Latest News From Hay

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Figuring Out the Forage

Evaluate your recent winter-feeding season. Stockpiling grass in the fall reduces farm expenses. Strip graze to effectively use stockpiled pastures.

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Grazing Management: Toxic Plants Publication Aims to Help Producers

A new K-State publication provides vital information on plants that, if consumed, could harm cattle and other livestock.

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Grazing Stick Helps Monitor Pastures, Rangelands

Monitoring helps determine how much forage has been consumed.

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Early Spring Grazing Sets the Stage for the Entire Season

Winter feed stores are dwindling and the urge to get cows to grass is escalating.

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Start Horn Fly Control Earlier than Later

Start a fly control program early to capture higher rates of gain

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Veterinary Feed Directive: What You Need to Know

The latest coverage of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) and how it will impact producers and veterinarians.

Prepare for Grazing Cool Season Perennial Pastures

Grazing time is coming back with spring’s arrival on cool season perennial pastures around the southeast, but before dispatching the cattle to the pasture, producers should make some preparations. 

Profits, Pride in Pasture Remakes with New Novel Endophyte Fescues

Beef producers take pride in their cattle. When replacing toxic-fescue pastures, they can take pride in grass, says an extension forage specialist.

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Considerations for Winter Injury and Winter Kill in Alfalfa

Main concerns about alfalfa production during this time of the year are the potential for winter injury and winter kill.

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Soil Mapping may Indicate Success of Brush Control Method

Mapping the long-term reaction of woody plants to brush-control techniques can help landowners prioritize management practices to maximize the effectiveness of costly brush reduction, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research study.

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Snow is Good for Alfalfa

As single digit and below zero temperatures arrive, be happy if you received snow recently. Sure, snow created some problems, but snow is good – for alfalfa.

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What Can We Expect From Forage Cover Crops?

While there are many positives to incorporating forage cover crops into existing forage systems, differences in production, nutritional value, and animal gain exist.

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Late Winter Feeding Considerations

Chances are you’re not thinking about forage testing in January but maybe you should be.  

Will Grassland Soil Weather a Change?

Grassland soil microbe communities show seasonal responses, deserve more research.

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Cover Crops Intended for Forage Require Careful Herbicide Use

Many farmers are now becoming more interested in cover crops due to their soil conservation and water quality benefits, and livestock producers may find them attractive as food for grazing animals. But farmers need to exercise caution when it comes to herbicide selection if they intend to graze or harvest the cover crop.

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A Few Scientific Advances in Forage That Have Made Big Impacts

Science has helped advance grazing and forage over the past century.

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Livestock Forage Utilization and Poisonous Plants Topic of Seminar Dec.15

University of Missouri Extension and Missouri State University will host a seminar on "Livestock Forage Use and Poisonous Plants" beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at the MSU Fruit Experiment Station, 9740 Red Spring Road, Mt Grove, Mo.

Nebraska Farmers Reaping Bounty from Cover Crop Seeds
Nebraska Farmers Reaping Bounty from Cover Crop Seeds

A central Nebraska farm is tapping into a growing national interest in cover crops, which were popular in organic circles but a rarity among mainstream row-crop producers.  

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Rental Agreements for Cover Crop Grazing

Cover crop grazing, like crop residue grazing, is complicated by the cropland owner’s desire to manage the land in such a way as to maximize crop profitability. 

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Fertilization Tips for Cool-Season Pastures

Prepare your land for winter grazing by closely grazing or mowing down the existing pasture in the fall, prior to planting. 

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Broomsedge Infestations are Highly Visible in Fall Pastures

It is common place now to see maturing broomsedge in our pasture and hayfields.

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Fall Prep can Lead to Healthier Pastures Next Year

Fall is the ideal time for livestock producers to walk their pastures and assess what may need to be improved before next year's grazing season, a Purdue Extension forage specialist says.

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Prussic Acid in Forages Poses a Threat to Livestock Following a Frost

Cyanide poisoning is the culprit after a frost on forages like sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass or sudangrass.

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Cover Crop or Forage Crop, You Decide

There are many questions about using cover crops as a grazed or mechanically harvested forage.

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AgriLife Extension Forage Sorghum Hybrid Trial has Special Purpose

Data to be used for farm bill loan deficiency program.

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Silvopasture: Could This Work on Your Farm?

Silvopasture is the integration of trees, livestock, and forage crops together on the same land to create dual income from timber and livestock. 

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Planning to Frost Seed Pasture in 2016? Start the Prep Work Now

Frost seeding of pastures in late winter can be successful especially if the preparation is started in the fall.  

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Prussic Acid Poisoning, Forages and Livestock: Causes and Effects

Combinations of frost-damaged forages, resulting in the accumulation of prussic acid, and their ingestion, may prove fatal for livestock. 

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Forage Crops Important to New Mexico Agriculture, Third in Total Earnings

In New Mexico, as well as the entire country, raising forage is an important part of the agricultural industry. 

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Use Caution When Grazing Corn Residue

Corn residue can be a good option for extending the grazing season, but too much grain can cause digestive upsets and other health issues.

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Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Program

There are a number of programs setup to protect forage growers.  

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Planning Important When Converting Cropland Back to Pasture

When corn was $7 a bushel, a lot of farmers converted pasture from grass to row crops. Now, with crop prices much lower and pasture values on the rise, many of those farmers are thinking about putting those acres back into grass.

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Preventing Prussic Acid Poisoning

A significant risk of grazing certain species of drought or frost-damaged forages is hydrocyanic acid poisoning. 

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Mow Your Pastures to See Greener Grass, and Other Pasture Improvement Tips

Livestock producers who want a simple way to improve their pastures may want to consider using a tool similar to what most homeowners use to keep their neighbors happy — a mower, only bigger.

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Effects of a Freeze on Forages

Frost causes important changes in forages so manage them carefully for safe feed.

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Why is Lime Important?

Depending on what your soil pH is it might be time to add some lime.

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Annual Forage Insurance Plan Available

The Annual Forage Insurance Plan is available for two different seven month growing seasons.

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Late Summer, Early Fall Dry Spell Problematic for Winter Forages

Late summer/early fall dry spell giving winter forage a slow start. 

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Hay Growers, Homeowners Dealing with Persistent Fall Armyworms

Fall armyworms are proving especially viscious for hay crops this year.  

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What To Do With October Alfalfa

Fall alfalfa often produces the best quality forage of the year. 

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Cover Crop Forages: The Nitrate Dilemma

Small grains can accumulate high levels of nitrates.

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AgriLife Extension Forage Sorghum Hybrid Trial has Special Purpose

The Texas Panhandle Forage Sorghum Silage Trials is the only forage trial nationwide used to update grain sorghum eligibility tables. 

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Increased Value of Pasture Could Lower Grocery Prices

Cattle expansion may boost pasture values but move beef prices lower.

Decreasing Loss When Using Urea

Selecting the right nitrogen source when fertilizing pastures and hayfields has always been important in nitrogen use efficiency.  

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Cornstalks to Get the Call-up

It could be time to take corn stalks off the bench and into your starting lineup.

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Ditch the Trees to Keep the Grass

Redcedar invasion into Nebraska’s grasslands is a very real issue that producers need to address.

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September is Time to Cut Cost of Winter Feeding

Winter feed bills are one of the largest expenses of a livestock operation, but winter feed costs can be reduced with some action now.

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Quick Shot for Thought: It Pays to Know the Economic Value of Nutrients in Your Feedstuffs

The Feed Cost Cow-Q-Lator is used to make a comparison of the costs of feeding a representative beef cow.

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Actively Battle Invasive Cogongrass in Mississippi

Cogongrass is a hardy, fast-growing invasive weed that is spreading across the Southeast.