Hay
Wayne Springer is tired of paying $300 for a bag of traited corn seed. Unafraid to change horses in midstream, the 60-year-old producer is transitioning from a row crop farm to a ranching operation.
Loss and risk are an assumption in farming; devastation is not. Crops in the Dakotas and Montana are baking on an anvil of severe drought and extreme heat, as growers and ranchers make difficult decisions regarding cattle, corn and wheat.
Most of cattle country has had abundant to excessive moisture this year—as evident from my travels from Oklahoma to Montana.
Minnesota company, Plains farm aid group set up hay convoy
Farmers in the northern Plains are well aware of the dry conditions, and now they have to resort to drastic measures in order to deal with eroding conditions that are destroying crops and pastures.
Deep snow is melting into western mountain streams, but some farmers and ranchers on the high plains are struggling amid a lengthy dry spell and the aftermath of destructive wildfires.
What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘intensive grazing’?
NDSU researchers study several beef cattle topics in 2014.
Reducing beef cow numbers and feeding hay fewer days to improve profits.
Forage and livestock producers who want to learn about the role forage quality plays in meat quality can attend the Indiana Forage Council seminar.
Managing forage and water goes a long way toward profitability.
Feed and forage represents your largest annual production costs, and they provide the greatest opportunity for you to make significant changes in a short period of time.
Higher grain costs are creating opportunities for beef producers to explore other feed options, says Derrell Peel of Oklahoma State University.
Even with the farm bill in limbo, EQIP funds are available to producers to make improvements on their land.
This year, one nitrate test on cornstalks isn’t enough for cattle producers. Know the nutrients and dangers that they contain.
Poor weather conditions have resulted in high feed costs and big financial losses, Purdue Extension agricultural economist Chris Hurt says.
Fall frost increases potential for prussic acid toxicity in livestock.
While it’s tempting to turn cows onto new fall growth when rains return after a drought, holding off can help pastures and cows.
The new varieties should be available to producers for planting in fall 2013.
Having adequate supplies of hay available is critical as producers make plans for winter management.
Recent rains have given producers hope that they will be able to plant wheat this fall for cattle to graze..
As the weeks continue to pass without any significant rain in the Midwest, it is getting increasingly difficult to find feed for livestock.
Dry conditions continue to challenge farmers and their ability to keep forages growing and productive.
Officially it’s still spring, but the Western half of the U.S. continues to struggle with drier weather, which is spreading into the Plains.
Summer annual grasses should be temporary solutions to forage needs
There are indications that the worst of the 2011 drought-forced movements of cattle may be slowing down.
Lower beef production likely will keep calf prices high through at least 2015.
Hay loss and feed waste are inevitable components of most beef production systems.
Researchers found that using a cone-style feeder or modified cone feeder with a sheeted bottom reduced hay waste.
As hay prices continue to rise, many Midwest cattle producers are searching for cheaper alternatives to winter feeding.