie J. Cherney, and Jerry H. Cherney

Seeding alfalfa with a grass produces a mixed forage with higher neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), important for high-producing dairy cows.

Hesitation about NIRS evaluation of grass forages

Not only are NIRSC calibrations accurate for the evaluation of grass-type forages, but they successfully combine warm- and cool-season grasses, eliminating the need for separate calibrations.

September 13, 2023

Rebecca Kern-Lunbery and Bobbi Jo Anderson Husmoen

Recently, producers at the Nebraska Grazing Conference indicated that there is still a lot of apprehension around the use of NIRS in forage evaluation. The most common concern was that NIRS is “fine” for alfalfa but not accurate enough for grass forages.

Spotted lanternflies hitchhiking across the country

The secondary effects of spotted lanternflies impact forage producers' secondary sources of income as well as farm equipment and infrastructure.

September 1, 2023

McKenna Greco

The spotted lanternfly is a planthopper commonly mistaken for a moth. Their life cycle consists of five stages, but the most recognizable is the adult stage, with its striking red and spotted wings.

Overgrazing and strategies to prevent it

Mindfully managing pastures and rangeland helps prevent overgrazing and maintain the condition of both the forages and the cattle who graze them.

August 30, 2023

Denice Rackley

Overgrazing pastures and rangeland has detrimental consequences on cattle, forage, soil and producers’ bottom lines.

Irons in the Fire: Whistling Dixie

September 25, 2023

Paul Marchant

I’m well aware of its inevitability, but such thoughts are ones I usually set on a shelf of that closet in the back recesses of my mind that I only open on occasions of sheer necessity.

Equipment Hub: Talking technology

January 19, 2023

Andy Overbay

So how does one go about telling the difference between a valuable tool and a poor purchase decision?

Tales of a Hay Hauler: Poverty games

October 2, 2023

Brad Nelson

The boy’s mother was quietly reprimanding him. A fellow had knocked on their door. Said he had run out of gas and was hoping he could buy like 5 gallons from the farm.