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Round hay bales wrapped with net wrap in a stack.

How Will You Make Hay This Year?

With plenty of spring moisture, hay season will be here before you know it. Have you considered the type of binding material you will use to put up hay this year?

several dairy cattle in a pen inside a feeding facility

Feeding Distillers Grains: Mathematics vs. Biology

Corn distillers dried grains (DDGS) are valued by ruminant nutritionists because of their high nutrient concentration.

small group of cattle eating forage

Feeding Drought-Stressed Crops to Cattle

Can drought-stressed crops be be utilized as feed? The answer is yes, if we know what the levels of nitrates are in the feedstuffs in question.

red cattle feeding at a small bunk

Limited Forage: What Are Some Alternatives?

Research has shown that a variety of feedstuffs can be utilized to meet the cows’ nutrient requirements with similar performance to hay or hay plus supplement ration.

A flock of white sheep grazing in a small pasture.

Sheep Breeds

Everyone has heard the fairytale “Baa Baa Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?” but what about the double-coated California Red, the multi-colored Katahdin sheep with hair, or the East Friesian dairy ewe that produces over 1,100 pounds of milk a year? Sheep come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and all of them provide different functions and uses for producers. These can range from meat, wool, and milk production or a combination of characteristics.

patch of reed canary grass in pasture

Reed Canary Grass: Possible Prussic Acid & Alkaloid Issues

Prussic acid issues with reed canary grass are poorly understood and may go unrecognized if they occur. This article addresses a little-known but interesting aspect of the biology of reed canary grass.

rancher observing cattle at a feedbunk

Making Use of “Ugly” Feeds

Feed does not have to be perfect to be useful. The key to making smart feeding decisions is knowing what the imperfections are and adjusting accordingly.

tractor near pile of harvested silage

Silage Moisture Testing Tips

Two key points to keep in mind when making high-quality silage are moisture content before harvest and nutrient content before feeding.

Hay with a brown, carmelized color.

Minimizing Hay Storage Loss From Heating or Fires

Successful hay storage is essential to preserving high quality forage, while ensuring desired performance from livestock and deterring economic losses from unwanted hay storage fires.

small group of cattle grazing on cover crops

Cover Crops & Livestock Integration: A Profit Opportunity for S.D. Farms

Cover crops have been gaining a reemerging acceptance over the last decade, with very few producers disagreeing about the potential soil health benefits of adding cover crops to their farming operation.