Seeds in Season | November 2025

Forage Performance Review

contributed article by Justin Fruechte, Ag Product Expert

Renovo Seed, Brookings, S.D.

www.renovoseed.com 

Other than your banker or tax advisor, most farmers and ranchers don’t get a formal “performance review” at the end of the year. But as the last bales are stacked and the silage bunkers are sealed, this is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and evaluate how your forages performed. Sure, weather always plays a starring role – but set that aside for a moment. There are still valuable lessons to uncover that can shape next year’s success.

From where I sit, getting to visit with producers across the Midwest, I’ve seen a clear theme emerge this season: diversity paid off. Those who hedged their risk with a mix of forages, cropping systems, and rotations saw the rewards. Whether it was spreading planting dates, using multi-species blends, or balancing perennials with annuals, diversity proved to be a powerful insurance policy.

Field Financial Performance Reviews

Now that the final forage of the year is harvested, it’s time to analyze what you have to work with heading into the next feeding season. Beyond running nutritional tests on feedstuffs, take the extra step to run a financial performance review on each field. Knowing what every acre produced and what that yield is worth lays the foundation for understanding your true feed costs. It’s one of the most important numbers you can know going into winter.

In a year like this one, crunching those numbers can actually be fun! Reports of cereal forages hitting nearly 12 tons of silage per acre and forage sorghum pushing 26 tons per acre aren’t uncommon. Even alfalfa and mixed grass fields seemed to bounce back faster than usual, offering many producers a bonus cutting or two. Sure, the hay and forage markets are soft right now, but high yields have a silver lining: every extra ton lowers your cost per ton. That’s a win, especially when feed prices inevitably swing back up.

Invest in Quality

What really stood out this year was how better genetics and the right species selection translated into tangible performance gains. When conditions were good, those choices paid off in a big way. It’s proof that investing in quality seed isn’t just a line item – it’s a strategic move that delivers real return.

Producers who grazed stockers on annual forages looked particularly sharp this season. With a strong calf market and excellent regrowth from annual blends, many were able to extend their grazing season well past expectations. Diverse mixes with brassicas, warm- and cool-season grasses, and legumes thrived in those late-spring plantings, proving once again that diversity not only builds resilience, it delivers results in every kind of weather.

As you look back on the season, take the time to compare this year’s successes and challenges to years past. Tracking that progress helps make each year’s forage plan a little smarter, a little sharper, and a lot more intentional. Keep leaning into diversity and planning ahead. Because while we can’t control Mother Nature, we can control how well we’re prepared for whatever she decides to hand us.

Photos courtesy Renovo Seed

learn more www.renovoseed.com 

Renovo Seed, Brookings, S.D.

The team of folks at Renovo Seed have roots that run deep in farming, agriculture, and in the overall respect for the landscape. They opened their doors in 1987 and continue to walk alongside farmers, ranchers, and landowners across thousands of acres throughout the Midwest.