Hay Kings

🎧 Episode 112 of the Hay Kings Podcast

📲 Listen anywhere you get your podcasts

Jon Paul Driver sits down again with Dr. Carson Roberts, assistant research professor and state Extension specialist in forage agronomy at the University of Missouri, to explore how light competition, root development, tillage and soil compaction affect alfalfa establishment.

Dr. Roberts explains why deep ripping can improve a field—or become an expensive exercise if later tillage and traffic rebuild the compaction layer.

They cover:

☀️ How alfalfa responds to the quality of sunlight beneath weeds and companion crops

🌱 Why even early oat termination can affect first-year alfalfa growth

🌾 Reducing companion-crop seeding rates to balance forage production, weed suppression and alfalfa density

🚜 Using stale seedbeds and terminated covers to control erosion without competing with alfalfa

⚠️ Potential allelopathic effects from rye and triticale residue

💧 How irrigation timing influences the depth and development of alfalfa roots

📏 Diagnosing the location of a compaction layer before setting a deep ripper

🛠️ Why disking and packing after ripping can rebuild the compaction you just removed

🌿 Using living roots to stabilize loosened soil after deep tillage

🛞 Concentrating field traffic in permanent lanes instead of compacting the entire stand

Carson’s research shows that better alfalfa establishment requires more than loosening the soil. Growers must manage light, moisture, field traffic and the order of tillage operations so young roots can reach—and continue using—the soil profile opened for them.

Hosted by Jon Paul Driver

Sponsored by Krone – Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers

🔗 https://hay-kings.com

Jon Paul Driver sits down with Dr. Carson Roberts, assistant research professor and state Extension specialist in forage agronomy at the University of Missouri, to examine whether companion crops help—or hurt—a new alfalfa stand.

Dr. Roberts draws on research comparing solo-seeded alfalfa, oat companion crops, herbicide programs and different irrigation levels.

They cover:

🌱 What an acceptable new alfalfa stand looks like—and why the first year affects the life of the stand

💧 How rainfall distribution and soil moisture shape establishment decisions

🚜 Fall field preparation, stale seedbeds, no-till planting and conserving spring moisture

📏 Why seeding depth, seed-to-soil contact and available moisture matter more than the tillage system

🌾 How oat companion crops can increase first-year tonnage while reducing alfalfa density and forage quality

☀️ Why companion crops are especially risky under dryland conditions

💰 Comparing yield, quality and gross returns on a dollars-per-acre basis

📈 Why companion crops performed differently during wet, low-price and dry, high-price hay markets

Dr. Roberts research shows that companion crops are not automatically good or bad. Under dryland conditions, competition for limited water can jeopardize the alfalfa stand. With adequate irrigation, the additional tonnage may pay—but only after accounting for forage quality, market prices and the long-term value of the stand.

Hosted by Jon Paul Driver

Sponsored by Krone – Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers

🎧 Listen anywhere you get your podcasts

🔗 https://hay-kings.com

🎧 Episode 110 of the Hay Kings Podcast

📲 Listen anywhere you get your podcasts

Jon Paul Driver sits down with Jacob Cummins of White Pine Flats Farms to talk about an unexpected return to dairying—not with 100 cows, but with two.

What started as a way for Jacob's kids to show dairy cattle has grown into a licensed micro dairy selling raw milk directly to consumers. Along the way, Jacob shares the challenges of navigating regulations, finding new revenue streams, and building a business that fits alongside a hay and beef operation.

They cover:

🥛 Why Jacob started a micro dairy after nearly 30 years out of the dairy business

🐄 The economics of selling milk directly to consumers

🌾 Diversifying a hay and beef operation with a new income stream

🏛️ Washington's dairy regulations and the realities of small-scale processing

🚜 Old tractors, Detroit Diesels, forage harvest and why older equipment still gets the job done

🌱 Trying pearl millet, improving grain establishment, and sharpening the pencil on today's farm

🤝 Why consumers want to know their farmers again

Jacob shares a practical look at building a small business that complements—not replaces—a family farm, while reflecting on why relationships, local food, and diversification may become increasingly important for agriculture.

 

Hosted by Jon Paul Driver

Sponsored by Krone – Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers

🎧 Listen anywhere you get your podcasts

🔗 https://hay-kings.com

Is your farm's productivity being capped by outdated machinery, or are you ready to optimize every single acre this season? Jon Paul Driver sits down with good friend and industry insider Mike Leaden for a candid, behind-the-scenes chat on what it really takes to stay ahead in the modern forage industry.

They break down:

🤝 Peer-to-Peer Wisdom: Why the best insights don't always come from a textbook, but from candid, off-the-cuff conversations between experienced producers. 🚜 Equipment & Efficiency: Key operational strategies for maximizing throughput, reducing downtime, and getting the absolute most out of your field passes. 🌾 The Hay Kings Advantage: Stripping away the fluff to tackle the everyday realities, management decisions, and market trends impacting forage operations today.

🎙Hosted by Jon Paul Driver

🤝 Sponsored by Krone — Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers

🔗 Listen at hay-kings.com

Is your operation being driven by real data, or are you just telling yourself comfortable lies in the farm office? Jon Paul Driver sits down with Jeff Jackson for a candid, zero-nonsense look at stripping the "black magic" out of farm business management and record keeping.

They break down:

🛑 The 3 Financial Lies: Why managing by your checking account balance, relying on distorted tax records, or putting off data entry until "tomorrow" is a recipe for dropping the ball and staying broke.

📊 The Spreadsheet Roadmap: How to get out of the shoebox by leveraging the IRS Schedule F categories into a searchable, reconciled system that handles 90% of what the fanciest automated software can do.

⚖️ The Real Balance Sheet: Demystifying short, intermediate, and long-term assets. Why your cash balance is only a fraction of the story, and how tracking everything from tractor serial numbers to gopher bait builds instant credibility with your banker. 💬 The Internal Communication Tool: Moving financial records past external compliance and transforming them into the ultimate asset for aligning with your spouse, siblings, and the next generation.

🎙Hosted by Jon Paul Driver

🤝 Sponsored by Krone — Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers

🔗 Listen at hay-kings.com

 

Is the hay industry better off as a "free market microcosm," or does the lack of ARC/PLC support put producers at a disadvantage? Jon Paul Driver sits down with Mike and Ryan Stefan of Stefan Hay Company for a candid look at policy parity and a radical approach to farm succession.

They break down:

⚖️ The Policy Balance: A neutral look at the hay vs. row crop divide. They weigh the benefits of a "level playing field" against the heavy compliance risks of government oversight, asking if hay is stronger staying outside the subsidy system.

🔄 The 95/5 Succession: Mike shares his "magical" transition model—transferring 95% of the LLC ownership to his sons in their 20s. Why waiting until the next generation is 50 to "take over" is a recipe for stagnation.

📦 Retail Consistency: 21-year-old Ryan Stefan explains how his high-tech press is turning hay into a "grocery store" experience. In a cooling market, consistent 40lb bundles are the ultimate differentiator.

🌧️ Managing the "East": From tiling fields every 20 feet to carrying low debt, the Stefans share the high-stakes management needed to survive 50 inches of rain and "lake effect" moisture.

🎙 Hosted by Jon Paul Driver
🤝 Sponsored by Krone — Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers
🔗 Listen at hay-kings.com

With the export market cooling off, hay is staying home—but are producers ready for the domestic shift? Jon Paul Driver welcomes back Cosmos Fitzpatrick for a boots-on-the-ground look at the 2026 domestic hay landscape. From the "Yellowstone effect" in the equine industry to the high-tech hay drying barns of the Northeast, they break down why "business as usual" won't cut it in this cycle.

They cover:

• 📉 The 830-Load Reality: How the domestic market is moving volume without the "spikes" of previous years, and why 2026 is becoming a battle of efficiency.

• 🐎 The Migration Map: Understanding the seasonal shift of the equine industry and why a drought in the desert doesn't always move the needle on demand.

• 🏭 The Drying Revolution: How New York, Vermont, and Quebec are using advanced hay drying technology to challenge the West’s "superiority" by eliminating freight costs.

• 🥛 The Consistency Barrier: Why dairies want to buy dry alfalfa but often stick to silage—and how "controlling the controllables" like ash content can win back the bunk.

• 🚜 The Alfalfa Surge: Why we’re seeing more alfalfa acres going into the ground in the Southwest despite the market pressure, and the "next best option" logic driving it.

• 💼 The Nimble Advantage: Why big, bloated operations are falling while small, agile producers who know their cost of production are finding the path forward.

Cosmos delivers a masterclass on navigating the "gloomy" headlines with a dose of optimism, reminding us that tough times are the ultimate filter for building a resilient business.

🎙 Hosted by Jon Paul Driver
🤝 Sponsored by Krone — Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers
🔗 Listen at hay-kings.com

🎧 Episode 105: The $600 Million Inventory Bloodbath 

Jon Paul Driver sits down with Scott Courtright of Courtright Enterprises for a brutally honest assessment of the hay export crisis. They move past the surface-level talk to provide the intellectual honesty required to navigate an industry that has effectively wiped out $600 million in equity through inventory write-downs and a historic demand collapse.

They cover:

• 📉 The $600 Million Hit: A conservative look at the massive inventory write-downs that have devastated balance sheets and redefined the Pacific Northwest market.

• 🚢 The "Disaster" Mechanics: How the fastest rate-hike cycle in history triggered a 40% collapse in customer purchasing power, evaporating 1 million tons of global demand.

• 🏭 The Machine Graveyard: Why there are 20+ export presses in the U.S. that may never turn on again—and why "overcapacity" is a terminal threat to current margins.

• 🤝 Intellectual Honesty: The industry-leading insight that "talking your book" is a recipe for failure; why being realistic about market conditions is the only path to the 2026 reset.

• 🏗️ The Asset Trap: A deep dive into the shift from double-digit appreciation to negative cash flow, and what happens to the industry when land values finally hit a wall.

• 🌾 Survival vs. Sustainability: From "nutrient mining" in the soil to short-term on-farm maneuvers, exploring the risks when growers are forced to sacrifice long-term health for immediate survival.

• 🌍 The Global Price War: How the U.S. is struggling to compete with $200 Pakistan alfalfa and the reality of international competitors growing their footprint.

Scott delivers a masterclass in market realism, explaining why the current shakeout is far from over and why managing through the "hard hat" era requires a radical shift in how we view the hay business.

🎙 Hosted by Jon Paul Driver

🤝 Sponsored by Krone — Dedicated to Hay and Forage Producers

🔗 Listen at hay-kings.com

A multi-generational farm survival story isn’t just about hard work—it’s about market evolution.

On the Hay Kings podcast, Mike Stefan of Stefan Hay Company joins Jon Paul Driver to explain how he transitioned from a school teacher to a premier forage producer by treating the "East Coast/West Coast" divide as an opportunity. From leveraging his "OCD" to dominate the high-stakes show-cow market to building a retail "Walmart of Hay," Mike breaks down the necessity of being a "competent neighbor" in an era of massive dairy consolidation.

This episode is required listening for growers looking to diversify their operations, producers managing multi-generational transitions, and anyone navigating the complex logistics of the modern hay trade.

Hosted by Jon Paul Driver

Sponsored by Krone - Dedicated to Hay and Forage Growers

Learn more at Hay-Kings.com

The Anderson Chapter 11 filing isn’t an isolated failure—it’s a signal.

On the Hay Kings podcast, Don Schilling explains why years of distorted market signals, excess press capacity, and non-profit-driven capital reshaped the hay export industry.

This episode is required listening for growers, exporters, lenders, and anyone paid by the ton.

Hosted by Jon Paul Driver 

Sponsored by Krone - Dedicated to Hay and Forage Growers

Learn more at Hay-Kings.com