Hay & Forage Grower: History, Revival Under Hoard's, Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Hay & Forage Grower is the national magazine for people who grow, buy, sell and feed hay, haylage and pasture. It premiered in March 1986, nearly disappeared in 2014, and was rescued by the publisher of Hoard's Dairyman. This profile tells that story and explains what the magazine covers today and who edits it.
| Premiere issue | March 1986 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | W.D. Hoard & Sons Company, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, since early 2015 |
| Frequency | Six issues a year: January, February, March, April/May, August/September, November |
| Newsletter | eHay Weekly |
| Managing Editor | Jenna Byrne |
| ISSN | 0891-5946 |
| Official website | HayandForage.com |
History of Hay & Forage Grower
Hay & Forage Grower debuted in March 1986 as a national trade magazine for forage producers and spent nearly three decades with large business-media owners. Late in 2014 its publisher terminated the title, leaving forage growers without a dedicated magazine.
Right after the first of 2015, W.D. Hoard & Sons, publisher of Hoard's Dairyman, bought the rights to Hay & Forage Grower and its eHay Weekly newsletter. Hoard's vice president Gary Vorpahl explained at the 2015 Agri-Marketing Conference that forage was a natural fit for a company whose founder had championed alfalfa in Wisconsin in the 1800s. The company then hired Mike Rankin, a University of Wisconsin-Extension crops and soils agent for nearly 27 years, as managing editor.
Rankin led the magazine for almost a decade. In July 2024 he moved to senior editor and Amber Friedrichsen, a former intern and associate editor, became managing editor. Jenna Byrne, previously an associate editor at Hoard's Dairyman and a feed consultant, was later named managing editor.
Hay & Forage Grower Today
The magazine publishes six print issues a year plus the eHay Weekly newsletter, podcasts and web content. It shares a building, a publisher and a working farm with Hoard's Dairyman, so editors see forage harvest decisions up close every season.
Hay & Forage Grower also runs a summer editorial internship that brings college students into the newsroom each year, a tradition it shares with Hoard's Dairyman.
What Hay & Forage Grower Is Publishing Now
Alfalfa and grass production
Seeding, fertility, cutting schedules, stand persistence and variety selection lead the agronomy coverage.
Harvest and storage
Equipment reviews, baleage, silage and drying strategies help growers protect quality.
Markets and grazing
Hay market updates, USDA hay reports and grazing management round out each issue, alongside Rankin's long-running First Cut column.
Hay & Forage Grower Editors and Staff
Hay & Forage Grower lists the following editors on its contact page and masthead:
- Jenna Byrne - Managing Editor
- Mike Rankin - Senior Editor
- Brian V. Knox - President and Publisher, W.D. Hoard & Sons
Editorial mail can go to info@hayandforage.com or to 28 Milwaukee Ave. W., Fort Atkinson, WI 53538, as printed on the masthead.
Who Reads Hay & Forage Grower
Readers include commercial hay growers, dairy and beef producers raising their own forage, custom harvesters and hay buyers. Forage underpins both the dairy and beef sectors tracked by USDA's Economic Research Service, which is why a forage-only magazine can sustain a national audience.
Making hay while the sun shines is a cliche for a reason, and every hay grower has a story about the one day it rained on a perfect windrow. Those stories are the raw material for farm.FM, where farm satire, farm humor and ranch humor turn baling-day disasters into something you can laugh about. A few farm jokes are the cheapest cure for a bad cutting.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
Hay & Forage Grower Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Hay & Forage Grower: Back in business - Mike Rankin's 2015 column on the relaunch.
- AgWired: Hoard's acquisition of Hay & Forage Grower - interview on the 2015 purchase.
- Hay & Forage Grower: Byrne named managing editor - the latest editorial appointment.
- USDA ERS: Dairy - the dairy economy that drives much forage demand.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - hay and forage acreage data by state and county.
Hay & Forage Grower FAQ
When was Hay & Forage Grower first published?
The premiere edition was published in March 1986.
Who owns Hay & Forage Grower?
W.D. Hoard & Sons Company of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, which bought it in early 2015.
Who is the editor of Hay & Forage Grower?
Jenna Byrne is managing editor and Mike Rankin is senior editor.
How often is Hay & Forage Grower published?
Six times a year, with the weekly eHay Weekly newsletter in between.
It nearly vanished in 2014, but Hay & Forage Grower came back under owners who farm their own alfalfa, and it remains the one national magazine devoted entirely to forage.