NRCS is allowing Wisconsin producers to plant crops on their highly erodible land after contending with last year’s drought and this spring's winterkill.

California entomologists wonder whether growers are using alfalfa varieties bred for resistance to blue alfalfa aphid as the pest’s populations grow, stunt alfalfa growth and reduce yields in that state and in Arizona. They also want to know whether broad-spectrum insecticides used to control other alfalfa pests hurt blue alfalfa aphid management, as they can adversely affect natural enemy populations that manage pests

Foliar fungicides such as Headline reduce levels of foliar disease in alfalfa, but that doesn’t consistently translate to higher yields or quality.

Landlords aren't looking for long-term leases, making it tough to grow alfalfa economically.

Midwestern growers began calling in March looking for quality alfalfa hay.

Hay growers in the West and Southwest have started selling, with prices falling short of last year.

An old friend to the forage industry, John Baylor, 90, passed away May 5. He was active in forages to the end.>

As Upper Midwestern forage growers realize the extent of winterkill damage in their fields, Extension service specialists have put together resources offering advice. The University of Minnesota devoted a Web page to winter injury damage, called “Alfalfa weather damage and emergency forages – 2013.” The page has advice on stand assessment, replanting forages and small grains, and it answers questions on autotoxicity in alfalfa.

The University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin ask alfalfa and other forage producers in the two states to complete a brief, 12-question survey.

Growers should watch for fungal diseases after the wet spring.

Reports of alfalfa weevil are filtering in from multiple states around the Midwest.

The best way to clear fields with winterkilled alfalfa: use a herbicide containing glyphosate, 2,4-D or dicamba and tillage.

Hay supplies in Montana are critically short; Canadian imports are keeping producers afloat.