Soybean field

Nebraska December Grain and Hay Stocks

January 20, 2022
Nebraska corn stocks in December 2021 were up 11% from 2020; soybeans were up 9% from last year. See all crop stock positions in the latest USDA NASS report.

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Cattle eating hay

Pasture and Forage Minute: Reducing Hay Losses, Year in Review

January 4, 2022
Brad Schick shares key strategies for preventing hay loss, and Ben Beckman discusses the importance of conducting a year-end analysis of your operation.

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Cattle eating hay

Pasture and Forage Minute: Hay Feeding Concerns

December 6, 2021
Jerry Volsky explains what happens to cattle when they ingest net wrap and twine from hay bales, and Ben Beckman reviews protein and energy values on hay tests and how to use these values when deciding your hay feed strategy.

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Hay bales in field

Pasture and Forage Minute: Understanding Hay Test Results, Winter Protein Supplements

November 30, 2021
This week, extension educators shed light on the importance of dry basis results on hay tests and using alfalfa as a protein supplement during the winter.

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baled corn

Pasture and Forage Minute: Overgraze Pastures Now to Prep for Interseeding Legumes Next Spring

September 22, 2021
This week, Extension Educator Ben Beckman explains how to produce nitrogen in a pasture by interseeding legumes — plus, a review on testing hay for its quality and baling corn stalks for forage.

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Hay bales on trailer
The average round bale may lose up to one-fourth of its original nutrients during outside storage, but these losses can be reduced to less than 10% or so with the right row orientation and adequate ground surface drainage.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Thinning Alfalfa Stands, Hay Bale Storage and Weed Management

August 25, 2021
Extension educators review options for improving thin alfalfa stands, the most effective storage methods to reduce hay losses and managing late summer pasture weeds.

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sorghum-sudangrass field
Thick, dense, upper canopy of sorghum-sudangrass field in Lincoln, Nebraska. (CropWatch file photo)

Pasture and Forage Minute: Late Summer Planting and Regrowth Concerns

August 5, 2021
This week, extension educators review some of the concerns with late summer alfalfa planting, toxicity levels in sorghum and sudangrass regrowth, and how leaving hay bales in the fields can affect your yields.

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Cattle in pasture
If there are changes to your animal intake or pasture productivity, it can disrupt the balance of your stocking rate. Annual evaluation is necessary to maintain an equitable distribution of animals on your pastures.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Adjusting Stocking Rates, Baleage Equipment and Summer Annual Grass Control

April 15, 2021
Extension Educators Ben Beckman and Brad Schick review the importance of analyzing and adjusting stocking rates, equipment required for proper haylage and baleage, and controlling pesky summer annual grasses.

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