Hay & Feed
Bale First Cutting a Little Too Green and the Stack Heats Itself, Sometimes Hot Enough to Burn
Hay put up above 18 to 20 percent moisture keeps working after it leaves the field. Sometimes it just molds and loses…
Water & Irrigation
The Ditch You Set in June Grows the Hay You Bale in August, and the Water That Runs Off the End Is Feed You Paid For
Getting irrigation water where it does the most good in June sets up your hay crop and your fall regrowth. Here's how…
Hay & Feed
The First Cutting You Leave Standing for Tonnage Loses the Protein You’ll Buy Back in a Sack Come Winter
Waiting an extra week to cut first-cutting alfalfa or grass hay buys you tonnage and costs you feed value. Here's how to…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Off Your First Cutting While You Wait for the Field to Fill In
Alfalfa weevil larvae strip the leaves off new growth right before first cutting, and the frosted-looking field you're waiting on may be…
Hay & Feed
Put Up Hay a Little Too Wet and the Stack Can Heat, Mold, or Catch Fire Weeks After Baling
Baling first-cutting hay before it's dry enough sets off heating inside the bale that can spoil feed and, in the worst case,…
Land & Grazing
Count the Grasshopper Nymphs on the Fence Line in June, Because the Time to Act Is Before They Can Fly
Grasshoppers hatch along field edges and dry ridges in June, and once they grow wings they spread faster than you can respond.…
Water & Irrigation
Spread the June Runoff Across the Hay Meadow Before the Creek Drops and Leaves You Short
High-country snowmelt peaks and then fades fast in a dry June. The water you get onto your hay ground now is the…
Hay & Feed
Nitrate Builds Up in Drought-Stressed Annual Forage, and a Hungry Cow Can Load a Lethal Dose in One Meal
When cereal hay and green chop grow under drought stress, nitrate concentrates in the lower stems and can kill cattle fast. Here's…
Hay & Feed
Cut Your First-Cutting Alfalfa at Bud Stage, Because Every Day It Blooms Trades Leaf for Stem
First cutting sets the tone for your whole hay year. Waiting for more tonnage costs you protein, and cutting too short costs…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Out of Your First Cutting, and the Field Looks Frosted Before You Notice
Alfalfa weevil larvae feed on the growing tips in June and can strip a stand's protein and tonnage before the damage is…
Hay & Feed
Bale Your First Cutting Too Green and the Stack Heats Until It Cooks—or Catches Fire
Wet hay doesn't just mold. Bales put up above safe moisture can heat past 150 degrees, lose feed value, and in a…
Land & Grazing
Grasshoppers Hatch on the South Slopes in June, and You Kill Them Cheap Now or Feed Them Your Grass All Summer
Grasshoppers are easiest and cheapest to stop while they're still wingless nymphs clustered on warm ground. Wait until they get wings and…
Water & Irrigation
Get the Water on the Meadow Before the Creek Drops, Because August Won’t Give It Back
Early-summer runoff is the water you actually get to use. Move it onto the hay ground and pasture now, because the ditch…
Hay & Feed
Bale That First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Will Heat Until It Smokes
Hay put up a few points too green keeps working after it leaves the field. Learn to read moisture, stack for airflow,…
Hay & Feed
Cut the First Cutting at Early Bloom, or You’re Trading Protein for Tonnage You Don’t Need
Waiting on the alfalfa to bulk up feels like the smart play, but every day past early bloom pulls protein and energy…
Hay & Feed
Bale the First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Can Catch Fire Three Weeks Later
Hay put up above safe moisture keeps heating in the stack long after you've left the field, and by July it can…
Hay & Feed
Cutting Hay a Week Late Costs You More Feed Value Than the Extra Tonnage Is Worth
Waiting for the swather to fill the windrow buys you bulk, but the protein and energy are already walking out of the…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Off Your First Cutting Before You Ever Drop the Sickle
Weevil larvae skeletonize the leaves off your best alfalfa in June, right when the stand should be filling out. Here's how to…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and the Stack Cooks Itself From the Inside
Hay that goes in the stack a few points too wet heats, molds, loses feed value, and in a bad year lights…
Hay & Feed
Cut It at the Boot, Not When You Get Around to It: Timing First-Cutting Hay
Every day you wait past the boot stage, your grass hay loses protein and gains stem. Here's how to read the crop…
Water & Irrigation
Shut the Headgate in Time: Timing Your Last Flood Before First Cutting
On Montana's flood-irrigated hay meadows, the trick isn't turning the water on — it's knowing when to shut it off so the…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and It’ll Cook: Watching Moisture on the First Cutting
Hay put up a little green feels like a win in a short weather window, but bales stacked too wet heat, mold,…
Land & Grazing
Scout Grasshoppers in June, Before They Eat Your Fall Pasture
Grasshoppers do the most damage as small nymphs in early summer. Counting them now and hitting the hatch beds early is cheaper…
Hay & Feed
Cut the First Crop at Bud Stage: Hay That Tests, Not Just Fills the Stack
First cutting is where you make or lose your protein for the year. A few days' delay and the right baling moisture…
Hay & Feed
Do the Hay Math in June, Not in a Panic Come October
First cutting is the time to figure out whether you'll have enough winter feed — because June is when you still have…