Section
Grazing, hay, water, drought, and soil.
8 stories
Prussic acid spikes in sorghum-family forages after a frost and in any regrowth for weeks after. Nitrates build in drought-stressed corn, sorghum, and small grains and do not go away with time or frost. The rules for grazing and haying through October, and the test that costs less than one cow.
6d ago
Outside storage on bare ground costs 20 to 40 percent of the dry matter in a round bale, and the part that rots is the part the cow was going to eat first. Rows, gravel, tarps, and barns, ranked by what they save and what they cost. Plus how to feed the bad ones so the cows do not do the sorting.
Oct 7
A $25 forage test tells you whether that $200 hay is worth $200. Crude protein, TDN, RFV, moisture, nitrates. What the numbers mean, what a dry cow actually needs, and how to use the test to buy hay and build a ration.
Sep 22
Clip or graze it to 3 or 4 inches, put on 40 to 60 units of nitrogen, and stay off it until December. Done right, an acre of stockpiled tall fescue replaces a ton of hay at a fraction of the cost.
Sep 15
Nearly 60% of the Lower 48 is in drought as of September 1. In Wyoming three-quarters of pasture and rangeland is rated poor or very poor — roughly double the five-year average.
Sep 10
South Dakota pasture values rose nearly 16 percent even as the drought footprint doubled. Nebraska alfalfa is up $10 to $20, Wyoming baled hay up to $30. A state-by-state look at what feed is costing going into fall.
Sep 10
If your pasture is short and hay is $30 higher than last year, the decisions that save the most money get made in September, not January. Test your hay, cull now, limit-feed, and know when a cow is cheaper to sell than to winter.
Sep 8
Winter wheat that goes in early enough to graze has never been worth more. But planting ahead of the Hessian fly-free date, in a warm fall, trades grazing days for a stand you may lose. The dates by region and the math on gain.
Sep 5