Forage Production

Today’s producers continue to strive to produce the highest-quality hay possible.

The forage needs of the equine industry are changing, presenting forage growers an opportunity to adapt operations to profit from an emerging niche market.

A sustained warming trend heats soils, which tells plants to grow, but day length tells them it’s not time yet. Research looks at how plants are coping with fluctuations.

Disc-type mowers have revolutionized hay mowing by eliminating cutter bar clogs and by increasing the speed at which an acre of hay can be mowed. Disc machines come in pull-type models, with or without conditioners, and three-point-hitch-mounted models, with some manufacturers offering attached conditioners.

Talk to any high school-aged male while standing beside your diesel pickup, and sooner or later the question will arise, “Is that thing chipped?” Diesel performance chips are electronic devices that intercept and modify engine management signals to increase the power output of the engine.

Tax codes on equipment trades just got trickier.

Under old tax law, a farmer could trade in farm equipment and recognize no gain or loss on the trade. For example, assume a farmer has an old combine worth $200,000 and trades it in for a new combine worth $500,000. The $200,000 trade value is essentially ignored and the tax cost basis of the new combine is simply $300,000 (the net cash paid).