MANAGEMENT

Alfalfa weevils are key pests of alfalfa across the U.S. Larvae feed on the foliage, causing yield and forage-quality losses to the first and sometimes second hay cutting. These weevils can be challenging to control.

A culture that allows for experimentation is not only good for an operation’s bottom line; it is also something leaders and employees value. Let’s face it, innovative cultures where experimentation is embraced are generally depicted as positive and fun places to work.

As we move toward that time of the year when many of you will be swathing and baling hay, it’s important to remember potential liability can exist if that swather or baler causes a fire that damages your neighbor’s or landlord’s property.

The primary agriculture enterprise in the Southern Great Plains (particularly southern Oklahoma and northern Texas) is forage-based beef cattle systems (e.g., cow-calf, stockers). These profitable operations perform well but not without obvious challenges.

Since its early origins in south-central Asia, alfalfa has spread around the globe and is utilized as a top-quality forage for livestock. The feeding value of the crop has made it the most cultivated forage legume in the world. Despite this distinction, there has always been the desire by alfalfa workers to improve alfalfa’s performance to an even higher level.

A while ago, I attended a conference on leadership in San Antonio, Texas. Whenever I think about leadership, I think about something a minister shared with me. He said the mark of a good leader is not how well things go when they are in charge, but rather how smoothly things go once they are no longer leading.