Irrigation

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.

Choosing the best irrigation system for your farm

kurt@nutradrip.com — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

High land values, shrinking water supplies, increased regulations and labor shortages are reshaping the way we approach irrigation.

Pivot irrigation rolls forward with new technology

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Sprinkler irrigation has come a long way in the past 50 years, and pivot irrigation has seen tremendous advances in technology that improve production and efficiency.

Where’s the water?

dustin_sawyer@rockriverlab.com — Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Water resources have become a legitimate concern for U.S. agriculture.

Quality grazing in a drought

rkern@wardlab.com — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 16:17:15 -0400

The calls I typically get in the fall about forage options have started early this year. With drought persisting through much of the U.S., many producers are already seeing stunted growth in first and second hay cuttings on dryland.

Optimizing overhead irrigation systems

matt.yost@usu.edu — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 13:00:07 -0400

Various pivot irrigation technologies, such as low-elevation sprinklers and mobile drip irrigation, have promising water-saving potential, but the investments required for these technologies can sometimes be too great to incentivize producers to adopt.

A practical guide to collecting an irrigation water sample

dustin_sawyer@rockriverlab.com — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 13:00:01 -0400

There are myriad reasons to send a sample of irrigation water to the lab. From maximizing fertilizer efficiency to mitigating nutrient runoff, the case for testing is strong.

Management strategies to address drought and limited water supplies

yonatan.ganot@mail.huji.ac.il — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 13:00:01 -0400

Winter groundwater recharge, where farmland is flooded during the winter using surface water to recharge the underlying groundwater, is a promising technology currently tested on alfalfa. In this study, we investigated the suitability of semi-non-dormant alfalfa for winter groundwater recharge.

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.

Irrigation recommendations to maximize production

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 13:00:01 -0400

Most hay producers in the Southeast irrigate their hayfields on a set schedule to provide 1/2 – 1 inch per week. Unfortunately, in a drought year, this level of irrigation may not be sufficient to replace water lost through evapotranspiration.

More alfalfa with less water

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 13:00:01 -0400

Alfalfa is undoubtedly the most important forage crop grown in the U.S. It is easy to see why it gets the title “Queen of the Forages,” with hundreds of thousands of acres planted across the country.

Water, water: Wouldn’t it be nice?

woody@woodylane.com — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 13:00:01 -0400

Let’s talk about water – irrigation water – specifically, the things affected by irrigation water: summer forage, business risks and the possibilities for change.

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.

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.

Solar irrigation designed for performance

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:00:01 -0400

In many cases, a good option for powering irrigation systems is solar energy. This is especially true when the site is distant from the electrical grid.

Reining in center pivot hazards

steve.melvin@unl.edu — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Center pivots have revolutionized irrigation, greatly increasing water application efficiency, and have become a way of life on many irrigated farms.

Irrigation strategies that make $ense

matt.yost@usu.edu — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:00:01 -0400

How would you answer this question: “Which equipment returns more profit on your farm – your tractors or your sprinklers?”

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.”

Ag economics: Get a grip

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

Economics for the new decade – what can we expect? Which way is the wind blowing? Dr. David Kohl, professor emeritus with agricultural and applied economics at Virginia Tech, presented a PDPW webinar and said we’ll see more change in the next decade ahead than we’ve seen in the last 70 years.