Growing Issues

Working lands, working options: Expanding forage flexibility in the Upper Colorado River Basin

katie.russell@colostate.edu — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Forage crops in the Upper Colorado River Basin face mounting stress from aridification and shifting runoff. Evapotranspiration modeling and in‑field sensor measurements are helping producers adapt forage systems to limited water supplies.

Benefits of including perennial forages into semiarid cropping systems

mourakohmann@wisc.edu — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Perennial forages improve soil structure, reduce compaction and help leach salts from the root zone. For producers committed to stewardship, perennials are more than cover – they’re a strategy for resilience.

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.

Alfalfa: A misunderstood crop in the West’s water crisis

emeccage@foragegenetics.com — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Nationwide, 14.6 million acres are cultivated for alfalfa. Critics argue this is too much for regions with limited water, yet they fail to compare these numbers to other staple crops.

Yeasts in silage

rschmidt@lallemand.com — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Just like we don’t want to eat moldy bread, cows can’t thrive on contaminated silage. If you want better outcomes for your herd, it’s crucial to focus on feed quality. Clean, high-quality feed minimizes the risk of contaminants and harmful microbes that can compromise cattle health and performance. Among these microbes, spoilage yeasts are particularly concerning due to their significant impact on silage quality and animal well-being.

Is this alfalfa stand good enough to keep?

djunders@wisc.edu — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

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.

The unseen expense of weed competition

Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Here is a five-step system for managing hidden costs. While this example focuses on weed control, the system can be applied across many farming and business management areas.

How NRCS programs help producers improve grazing lands through conservation practices

FPAC.BC.Press@usda.gov — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The NRCS, the USDA’s primary private lands conservation agency, supports producers by providing one-on-one, personalized assistance to help them address the specific needs of their operations through financial and free technical assistance.

Poisonous plants that threaten livestock operations

cheyannem@uidaho.edu — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Poisonous plants cost the livestock industry upward of $500 million annually due to animal losses and increased management costs. It is your responsibility as an animal owner and operator to protect your livestock from toxic plants.

A growing concern for fescue toxicosis within the dairy industry

carmen.burner@uga.edu — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Tall fescue is a hearty deep-rooted perennial that grows widely across 15 states in the southeastern U.S. and covers more than 35 million acres.

Emerging alfalfa threats and how to beat them in 2024

curtis.rainbolt@basf.com — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion about emerging threats in alfalfa at the Western Alfalfa & Forage Symposium in Sparks, Nevada.

Identify toxic plant issues on your next walkabout

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Bodyweight alone may be the defining reason mature cows are not affected by toxins that can cause abortion in younger animals. Or perhaps it’s just, well, cow sense.

Dormant-season grazing is key to controlling invasive annual grasses

scottj@uidaho.edu — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

In most instances, the dormant season (late fall and winter) provides the best opportunity to remove litter and germinating annual grass seedlings without negatively affecting perennial plants.

Preview feeds’ future with the power of data

katie_raver@rockriverlab.com — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Opening a new bag of silage often feels like a shot in the dark. We aren’t quite sure what to expect. In some years, we see little changes from previous silage crops, while in others we see larger leaps.

Embracing failing wheat acres

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

With winter approaching, it may be hard to watch the weather destroy your winter wheat crop. Fortunately, being prepared and having a backup plan may save your sanity.

How did the 2023 alfalfa seedings survive the summer?

djunders@wisc.edu — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

One of the things we have learned over the years is that new alfalfa seedings that have good growing conditions yield much better in future years. Said another way – seeding year stress lowers yield potential of alfalfa in future years.

Is your alfalfa ready for winter?

djunders@wisc.edu — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Now when the weather is warm is when we should begin preparing alfalfa for winter, if we want good winter survival and high yield next spring.

High-ammonia forages: Effect on cattle

david.jones@agriking.com — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Along with soluble proteins, amino acids, peptides and nitrate nitrogen, ammonia is part of the soluble protein (or ‘A’ fraction) of routine protein analysis and is generated by the deamination (removal of nitrogen-containing amino groups) of proteins, which reduces the overall quality of the protein.

A personal brush with prussic acid poisoning

rkern@wardlab.com — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

This grazing season, don’t end up with dead or seizing cows in your pasture. Do all you can to prevent prussic acid poisoning in your herd.

No-till farming and cover-crop realities

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 15:38:32 -0500

Sure, Midwest farms can utilize no-till planting, but can Western producers make it work in a drier climate? Two Idaho producers tell us how it's working for them.

Eyes in the sky on your pasture

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 21:32:48 -0400

Pasture health and growth is crucial to raising livestock; every stockman must essentially be a forage producer. Timely rotational grazing and proper stocking rates can optimize production and improve degraded pastureland.

Why alfalfa survives the winter (or not)

djunders@wisc.edu — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:00:01 -0400

Summer alfalfa is different in structure than hardened or winterized alfalfa. Summer alfalfa will freeze and die at 32ºF, while winterized alfalfa can survive temperatures (in the root zone) of as low as 13ºF and even colder air temperatures (Figure 1).

Is your forage production where it’s expected to be?

hdaljoe@noble.org — Wed, 30 May 2018 23:36:25 -0400

As the growing season advances, producers should know about what proportion of the annual forage production occurs by month. Typically, about 25 to 30 percent of the annual forage production should have occurred by June 1 for most regions of the U.S. other than the Southwest region.

Johne’s disease is an increasing problem – Should manure be applied to forages?

christine.brown1@ontario.ca — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:18:10 -0500

Johne’s disease is a persistent and debilitating bacterial disease that affects the intestines of ruminant animals. The common routes of infection are via ingestion of colostrum or milk contaminated by infected cows. For this reason, Johne’s prevention strategies revolve around calf management and herd testing.

Infection can also occur when feed contaminated with manure containing the MAP pathogen is eaten, particularly by youngstock. For this reason, manure application to forages is a potential source of infection.