According to the 2017 Ag Census, Crittenden County has over 17,000 acres in forage production. Managing forage ground can be expensive and choosing which practice to focus on can be a frustrating decision for producers, especially when a large portion of the ground is rented. Crittenden County ANR agent has worked with one family to help make these decisions utilizing resources from the Cooperative Extension Office.

The family started using their local office for forage quality testing. After the first round of tests the family started working on cutting their hay ground in a timely manner to increase hay quality. Soil testing, reseeding and weed control options have been utilized while working with ANR agent. The family has improved their forage quality and quantity. Most recently they have increased the number of grazing acres thanks to a new rental farm. The family is working with the agent to learn more about grazing forage options, in particular stockpiling fescue. The agent is currently working with them on weed control. The plans are to graze as long as possible, decreasing the amount of hay needed and hopefully increasing their herd size in the future. Their hay production will remain the same and extra hay can be sold, bringing in more profits for the farm.