Pasture and Forage Minute: Break-Even Forage Production, Windrow Disease and Summer Annuals in Alfalfa

Jun 22, 2026

By Shannon Sand and Jerry Volesky et.al

Is your pasture paying its way? This is a question I have heard lately regarding changing input costs.

Before your cattle hit the field, here's a quick way to check if your pasture covers its costs. Let’s run the numbers:

Suppose you fertilize a sub-irrigated meadow on cool- or warm season grasses. Let’s assume after we fertilize, this will boost our forage yield by 0.75 ton per acre.

Let’s assume hay is valued at $120/ton, that extra 0.75 ton is worth $90/acre, so you must spend less than that on fertilizer to break even. If hay prices rise to $150/ton, your break-even fertilizer investment increases to $112.50/acre.

But that’s just yield. In continuous grazing systems, livestock typically harvest only 25–35% of the forage, the rest is lost through trampling, fouling, or things of that nature. This dramatically eats into your return on investment.

To get your money’s worth, combine fertilization with good grazing management, with things like rotational grazing across at least four paddocks. This not only improves forage utilization, it helps cover those fertilizer costs

Here’s a quick formula, if your total cost per acre is $150 ($X), and your hay value is $120/ton (Y), then:

Break-even yield = $150 ÷ $120, or X÷Y, or roughly 1.25 tons per acre

Make sure you're getting that much forage after accounting for utilization. If you're falling short, consider cutting costs, boosting efficiency or renting extra grazing ground to balance the budget.

Source : unl.edu

Video: Inside the National Swine Health Strategy - Dr. Dustin Oedekoven

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show, Dr. Dustin Oedekoven, Chief Veterinarian at the National Pork Board, explains the producer-led National Swine Health Strategy and why it is essential for improving U.S. swine health. He discussed industry collaboration, the strategy's initial priorities, why PEDV is the first focus for elimination, research initiatives, and the long-term vision for healthier herds. Listen now on all major platforms.

"The National Swine Health Strategy creates a coordinated approach that moves the entire industry toward common health goals."

Meet the guest: Dr. Dustin Oedekoven / dusty-oedekoven-bb0bb7110 is Chief Veterinarian at the National Pork Board, where he leads initiatives to strengthen U.S. swine health through disease prevention, producer collaboration, and the National Swine Health Strategy. With more than 20 years of experience in veterinary public health and regulatory animal health, his work focuses on protecting the U.S. herd from endemic and foreign animal diseases. Listen to Dr. Dustin Oedekoven on The Swine it Podcast Show, available on all major platforms.