Nutrition

The Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) lowered hay yields across the board this week and edged prices up as this spring continues to have devastating impact on fields and fieldwork.

The Feed Emergency Enhancement During Disasters Act (FEEDD Act) would allow producers who are utilizing prevent plant to at least graze, hay or chop a cover crop to feed livestock.

All hay contains some mold, but when mold becomes noticeable the decisions become important.

Corn and soybean producers aren’t the only ones feeling the squeeze of wet weather. Cattle and dairy producers are left wondering what this means for their access to feed, and how soon they should lock in inventory.

With the excessively wet planting conditions much of the Midwest is now experiencing, many producers are looking for “Plan B” to meet forage needs for their livestock.

High-moisture grass baled above 24% moisture can cause spontaneous combustion. Overheated bales can burn down a hay barn.

For producers who can market feedstuffs through livestock (particularly cattle), it may be premature to completely abandon corn simply due to calendar dates, explained Warren Rusche, SDSU Extension.

The timing of the rains can make it difficult for producers that are trying hard to put quality hay in the bale for next winter’s feed supply.

A long-delayed spring grass-growing season with frequent rains didn't give days for making hay. Regrowth season just ahead holds promise, says a University of Missouri forage specialist.

Ranchers in northwestern New Mexico suspect toxic plants, used in Navajo and Hopi religious ceremonies, are responsible for the recent deaths of more than a dozen cows.

The latest Crop Production report from USDA-NASS shos May 1 hay stocks at 14.9 million tons, down 2.9% year over year.  However, May 1 hay stocks in 2018 were also small. 

Adding a summer annual forage to available acreage can help fill forage needs, add grazing flexibility, and provide a drought tolerant forage.

After a long winter, don’t think the spring and summer will be without challenges of their own. Here’s six impact areas you need to be ready for, as they might affect your profitability this year.  

High prices rationed hay disappearance between December 1 to May 1 to the lowest level since 2013/14 at 64 million tons.

So you want to plant alfalfa into your Bermudagrass this fall. Make sure to check our list before getting started!

During the production year, livestock are faced with dynamic changes in nutritional and environmental stressors that create nutritional challenges. 

Now is a good time to assess both cow body condition and feed resources and develop a plan to provide adequate nutrition to meet cow needs.

Adding different forages to existing grass stands can help reduce the amount of hay needed during the winter by expanding the grazing season during the late fall, winter and early spring.

As farmers throughout the country experienced record-cold temperatures, blizzards that seemed to last weeks rather than days, and unrelenting wind, many fed more hay than they usually do.

While spring may finally be here, harsh weather conditions over the winter, and cold and wet spring storms have taken a toll on late gestation and early lactation cows.