Seeds

Growing alfalfa seed in the western U.S.

Fri, 09 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Farmers in different western U.S. regions grow different types of alfalfa seeds to meet the needs of those regions and climates.

Seedbed preparation for stand establishment

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Seedbed preparation is one of the most fundamental management practices that can make or break our yield goals.

Benefits of integrating crops and livestock

dschwab@iastate.edu — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Livestock enterprises can use crop acres seeded to cover crops and crop residue to stretch the grazing season and save on feed costs. Crop operations benefit from the nutrient value added through livestock manure and to help with pest management.

Management tips for getting a good alfalfa stand

alfalfadoc@outlook.com — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Which of these five mistakes for fall planting alfalfa have you made?

Advice from an agronomist: Increasing forage biodiversity on your ranch

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 16:44:48 -0400

Interseeding and overseeding are often used interchangeably but can have distinct management implications.

Maximize seeding yield: Plant early

sheaf001@umn.edu — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 14:32:25 -0400

Spring seedings provide optimal temperatures and moisture for the establishment and growth of alfalfa.

3 seeding tips for perennial pastures

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Traditional annuals and more exotic cocktail cover-crop mixtures can make great forage for cattle on a temporary basis, but over the long haul, a good stand of perennial pasture can be the best choice.

Best of both worlds: Interseeding alfalfa into corn

jerome.clark@wisc.edu — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 10:59:16 -0500

Alfalfa producers know that any road to profitability starts with good alfalfa stand establishment.

Frost seeding: The low-input option for pasture improvement in 2023

oswalddean@gmail.com — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 16:55:00 -0500

When pasture and hay producers face high costs for equipment, diesel fuel and commercial fertilizer, frost seeding can be a lower-cost option to greatly improve the quality and productivity of pastures and one-more-year hayfields.

Growing alfalfa seed in Western states

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 16:00:45 -0500

For anyone thinking about growing alfalfa seed, he recommends attending one of their seed schools. Find someone who is doing it, who can give advice for your area.

Getting Ready for Spring

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Taking advantage of planning opportunities now will set your forage/grazing operation up for success come spring.

What to Plant in the Spring?

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Spring is around the corner, and with not much time left to plant, you have to start thinking about what crop to spring plant. Why not try Moxie teff grass enhanced with Yellow Jacket® seed coating?

Seed update for summer and fall of 2021

chad@westernforage.com — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 19:11:26 -0400

As I write this article in early spring, talk of drought is becoming more prevalent in many parts of the country. Drought years can be tough on forage operations in many ways.

Avoid pennywise and pound-foolish decisions

chad@westernforage.com — Mon, 31 May 2021 13:00:01 -0400

I know just enough about social media to be dangerous. I don’t spend a lot of time online, but I do belong to some forage groups, and I enjoy following some of the questions and debates. Recently, a fertilizer discussion caught my eye.

What does the 2021 hay market look like?

jwbradley@noble.org — Mon, 31 May 2021 13:00:01 -0400

In economics, the simplest you can get is supply and demand. These two items will just about determine a price for any commodity. The hay market is no different. Both the supply and demand side have their own factors that influence them.

Saved seed: Legal or not?

lgoering@umd.edu — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 14:00:01 -0500

As you begin to think about seed selection for the next growing season, it’s essential to consider not only an optimal variety for your area but also legal protections limiting your use of saved seeds.

Forage inventories help plan for forage uncertainties

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:09:26 -0500

In the same way that stores take inventory to assess their performance, plan for the future and detect any unaccounted-for loss of product, on-farm forage inventories can reap similar benefits for farms. During his webinar, “Tools for Helping to Determine On-Farm Forage Inventories,” presented by the University of Wisconsin – Madison Extension as part of their Growing & Feeding Alternative Forages webinar series in April, Kevin Jarek shared helpful tips on how to assess forage inventories and how they can be useful.

Building business resilience

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:00:01 -0500

It’s not uncommon for purchased feed costs to equal 50% of a dairy farm’s budget. Nearly 20 years ago, Jon Bansen of Double J Jerseys near Monmouth, Oregon, was in the same boat.

Export forage update

john@usfec.org — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 13:00:01 -0400

It may be too early to conduct an export year in review but, given the roller coaster ride of 2020, exporters should be forgiven for wanting to look forward to a new year and a clean slate. So far, this has been a year of challenges and risks, requiring new skills and methods.

67 cents an acre

eric.young@usda.gov — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 13:00:01 -0400

When it comes to efficiency, it’s tough to beat soil testing. What else can you do for less than a dollar an acre that has such a large potential impact on crop yield, quality and farm profitability?

3 Open Minutes with Dennis Hancock, Ph.D

dennis.hancock@usda.gov — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 13:00:01 -0400

The U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDFRC) is a research center of the USDA devoted to the optimization of the use of forages in improving dairy cattle production and sustainability. The center employs 20 research scientists and 40 support staff, and hosts another 40 students, post-docs and visiting scientists.

4 things to keep an eye on when purchasing seed for fall planting

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 17:47:34 -0400

As we approach the fall cover crop planting season, the industry is starting to see shortages of a few different crops like radishes, hairy vetch and annual clovers due to the record amount of acreage that was planted last year as part of USDA’s prevent plant program.

Decision-making in weird economic times

dustin_sawyer@rockriverlab.com — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 16:46:03 -0400

It can be difficult to make the right decisions when it feels like everything is on the line. Times of uncertainty can impose pressures that cause the decision-making process to malfunction.

Incorporating conservation practices on rented ground

bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Almost all farmers farm some rented ground. This may be a long-term relationship with a relative, a new opportunity or a one-year handshake deal. Implementing conservation practices on that ground requires an agreement between renter and owner, and starting that conversation can be the hardest part.

How to choose a high-quality laboratory

gshew@uidaho.edu — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Most forage testing laboratories attempt to provide accurate and repeatable results to their clients. In the long term, their reputation and success depends on accurately predicting the feeding value of the forage.

It’s your airplane: Seeding perennials

davidhunsberger@kingsagriseeds.com — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0500

When we sold our milking herd of cows this past September, I was seeking a new venture to help take my mind off my cow-less estate, and I decided (with my wife’s blessing) to pursue a lifelong dream – acquire my private pilot’s license.

Is your beef ‘system’ sustainable?

mark.boggess@usda.gov — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0500

Recently, I have been focusing a lot of mental energy on the description of a sustainable beef system and hopefully a research program to better understand these systems.

Innovating to increase production

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0500

At the Oklahoma 4-H Roundup, way back in the 1980s, there was a demonstration of a small robotic tractor prototype conducted by John Deere.

Should I co-sign on my child’s farm loan?

Sun, 01 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0500

According to a study completed by Legal & General Group, the so-called “Bank of Mom and Dad” was the seventh-largest lender in the U.S. in 2018. They estimated this parent patronage program accounted for $47.3 billion in lent dollars.

Analyze forage minerals to avoid animal health issues

rkern@wardlab.com — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 14:00:01 -0500

Each year I consult with several different producers regarding mineral issues in their feed. Some common things I hear are: “They just aren’t thrifty,” “They aren’t gaining like they should,” or, “We had more open cows than I was expecting.”