Hay
University of Missouri forage specialist Carson Roberts warns that equipment inflation is outpacing cattle prices, making it time for many producers to treat haying as a separate — and potentially unprofitable — enterprise.
Extension educator shares three priorities to consider postwildfire.
Missouri Extension State forage specialist Carson Roberts explains three factors that determine profitability when putting up hay.
Limit-feeding corn grain can be economically advantageous when the price of hay becomes too high due to short supply.
As producers prepare for calving season and evaluate cow herd nutrition, here are some strategies to make sure cows are getting adequate nutrition.
Modern technology can help producers “double dip” by establishing cover crops earlier in the season and achieve both fall and spring grazing from the same piece of ground.
Hay production may no longer be the most efficient or profitable use of your time and resources. A Missouri forage specialist encourages producers, especially those with fewer than 400 cows, to critically consider why they grow their own hay.
Farm machinery manufacturers are releasing details on Model Year 2026 balers and hay tools that feature increased automation, data integration and enhanced designs to help cover more acres in a single day.
Missouri Extension State forage specialist Carson Roberts suggests four alternatives that could be more economical than growing hay for your animals.
Obsessing over rain, or the lack of it, is a skill every farmer has mastered. Here are 20 phrases you’ve likely muttered more than once.
For yield and quality, May is the best time to harvest cool-season grasses.
The addition of weave automation allows less reliance on operator skill to make a uniformed bale and streamlines the baling process.
Recent study looks at round bale feeders and cost savings versus waste.
Total hay production in 2024 was up 3.3 percent year over year and combined with May 1 hay stocks up 46.6 percent over 2023 levels. Total hay supply by 7.9 percent compared to year earlier levels.
As teenagers, Dave and Jean Gottenborg dreamed of owning a cattle ranch. After decades of delay, they finally achieved their dream. Today, they raise cattle and sell award-winning beef and hay at Eagle Rock Ranch.
It’s time to sample, test, inventory and stage harvested hay.
Here are some basic rules of thumb to follow when determining the hay supplies you will need to sustain your cow herd over the next few months.
Explore proactive strategies now to avoid costly decisions this winter
“Have you considered teff grass?” This is a growing response to those who are looking for more crop choices in their operations.
Weeds can reduce the quantity and the stand life of desirable forage plants in pastures and hayfields.
Producers should consider destocking, stockpiling supplies and reducing hay waste when extreme weather results in hay shortages.
Testing hay offers best information for quality.
This time of year, many producers are feeding cows hay. Have you ever stopped to think about what the dollar value of the nutrients in the hay are worth as fertilizer once they have been processed by the cow?
In some parts of the country hay fields are suffering because of the excessive moisture and cooler-than-normal temperatures have also impacted growth.
As drought plagued the West and Plains in 2021, grasshoppers took over many pastures and crops, which demolished grasses and hayfields. In the South and Midwest, fall armyworms were a costly battle for farmers.
Dry conditions in the West have plagued producers for months. And while some recent relief has come in the form of rain, a new USDA report shows just how dire the hay situation is for many livestock producers.
There are steps farmers can take to get the hay up quickly and reduce the potential for rain damage.