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Articles by Jim Isleib
Tips on Quality Hay and Pasture for Beginning Farmers: Part 1 Quality
Hay bales on a meadow in Nebraska. ( Troy Walz, University of Nebraska Extension ) By: James Isleib, Michigan State University Extension Forage production is all about two things: quality and tonnage. There are a lot of details involved, but basically farmers need acceptable quantity of forage at the quality required by their livestock.
Assessing Your Alfalfa Stand
Thin alfalfa stands result in mediocre yields. You may want to assess a new seeding at this time of year to help decide whether the stand is worth keeping. Reasons for a thin stand include problems at seeding time, pH, fertility, weather problems, die out due to stand age and disease. With experience, farmers develop the skills needed to visually evaluate the alfalfa stand. In many cases, good alfalfa stands are terminated on a strict rotation schedule.
Nurse crop needs careful thought
Planting of a nurse or companion crop with alfalfa or mixed grass-legume needs careful consideration.Some don’t like the term “nurse crop” because the typical cereal grain used for the purpose may act more like a weed. It might consume water and nutrients needed by the more important perennial forage crop. On the other hand when soil erosion is a serious threat a nurse crop can save the day.There are pros and cons to including a nurse crop with hay seeding.
Fertilize fields with hay
Many Beef cow-calf producers feed hay rations to cows in confinement settings during the winter months. Feeding hay on fields away from the barn is gaining popularity. Labor and machinery requirements of hauling manure can be minimized by winter-feeding beef cattle on fields. Care should be taken with feeding practices to ensure that crop nutrients are evenly distributed.
Environmental certification progressing on U.P. farms
Jim Isleib, Michigan State University Extension The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) works with Michigan farmers and other property owners to help them achieve environmental certification. The program is voluntary and provided at no charge to participants. The process involves three phases: education at local events or online, working with a technician on-farm to address any environmental issues identified, and then a final verification visit.
Should I burn off my old hay or chop it?
It was a tough year to make quality hay. On some Michigan farms, 2017 was an impossible year and the hay never got made, even though plant growth was excellent. Saturated clay soils through much of the summer prevented hay harvest altogether in some areas of the eastern Upper Peninsula. The result was relatively thick stands of over-mature timothy/trefoil hay. No profitable local market exists for this very low quality hay.
Should I Burn Off My Old, Unharvested Hay or Chop it Back Onto the Field?
It was a tough year to make quality hay. On some Michigan farms, 2017 was an impossible year and the hay never got made, even though plant growth was excellent. Saturated clay soils through much of the summer prevented hay harvest altogether in some areas of the eastern Upper Peninsula. The result was relatively thick stands of over-mature timothy/trefoil hay. No profitable local market exists for this very low quality hay.
Why Does Boron Show Up On My Soil Test Report?
Even though you didn’t request a special soil test for boron when you sent your samples into the Michigan State University Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory, you might have received a recommendation to add 1 or 2 pounds for boron per acre for your selected crop. Like nitrogen, the boron recommendation is not based on chemical analysis of your regular soil sample. Instead, it is based on many years of accumulated research results regarding crop response to boron.
Easing the Current Income Squeeze From Low Farm Commodity Prices
If you think soil testing isn’t that important, think again. A systematic whole-farm soil testing program is the backbone of a good crop nutrient plan. Without soil test report information, you can only guess what’s going on regarding fertilizer needs. Michigan State University Extension recommends a maximum of 20 acres per soil test. This may seem like overkill, but soil variability can be surprising, even within a larger field that looks uniform.
Easing the Current Income Squeeze From Low Farm Commodity Prices
If you think soil testing isn’t that important, think again. A systematic whole-farm soil testing program is the backbone of a good crop nutrient plan. Without soil test report information, you can only guess what’s going on regarding fertilizer needs. Michigan State University Extension recommends a maximum of 20 acres per soil test. This may seem like overkill, but soil variability can be surprising, even within a larger field that looks uniform.
Plan Now for Corn Silage Success: Hybrid Selection
Most farmers who feed corn silage already have a plan for 2017. A thoughtful review of your plans for corn silage could have a positive impact on your results. Hybrid selection is a big part of planning for a good corn silage year. The days of selecting your corn silage field because it’s the poorer looking part of your total corn acres are pretty much gone. Much more attention is now given to the potential silage characteristics of corn hybrids.
Plan Now For Corn Silage Success - Part 1: Hybrid Selection
Most farmers who feed corn silage already have a plan for 2017. A thoughtful review of your plans for corn silage could have a positive impact on your results. Hybrid selection is a big part of planning for a good corn silage year. The days of selecting your corn silage field because it’s the poorer looking part of your total corn acres are pretty much gone. Much more attention is now given to the potential silage characteristics of corn hybrids.
Plan Now for Corn Silage Success: Hybrid Selection
Most farmers who feed corn silage already have a plan for 2017. A thoughtful review of your plans for corn silage could have a positive impact on your results. Hybrid selection is a big part of planning for a good corn silage year. The days of selecting your corn silage field because it’s the poorer looking part of your total corn acres are pretty much gone. Much more attention is now given to the potential silage characteristics of corn hybrids.
How the Nitrogen Cycle Influences Different Nitrogen Sources
The main forms of nitrogen (N) used in modern farming systems include urea, nitrate, ammonium and organic N (contained in living, or formerly living, plant and animal materials). Applying and using N by plants on farms in Michigan and elsewhere involves a dynamic and complex system referred to as the N cycle. The N cycle involves the fixation of atmospheric N by lightning, microbes (alone or in combination with leguminous plants) and the addition of synthetic fertilizers.
Pros and Cons of Granular and Liquid Fertilizers
There are several ways to categorize fertilizers. One logical way to look at them is as “granulars” and “liquids.” For the purposes of this comparison, anhydrous ammonia (technically a liquid) will not be considered. Dry fertilizers are generally incorporated into granules. Fertilizer blends can be created by mixing individual granular fertilizer of known analysis (e.g., 46-0-0, 18-46-0 and 0-0-60) in the proper ratio to create the desired blend.
Understanding the intensive in intensive grazing
Management-intensive grazing and other intensive grazing systems have been promoted for quite a few years but what does the word intensive mean when it is used with grazing? What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘intensive grazing’? Many small pastures with lots of fencing? Moving animals to new pastures almost daily or even several times each day? Lots of animals completely grazing small areas before moving to fresh pasture?
The 'positive associative effect' of high protein supplements
Most of Oklahoma has substantial standing forage in pastures as we go into late summer. As the day length shortens, plants become more mature and lower in protein content. However, the protein requirements for growth, milk production, and body condition maintenance of beef cattle do not decrease as the “dog days of summer” arrive.
Should I plant summer annual forage grasses?
It’s never too early to be focused on the next potential forage stressor – Summer. In the Southeast we are no stranger to the long, hot, dog-days of summer and the impacts we see on forage availability throughout the grazing season. We are fortunate that much of our area has some very hardy, prolific, perennial forage options, but in the most extreme drought even bermudagrass and bahiagrass have difficulty surviving for the long haul.
Focus on fly control
Now that warm weather has arrived, everyone will start to focus on all the chores that have to be done to “gear” up for the upcoming season, including fly control. Fly infestation reduces performance and the economic loss from each horn fly biting an animal 30 times/day can also be substantial.
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