Mixing grass with alfalfa stands has long been a popular choice for farmers who produce dairy feed.

Many opt for mixed stands because it offers benefits, such as better digestibility, when used in fields where cattle graze or for making dry baled hay.

While grass provides nutritional advantages, some experts are now suggesting that grass with alfalfa can complicate dairy cows’ diet and crop management practices.

With the world population recently passing the seven billion mark, many questions have been asked concerning the ability of our planet to feed this growing population. It is predicted that in the next 40 years, two billion more people will be eating on Earth.

Can the U.S. and global agriculture produce enough food to feed the people of the world? Can forages and livestock be part of this? Will we count on technology to produce more food? Will we have to sacrifice the environment in order to achieve this?

Sustainability is the popular buzzword in media circles today. Sustainability comes from the Latin word sustinere (tenere, to hold – sus, up).

The Forester family moved to the Royal Slope area of Washington State close to 35 years ago, just in time to get settled in when Mount St. Helens blew up.

A hay-growing operation morphed into a dairy in the aftermath of dealing with the volcanic ash that coated the area three to five inches deep.

Kennon Forester, the second generation of the Foresters, then went into growing hay, which complemented his parents’ dairy.

Tile drainage has proven to be an effective way to use farmland that, in past generations, would have been overlooked for production because it was too wet.

To keep tiled fields producing high-yielding crops, farmers must ensure the tile is maintained and working properly.

A field day last fall sponsored by Michigan State University Extension emphasized installation and management of field tiles.