Forage Production

Frankly, I don’t hear it as much as I used to, perhaps since in my advancing years I feel freer to “enlighten” folks, but “cleaner doesn’t make it run better” is a statement that set my dad’s teeth on edge.

“Failage” and garbage are two possible iterations of baleage that producers should actively avoid, said northwestern Illinois baleage producer Kendall Guither. Guither is a commercial hay grower who has been producing baleage since 1997 and marketing it throughout the U.S. Midwest.

Drought is a recurring phenomenon, and forage growers as well as other agricultural producers need to stay prepared for it. At the current time, meteorologists don’t have the ability to accurately predict drought for more than one to two months in advance for most parts of the world.

If you’ve read our magazine for long, you’ll already know John Russell’s name. While he bales straw and hay in Ohio as his primary occupation, that occupation has forced him into his “other life” as an inventor, a tweaker, an idea guy, a producer who is constantly looking for ways to improve his product and process.

When making a several-hundred-thousand-dollar investment with a piece of machinery, we typically do our homework. You can probably share stories of test-driving self-propelled forage harvesters or tractors, prior to investing hundreds of thousands in the machine.

Analytics have become a critical part in all facets of our lives, even if we don’t know it. Whether it is sports, business, weather or even politics, analytics play a vital role in our decision-making.