Food-finding tests in five lemur species show that fruit-eaters may have better spatial memory than lemurs with a more varied diet. The results support the idea that relying on foods that are seasonally available and far-flung gives a ...
Tags: Lemurs Score, Memory Test, cognitive skill, fruit
By Nick Paulson To make good grass silage, producers must first harvest high-quality forage, use the right type and amount of inoculant, and pack and cover the product tightly and properly. That’s the advice of Dan Undersander, ...
Tags: Grass Silage, forage, Agriculture
A Dartmouth-University of Connecticut study of the northeast United States shows that methylmercury concentrations in estuary waters—not in sediment as commonly thought—are the best way to predict mercury contamination in the ...
Tags: Electrical, Electronics, Chemicals
Organic farmers in California face unique issues in this devastating drought, leading some to bow out … or sell cows for hamburger meat San Joaquin Valley organic dairy farmer Tony Azevedo's business has dried up—literally. ...
Tags: Agriculture, Food, Organic Dairy
New U.S. seedings of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures increased by 5% last year over the 2.39 million acres planted in 2012. It was the second year in a row to see an increase, even though it’s the third-lowest total of newly seeded acres ...
Eliminating grazing won't reduce the impact of climate change on rangeland, according to nearly 30 scientists in the western United States. The researchers, who work for nine universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, made this ...
Alberta's cattle see their feed change rapidly throughout their growth cycle. Milk and fresh grasses give way to stockpiled forages or dry hay and grain as the calves grow. The feed shift is compounded by other unique challenges for ...
Tags: Cattle
By Jim Isleib, Michigan State University ExtensioninShare New farmers can benefit from careful assessment of their farm’s soils and planning for crop rotations and use of cover crops. Beginning farmers often start out with soils ...
Tags: USDA, PH, Cornell University, Michigan State University
Corn grown as the first or second crop after alfalfa usually requires much less fertilizer or manure nitrogen (N) than corn grown after corn, soybeans or small grains. When alfalfa is killed, some of the accumulated N in the soil and in ...
Tags: Corn, agriculture
Despite alfalfa’s declining acreage and use in many dairy rations, alfalfa breeders are excited about the legume’s future. The past two years, two companies have been putting considerable effort into building up their ...
Tags: Breeder, FGI, McCaslin, Robin Newell
Foliar fungicides such as Headline appear to reduce levels of foliar disease in alfalfa, public research trials conclude. But only 25% of trial comparisons have shown higher yields, and improved forage quality has been minimal, say two ...
Tags: fungicide, foliar disease, fungus, forage
By Robert L. Kallenbach Winter cover crops on corn and soybean acres are a natural fit for crop-and-beef farms. Cover crops offer beef profit potential for the time between fall crop harvest and spring planting, says Rob Kallenbach. He ...
Tags: winter cover crops, corn, soybean, crop-and-beef farms, Rob Kallenbach
Thanks to the foresight of SDSU researchers, South Dakota landowners making management decisions for their grazing lands and livestock can benefit from more than 70 years of data gathered at the Cottonwood Range and Livestock Field Station, ...
In the Arizona desert, the first U.S. commercial plantings of Giant King Grass are being established – for use as livestock feed first, and hopefully as a renewable energy feedstock in the future. That's according to Carl Kukkonen, ...
Tags: Energy Crop, Livestock Feed
Choose a net wrap that meets your needs, then make the necessary baler adjustments and stick with the same product, or at least the same manufacturer. That's the best route to dependable performance from round-bale net wrap, says David ...
Tags: Net Wrap, Agriculture, Farm