More South Dakota acres are now in an extreme drought condition as lack of moisture and high temperatures continue to impact much of the state. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 13% of the state is in Extreme Drought (D3), while another 56% follows as Severe Drought (D2).
With a background in engineering, Shane Barber designed and refined a sturdy but portable water tank that works for livestock as small as a lamb and as burly as a bison.
It’s every rancher’s goal to learn how to create more forage per acre, and doing so means resolving tough pasture issues like fescue, weeds, stocking rates, and increasing plant diversity.
One common sighting on a country road is the hay bale. Round or square, you are bound to pass one or endless rows of bales at least a dozen times in any journey. But the storage of those hay bales is often overlooked.
Alfalfa seeded this spring is ready, or soon will be ready, to cut. Hot dry weather means proper care and management now could have big impacts on cuttings later this year. Use the following harvest guidelines to get the most from your first-year alfalfa.
Alfalfa is a relatively drought-tolerant forage, but irrigation makes it possible to produce higher yields. This perennial crop does not have specific critical growth stages when it is less sensitive to water stress. If water is not available, the plant will slow or stop growing and go dorma…
Insects are causing problems for alfalfa across Nebraska. Stay tuned as I describe what to look for in your fields and what to do if an issue does arise.
Memorial Day is a good time to examine the status of hay and forage programs for the year.
Fertilizing warm-season grass is a practice some producers do, but one should consider forage needs, the value of the forage, and fertilizer costs.
Yellow-green patches in a pasture might look pretty for the uninitiated, but the tell-tale bloom of leafy spurge not a spring sight many of us want to see.
Low soil moisture levels in many areas across the state may mean irrigating alfalfa before the first cutting. Have you considered irrigating early?
Be careful not to overlook wilting and browning leaves in your alfalfa fields, since this could be a sign of an alfalfa weevil infestation.
Working on getting corn and beans planted? Don’t look now, but alfalfa harvest is approaching fast.
With a background in engineering, Shane Barber designed and refined a sturdy but portable water tank that works for livestock as small as a lamb and as burly as a bison.
With high protein and low starch, there’s growing interest and economic benefit in using field peas as a locally sourced feedstuff in beef cattle diets. One Nebraska farmer says he can taste the difference, too.
Are you planning to plant a summer annual grass, maybe to build hay supply or have some extra grazing? Which one will you plant?
Do you need to grow more hay for next winter? One way to get that extra hay might be to fertilize your hay meadow this spring. There may still be time.
Cooler temperatures have slowed spring pasture growth, delayed crop planting and limited cover crop production. So, cattle producers needing forage may consider harvesting small grains such as wheat, rye, triticale and oats as hay or silage.
If you have wetlands, creek bottoms, or just wet areas in pastures, you probably have some reed canarygrass. It is often the first perennial grass to green up in the spring.
Those looking to get grass or alfalfa seed into the ground this spring are doing so now. Before you fill up the drill and head out to plant, remember to prep the seedbed first!
The time for turn-out to our primary summer pastures is coming soon. A couple of important questions are what date to turn-out, and which pastures should be first?
It’s every rancher’s goal to learn how to create more forage per acre, and doing so means resolving tough pasture issues like fescue, weeds, stocking rates, and increasing plant diversity.
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