Content by Kim Ricardo

Ditch Hay: Hidden Value or Hidden Risk?

Ditch hay can make an excellent feed resource during years when forage supplies are limited. However, quality testing and proper ration formulation are essential in determining how useful it can be to your operation.

Group of cattle grazing cornstalks along a wire fenceline.

Tips for Grazing Standing Corn

If combines hit the fields and yields are less than desirable, grazing standing corn may be an option to reduce harvest and livestock feed costs.

Beef cattle graze an alfalfa planting at the SDSU Southeast Research Farm.

Making Alfalfa Part of Your Grazing Plan

Alfalfa is a highly nutritious forage option. Most commonly, alfalfa is used as a harvested feed resource, but when strategically managed, it can make a great grazing opportunity for producers.

Put Alfalfa to Work in Your Grazing System

In this episode of Cattle HQ, Kim Ricardo and Taylor Grussing sit down with beef producer Eric Jennings to hear about his experience grazing alfalfa, including the challenges he’s faced and the successes he’s found along the way.

Volunteer corn plants scattered throughout a soybean field.

Grazing Corn Stalks to Combat Volunteer Corn Following Drought Periods

The incidence of volunteer corn in subsequent crops tends to be greater following periods of drought. Utilizing livestock to graze corn residue following harvest is a strategic management practice to reduce volunteer corn in the following crop.

A grass forage blend grows in a central South Dakota field as Red cattle graze.

Managing Prussic Acid Risk Following Drought

Drought creates several challenges for ranchers, from reduced forage availability to declining pasture quality. It can also create concerns about forage toxicity issues resulting from excess nitrate and prussic acid accumulation.

Group of cattle grazing corn stalks near Pierre, South Dakota.

Grazing Corn Residue: Connecting Crops, Cattle, and Soil

As corn harvest wraps up, remember that the value of the crop doesn’t have to end when the grain leaves the field. With intentional grazing management, the post-harvest residue can become part of another production cycle that connects crops, cattle, economics, and soil.