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Hauling Challenges Abound
By Rick Mooney, Editor, eHay
Weekly
Transportation continues to be a major issue for U.S.
hay growers, says Ron Tombaugh, owner of Dart Hay Service in Streator,
IL, and president of the National Hay Association.
Rising fuel costs are a big part of the story, of course. Tombaugh
points out trucking charges have risen from a range of $1.35-1.50/mile a
year ago to the $2.20-2.25/mile mark. “We’ve heard reports that
there are 40,000 fewer trucks on the road in the U.S. than there were a
year ago,” he says. “With diesel fuel hitting $4.50-4.75/gallon in
many areas, drivers just can’t make a go of it.”
What’s more, the truckers remaining on the road are increasingly
reluctant to haul hay, Tombaugh adds. “A load of hay is typically
worth $5,000-6,000,” he notes. “That’s a pretty low value compared
to a load of television sets or some other manufactured product. It’s
easier to put a fuel surcharge on those other products, because the
buyer can pass it along to the end consumer. A livestock producer buying
a load of hay can’t tell his milk processor he should get a dollar
more per hundredweight for his milk because he’s paying more to have
hay delivered. But that same milk processor can add transportation costs
to the retail outlet buying the milk and, in turn, the retail outlet can
pass costs along to the consumer.”
To help level out the playing field, Tombaugh would like to see the
federal government establish a fuel credit for farmers who use biodiesel
or other ag-based fuels to transport agricultural commodities.
Tombaugh can be contacted at 309-531-4229 or tombaugh@udnet.net.
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Whether you’re looking for
proven performance in a package that offers exceptional value or a
tractor that gives you the latest electronic conveniences and push
button simplicity, the new T6000 Series tractors from New Holland are
built for you. T6000 tractors are a natural choice for haying operations
and heavy loader work. To learn more, see your local New Holland dealer
or call 1-888-290-7377. www.newholland.com/na
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N Applications Make Sense For Second-Cutting
Grass
Even though fertilizer prices continue pushing upward,
applying nitrogen to grass hayfields after first cutting is a good
strategy when the weather remains cool and wet, says Dave Messersmith,
Penn State University extension educator. Key factor: The cost of
purchased hay also continues to go up.
Messersmith notes that Penn State’s economic optimum nitrogen
recommendations for grass hay were developed based on $80/ton hay and 25
cents/pound N. “At today’s prices of $200/ton hay and 65
cents/pound N, those recommendations are still valid because the
critical thing in determining economic optimum N rates is the ratio of
crop price to N price,” he says.
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USDA Releases CRP For Grazing In Parts Of North
Dakota
Weather-related developments in parts of the Midwest
are making it difficult for USDA to stick to its original timetable for
releasing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for emergency haying
and grazing. In a decision that riled many hay growers (for details, go
to hayandforage.com/ehayarchive/crp-release-rankles-hay-growers/),
the department announced in late May that it would allow program
participants to hay or graze selected CRP lands after the primary
nesting season for birds ends in late July or early August.
Last week, though, USDA announced it would allow livestock producers in
26 North Dakota counties to immediately begin grazing on CRP lands to
help lessen the impact of a prolonged drought. That decision was in
response to a recommendation from the state Agricultural Drought Task
Force, which contended that waiting until the end of the nesting season
(Aug. 1 in North Dakota) would be too late to help many livestock
producers.
Producers who opt to begin emergency grazing of CRP lands must file a
written request with the Farm Service Agency, obtain a grazing plan and
receive written authorization. Participating producers will have their
annual CRP rental payment reduced by 25%.
Also last week, members of the Congressional delegations in Iowa and
Illinois urged U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer to immediately
allow both haying and grazing on CRP lands affected by June flooding in
their states. As of presstime, USDA had not responded.
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eHay Weekly Has New Editor
Rick Mooney has been named the new editor of eHay
Weekly. Mooney, from Spooner, WI, has been writing for Hay &
Forage Grower for years. Now he’ll also be providing weekly news
as well as hay marketing and production information. An ag writer for
more than a quarter of a century, Mooney is featured in a story on www.hayandforage.com, along with
other new changes expected for eHay Weekly in the coming weeks.
Click here for the entire story: hayandforage.com/news/0630_ehay_editor_designer/.
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Warm-Season Grasses Extend Haying Season
Complementing tall fescue with warm-season grasses can
be a good option for hay growers looking to minimize early season
weather risks, says Tim Schnakenberg, agronomy specialist with
University of Missouri Extension. Schnakenberg points out fescue in
Missouri is usually harvested in late May to mid-June. “Unfortunately,
this time frame usually corresponds with the highest precipitation
events for the year,” he says.
By planting more warm-season grasses, which are typically ready to
harvest 20-40 days later than cool-season grasses like fescue, producers
could bypass the typical rain events of the late spring. Warm-season
grasses are also more likely to provide sufficient regrowth for a
higher-yielding second cutting in a drier season.
Some of the warm-season grasses that work well for hay are bermudagrass
and native species such as switchgrass, big bluestem and indiangrass.
"These forages are heavy producers of high-quality dry matter if
harvested at the proper time,” says Schnakenberg. “In many cases,
they can yield better than fescue if managed properly."
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Storage Cost-Share Available In
Tennessee
The state department of agriculture in Tennessee is
offering qualifying livestock producers cost-share assistance for
building new hay storage structures or adding on to existing structures.
The funds are administered through the Tennessee Agricultural
Enhancement Program. To qualify for the cost-share (capped at 35% with a
$5,000 maximum payment), producers must hay 50 acres. Cattle producers
must have 15 head and goat/sheep producers must have 30 head.
Applications are reviewed on a first come, first served basis. Deadline
for applying is Aug. 1, 2008. To get an application or learn more about
program requirements/guidelines, go to www.picktnproducts.org or call
800-342-8206.
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Harvest more profit from your alfalfa hay sales
Get top dollar for quality alfalfa hay with less hassle. If you are
within 250 miles of either Lincoln, NE or Rapid City, SD, we haul with
our trucks. Prices based on farm pickup. Go to www.seranch.com for all the details
and contact us. We are buying now and will pickup in the field.
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Potential New Alfalfa Pest In California
Desert
Pest experts in California are asking alfalfa growers
to be on the lookout for the South American bean thrip, an insect that
occurs in the desert areas of southern California (Imperial and Palo
Verde valleys). Charlie Summers, a University of California
entomologist, recently found bean thrips on alfalfa at the UC Kearney
Field Station near Reedley. The adult thrips are black with white bands
or stripes on the wings. Nymphs are yellow with pinkish or reddish
markings.
From a distance, plants affected by the thrips appear severely moisture
stressed. Upon closer evaluation, many terminals are blasted and appear
dead, with large areas of the epidermis stripped off by the pest. Net
result is large white areas on the leaflets. Also, leaflets and other
plant parts are covered with black specks of feces.
Feeding injury by the bean thrip can be severe enough that treatment may
be necessary. One caveat: Thresholds have not been established and only
rarely in southern California have treatments been applied. UC
Cooperative Extension is asking producers who observe the insect, or
plant injury resembling what’s described above, to send an email to cafrate@ucdavis.edu or call
559-685-3309, ext. 214.
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Nebraska
Like their counterparts elsewhere in the Midwest,
Nebraska alfalfa growers found themselves struggling with extremely wet
weather during first-crop harvest this year. “A few people were able
to get their crop put up in mid-May,” says Barb Kinnan, executive
director of the Nebraska Alfalfa Marketing Association (NAMA). “But
since then, it’s been a battle. We’re hoping for a better second
crop.”
Most NAMA members market high-quality alfalfa hay to dairies throughout
the country. This year’s slow start is sure to affect supply.
Producers in the western part of the state usually get three to four
cuttings per year. In central and eastern Nebraska, the norm is four to
five cuttings per year. “It depends on what kind of weather we have
for the rest of the season and how early we have a freeze in the fall,
but I doubt we’ll see many fifth cuttings this year,” says Kinnan.
The weather conditions will definitely impact hay prices, Kinnan
expects. “We started out the season with some pretty strong prices and
they’ll likely stay that way because of reduced supply,” she says.
She adds that most growers are currently using $1 per point of relative
feed value (RFV) as a base point for setting price. Last year at this
time, the base was in the range of 65-85 cents per point of RFV.
Contact Kinnan at 800-743-1649 or barb@nebraska-alfalfa.com.
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Alberta
Hay growers in parts of Alberta can empathize with
producers battling weather difficulties in the U.S. Midwest, reports Don
Allan, of AllanHay.com Quality Hay in Sylvan Lake, AB. In the
west-central region of the province where Allan is based, recent
rainfall and cool weather have delayed first cutting.
Allan puts up 800 acres of hay annually, split 50:50 this year between
alfalfa-grass mixes and straight grass (orchardgrass, brome, timothy and
creeping red fescue). Performance-horse owners make up the primary
market for his 1,200-1,300 lb, net-wrapped round bales. He also sells to
dairy producers looking for low-potassium hay to feed to close-up dry
cows.
With Alberta’s 2007 hay inventory “pretty well cleaned out” coming
into the growing season, Allan expects hay prices will be significantly
higher this year. He says buyers, anticipating a lower supply, have
already started calling his office asking to be put on a wait list for
new-crop hay. “Preliminary reports out of the southern part of the
province indicate dairy hay may be up by $80 per ton over last year,”
he says. “We’ll get a better idea of where prices are heading over
the next couple of weeks as more hay comes off the field.”
For more information, visit www.AllanHay.com, call 403-887-1728 or email
dballan@telus.net.
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NC Equine Extravaganza Opens July 11
The North Carolina Equine Extravaganza will be held
July 11-13 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. The
annual event promotes all aspects of the horse industry, while offering
a variety of educational opportunities for horse enthusiasts of all
types and across all disciplines. Along with a trade show, the event
will feature seminars, presentations and exhibits on horse management,
training, horse welfare and more. A companion event will be held in
Virginia in October.
Daily ticket prices for the Extravaganza are $15 for adults and $8 for
children ages 5-12. For more information, go to www.equineextravaganza.com.
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Illinois Grazing Conferences Set For Late
July
Registration is open for a University of Illinois
Extension multi-species grazing conference to be offered at three
locations in July. The conference will be offered July 24 in Milan, July
26 in Lincoln and July 31 in Marion.
The program will focus on the advantages and risks of mixing pastured
livestock species. Topics to be covered include: weeds, brush and
poisonous plants; health or parasite worries when species co-mingle;
forages suited for multiple-species grazing; and fencing considerations
that work for hard-to-control species.
Each conference runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Advance registration is due
one week prior to the program date. The registration fee, including
lunch, is $30/person and $20 for the second person from a farm. Late
registration is $5 higher. On-line registration can be completed at web.extension.uiuc.edu/macombcenter/.
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Calendar
July 22 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Fond du
Lac. Call 715-425-3345.
Aug. 19-20 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Richland Center. Call
715-425-3345.
Aug 19-21 -- Pennsylvania Ag Progress Days, Russell E. Larson
Agricultural Research Center, Rock Springs. Visit: apd.psu.edu/.
Sept. 4 -- Kentucky Forage & Grassland Council Field Day,
Christian County. Learn more at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Sept. 17-20 -- National Hay Association Convention, Oak Brook
Hills Marriott, Oak Brook, IL. Contact Don Kieffer at 800-707-0014, or
visit www.nationalhay.org.
Sept. 30-Oct. 4 -- World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com.
Oct. 23 -- Kentucky Grazing Conference, Fayette County extension
office, Lexington. Learn more at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 -- Virginia Equine Extravaganza, Richmond Raceway,
Richmond. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
Nov. 6-7 -- 2008 Quality Summit, sponsored by
BEEF magazine, Antlers Hilton Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO. Visit
beefconference.com/.
Nov. 13-16 -- Massachusetts Equine Affaire, Eastern States
Exposition Center, West Springfield. Visit www.equineaffaire.com.
Dec. 2-4 -- California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium, Town & Country
Resort and Hotel, San Diego. Learn more at alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/2008AlfalfaConference/.
Dec. 5-6 -- 2008 Missouri Livestock Symposium, Kirksville.
Programs for horse, beef cattle, sheep, meat goat and forage producers,
and trade show. Details at missourilivestock.com, or call Bruce Lane at
660-665-9866 or Garry Mathes at 660-341-6625.
Feb. 15-16, 2009 -- Southwest Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso,
NM. Contact Gina Sterrett at 575-626-5677 or Justin Boswell at
575-840-9908.
June 21-23, 2009 -- American Forage & Grassland Council Annual
Conference, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI. Call
800-944-2342 or email info@afgc.org.Calendar.
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Send Questions & Comments
To...
Rick Mooney, Editor,
eHay Weekly,
hfg@hayandforage.com
For information on Hay & Forage Grower, contact:
Neil Tietz, Editor, ntietz@hayandforage.com
or
Fae Holin, Managing Editor, fholin@hayandforage.com
For specific information from past issues of eHay Weekly and
Hay & Forage Grower, click on hayandforage.com, and use the search
function in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.
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