Pastures & Forages

Background: Since April 2025, southern pasture and hay producers have reported problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. There have been extreme cases where entire fields show symptoms of grass desiccation. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused ...

COLUMBIA, Missouri. – Haymaking is a game of threes, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Carson Roberts. To be profitable, producers must manage three key factors: equipment expenses, quality and yield. Haymaking grew in popularity in the 1970s with the introduction of the large round baler. Large bales ...

There are some basic rules of thumb to follow when determining the hay supplies you will need to sustain your cow herd over the winter and into next spring. 1. Determine your average mature cow size. This can be done by weighing your 4-7-year-old cows and calculating the average weight. ...

The value of a hay bale is determined by a complex set of supply and demand factors. We can summarize this by saying that hay, especially in drought conditions, acts an essential item for the cowherd. Thus, it will be purchased for the cows regardless of price until it reaches ...

COLUMBIA, Missouri – Ask five cattlemen how much their hay bales weigh, and you’ll probably get five different answers — none of which are backed up by a scale ticket. “That’s because most folks think they know their bale weights, but more often than not, they’re guessing,” says University of ...

Current hay supplies across the state depend on conditions of winter-planted forage crops and rainfall, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. Winter forages such as ryegrass and oats have helped supplement hay feeding, while ranchers who opted not to plant winter forage crops have relied solely on available hay supplies. ...

To encourage cows to eat low-quality hay, you can consider a few strategies: 1. Supplementation: Providing supplemental feeds, especially those rich in protein, can make low-quality hays more digestible and increase passage rate. For example, enhancing low protein hays with a high protein supplement can provide essential nutrients that might be lacking ...

Hay is a staple feed for livestock in the southern U.S.A., providing protein, energy, and fiber. It has been a tough year for good hay production and producers are trying to utilize any possible available hay, but with that comes mold issues. Most hay can become moldy when it is ...

The report suggests larger-than-expected corn acres. The annual acreage report released late June by USDA-NASS included larger-than-expected corn acres which put downward pressure on corn prices. The report listed corn acres at 91.5 million acres which is 1.4 million acres higher than the March Prospective Plantings report projected. After corn prices ...

Wheat production across Texas looks better than in years past, providing producers some optimism despite low wheat prices. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists said several opportunities could exist for cashing in on good forage. Mark Welch, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension economist-grain marketing in the Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics, said while the U.S. ...