Should I clip my pasture?
Each year the question “Should I clip my pasture?” rekindles an age-old debate at a pasture walk. The debate is never quite settled because there is no straightforward answer.
Forage Production and Management
Managing True Armyworm in Wisconsin Corn and Small Grain Fields
True armyworm (Mythimna unipuncta) is a pest of corn and small grains known for migrating in large groups when its preferred food source is depleted. Pastures and grassy hay fields are also at risk of damage.
What happens to your crops in flooded fields?
Farming is a business that cannot avoid weather risks. A significant challenge farmers face is dealing with excessive water, especially flooded and saturated soil.
Preliminary forage recommendations for grazing solar sites
The explosive growth of solar sites, especially large, utility-scale (>100 MW) sites that require state approval, has put solar in competition with agriculture for land use. Solar grazing increases land use efficiency, yielding two outputs—sheep products (meat/dairy/wool) and solar electricity—where there would otherwise be just one.
Managing Alfalfa Weevil in Wisconsin Alfalfa Fields
Alfalfa is a valuable forage crop in Wisconsin that supports dairy and livestock production. Alfalfa can be threatened by the alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica), an early-season pest that feeds on alfalfa leaves and may severely damage first-crop and second-crop alfalfa fields.
▶ Watch: Set up for success – alfalfa management strategies
The April 24 Badger Crop Connect session features Scott Newell, Extension’s Alfalfa Outreach Specialist.
Alfalfa Herbicide Rotation Restrictions
As we move into alfalfa planting season in Wisconsin, it is important to double-check herbicide records for the field you will be planting into. Many common herbicides used for commercial crop production contain restrictions on the label when rotating to alfalfa. A rotation restriction is the interval between herbicide application and when alfalfa planting can […]
▶ Watch: Planting Green – establishing the cover crop
A grower’s perspective. This is one of a nine-part video series on the basics of planting corn and soybean into a green living cover crop. Rodney Webb, director of the Pierce County Land Conservation Department, and Tom, a Pepin County farmer, discuss establishing cover crops. They talk about the techniques and management strategies needed to […]
▶ Watch: Planting Green – fall seeding rye in northern Wisconsin
A grower’s perspective. This is one of a nine-part video series on the basics of planting corn and soybean into a green living cover crop. Rodney Webb, director of the Pierce County Land Conservation Department, and Tom, a Pepin County farmer, discuss fall seeding rye in northern Wisconsin. They talk about the benefits of planting […]
▶ Watch: Focus on Pastures
The fourth Focus on Forage webinar in the 2024 series, Focus on Pastures, features research-based pasture establishment and management recommendations and resources to keep pastures productive throughout the 2024 growing season.
▶ Watch: Focus on Annual Forages
The third Focus on Forage webinar in the 2024 series, Focus on Annual Forages, features discussions around annual forage crops for Wisconsin farms, the nutritive value of and strategies around feeding annual forages on dairy farms, the nitrogen demand of cereal forages, and nitrogen carryover and rate planning considerations for 2024.
▶ Watch: Focus on Alfalfa
The recordings from the second Focus on Forage webinar in the 2024 series, Focus on Alfalfa, feature Scott Newell, Dr. Kim Cassida, Dr. Mark Renz, and Dr. Emily Bick.
