|
|
In Today's eHay
Weekly
September 23, 2008
|
|
Hay & Forage Grower
USDA
Hay Prices
Weather
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.
|
|
|
|
While most early reports indicate this year’s alfalfa seed crop
will be adequate to meet demand, farmers shouldn’t delay in placing
orders to fill 2009 needs, say industry officials.
“Overall, the crop that’s being harvested this fall is about
average,” says Joe Waldo of Syngenta/NK Seeds. “But supplies of the
very top varieties could be a little tight. If you have a specific
variety or two in mind, you’ll want to get your order in now. If you
wait until the end of the season, you could find that what you really
want isn’t available.”
One potential glitch is that common varieties in parts of Canada were
set back by an extremely wet growing season, says Mike Velde, Dairyland
Seed. He looks for an average crop in Alberta. His advice for seed
buyers: “Order your seed early and get it delivered early. Don't wait
until next March or April.”
Another key consideration this year is that carryover supplies from last
year were extremely limited, says Dennis Gehler of Croplan Genetics.
“There was very little inventory sitting in the shed when this
year’s harvest started,” he says. “Right now, this year’s crop
looks okay, but the seed hasn’t been processed or put in the bag
yet.”
On price, Gehler points out that alfalfa seed growers, like their
counterparts in other ag sectors, have seen input costs rise
dramatically this year. Those cost increases will get passed along to
seed buyers. “We’ll definitely see a strengthening of alfalfa seed
prices,” he says.
Contact Waldo at 763-593-7324, Velde at 608-676-2237 and Gehler at
651-765-5710.
|
National Hay Association (NHA) members mixed business with pleasure
at their annual meeting last week in Oak Brook, IL. Highlights included
a square-off between proponents and opponents of Roundup Ready alfalfa;
tours of the Chicago Board of Trade, a large dairy, a farm equipment
company and a horse-breeding farm; and an inspirational talk by farm
broadcaster Orion Samuelson.
The biggest change in agriculture is globalization, said Samuelson, who
speaks on the syndicated daily National Farm Report and a weekly series
called Samuelson Sez. “It’s a change we need to welcome and we need
to promote,” he told the audience of hay growers and dealers.
Samuelson said agriculture faces challenges, yet “I think it’s
brighter than it’s ever been. I’ll tell you what I tell kids … you
can’t dream big enough.” The 74-year-old radio and television
broadcaster was born on a dairy farm near LaCrosse, WI, and doesn’t
plan to retire, he says.
In association business, the group elected Gary Smith, Mission Hill, SD,
its new president. David Brumfield of Lexington, KY, was named first
vice president; and Rollie Bernth, Ellensburg, WA, second vice
president.
One of the mornings of the Sept. 17-20 meeting, Agri-King dairy
nutritionist David Casper spoke on forage quality and how growers can
make hay more valuable to livestock producers. More on that talk will be
published on hayandforage.com over
the next few weeks.
That same morning, NHA members listened to short presentations by Mark
McCaslin, president of Forage Genetics, the company licensed by Monsanto
to develop Roundup Ready alfalfa; Phillip Geertson, Geertson Seed Farms,
Greenleaf, ID, the main plaintiff in the case to keep Roundup Ready
alfalfa off the market; and Andrea Huberty, USDA-APHIS project
coordinator for the Roundup Ready alfalfa environmental impact
statement. Growers and dealers also questioned the panel. More on that
discussion will be published in part in the next issue of
eHayWeekly.
|
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
|
Ever want to comment on a story in eHay Weekly or on Hay
& Forage Grower’s Web site? Now readers can give their opinions on
and ask questions about many of our articles. Just page to the end of a
story where there’s a place to put in constructive comments or
questions you may have on the subject at hand.
To give eHay Weekly readers a taste of how easy it is, click here to visit
hayandforage.com and read the lead article, called “Biofuel Is Just A
Dream, Grower Says.” The story quotes a grower who believes the drive
to grow crops for biofuels is a fad that has taken away from finding
ways to save fuel or create it from waste. At the end of the story,
readers are invited to express their views.
|
USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) continues to expand its
pasture, rangeland and forage (PRF) crop insurance program. The program,
launched in selected areas of nine states in 2007, gives livestock
producers the opportunity to buy insurance protection for losses of
forage produced for grazing or harvested as hay.
RMA expanded the program in 2008, offering coverage to producers
throughout Alabama and Wyoming as well as in selected counties in South
Dakota and New York. Next year, livestock producers in Kansas, Missouri,
Nebraska, North Carolina and Virginia will be able to participate. With
those additions to the program, approximately 450 million acres of
grazing and forage land will be eligible for coverage.
Deadline
for enrolling in the program is Nov. 30. To learn more about rules and
eligibility, go to www.rma.usda.gov/policies/pasturerangeforage/.
To find an insurance provider in your area, check out the RMA agent
locator at www3.rma.usda.gov/tools/agents/.
|
Officials in areas of Texas hit hard by Hurricane Ike earlier this
month are seeking donations of hay, water troughs or cash to help
ranchers care for livestock. By some estimates, 20,000 cattle and
horses in southeastern Texas were displaced by the storm. To make a tax
deductible cash or credit card donation, call 979-845-2604 or go to the
Texas A&M University Web site at agrilifevents.tamu.edu and
follow the prompts to “No Fences” Hurricane Ike Horse and Cattle
Relief. To give hay (particularly small square bales), feed and other
in-kind donations, call the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Hay
Hotline at 877-429-1998 or 800-835-5832.
|
A paper explaining what should be considered in developing
strategies for producers of conventional, organic and
biotechnology-derived alfalfa to coexist in the marketplace is now
available to the public.
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) just released
Gene Flow in Alfalfa: Biology, Mitigation, and Potential Impact on
Production.
According to the paper’s executive summary, “the majority of the
domestic market is not sensitive to GE (genetically engineered) alfalfa,
but portions of the domestic hay and seed markets and much of the export
hay and seed markets are sensitive to adventitious presence of GE
traits. “Adventitious presence (AP) can be defined as seed or plant
materials that unintentionally appear, usually at low levels, in a crop
or crop products.”
The paper’s summary says “It seems that NAFA (National Alfalfa and
Forage Alliance) Best Management Practices in hay and certified alfalfa
seed production, coupled with the pollinator-specific isolation
guidelines outlined in the NAFA Best Management Practices document, are
adequate for managing AP to tolerance levels appropriate for most
markets. These types of management practices are employed successfully
by producers of certified seed in most crops, including alfalfa, to
ensure genetic purity of seed stocks.”
The paper, also known as Special Publication No. 28, is available in
hard copy ($18 plus shipping) and electronically ($10) by contacting the
CAST Office at 515-292-2125.
|
Hay growers producing for the U.S. beef and dairy industries will
likely find they have fewer mouths to feed next year, according to
USDA’s Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook report for September. In
the dairy sector, the report says slight increases in overall milk
production in 2009 will be due to small increases in yield per cow
rather than an expansion of the dairy herd. “Cow numbers should
decline,” the report concludes.
For beef cattle, the report notes that continuing levels of beef cow
slaughter, lower beef heifer retention and a high proportion of heifers
on feed demonstrate the potential for further reductions in the U.S.
beef breeding herd. “This situation is likely a direct result of the
much higher costs, primarily for feed and energy, faced by producers,”
says the report.
|
Iowa
There still might be room for prices of top-quality alfalfa hay to move
higher during the remainder of 2008. But holding on to supplies hoping
to capture better prices later is a risky strategy for hay growers, says
Dale Leslein, hay auctioneer at the Dyersville Sales Company in
Dyersville, IA.
Leslein notes that a severe supply shortfall has pushed the price for
top-end dairy hay in his area into the $200-245/ton range. “That’s
big money for this time of year,” he says. His recommendation: Sell
hay as it comes off the field. “Yes, you can sit on it for three
months waiting for prices to go up,” he says. “But if you figure
shrink (losses during storage) at around 10%, you’ll have to get
$260-275 later to equal the $230/ton or so you can get today. And I
don’t know that I’d want to gamble on $260-275 hay. Nobody ever went
broke making a profit.”
A major worry, he says, is that milk prices have dipped in recent
months. If that trend continues, dairy producers will eventually reach
break-even points on what they can afford to pay for alfalfa. “They
can only push up the price so far before they have to start
reformulating to replace the hay in their rations,” he notes. “That
could be the cap for the top-end hay market.”
On the other end of the market, Leslein says lower-quality hay looks to
be plentiful. Fewer placements in feedlots in southwestern Wisconsin,
northeastern Iowa and western Illinois could be a big drag on the local
market. “The cattle guys have been taking a pounding on price,” says
Leslein, noting some area feedlots are 85% empty. “If things stay that
way, we could be flooded with low-quality hay heading into the
winter.”
To learn more about Dyersville’s weekly hay auction (held on
Wednesdays), visit www.dyersvillesales.com. To
contact Leslein, phone 563-581-5119.
Pennsylvania
Earlier this month, more than 200 people gathered to see hay equipment
in action on Dave Fink’s Heidel Hollow Farm, Germansville, PA.
“It was perfect haying weather,” remembers Fink, an enthusiastic
advocate of hay handling systems. The demonstrations were sponsored by
the Southeast Pennsylvania Crop Conference with help from the
Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council.
Besides a 3 x 3’ large square baler, an accumulator, a bale handler
and a self-propelled stacker wagon were looked at.
“After the baling demonstration, a majority of the crowd went to look
at the accumulator. In our area, it’s an alternative to the
traditional thrower wagon type of system a lot of people operate. It’s
a step up, with less labor and less handling.”
Fink grows around 700 acres of hay – mostly timothy, mixed hay and
about 80 acres of straight alfalfa. He also buys and processes hay for
the family’s compressed bale business that ships across the U.S. and
internationally.
“The general market is higher and customers have limited resources, so
it’s going to be a challenge,” he says, for horse owners to find
affordable feed. “Our production costs are going through the roof; the
market reflects that and most of the customers understand what’s going
on. Most of them will continue to buy, but there are going to be a few
who are going to have to liquidate,” he predicts.
Because of fuel costs, he’s looked for hay as close to home as
possible. “This year a lot of our supplies came from north of us –
New York, Ontario and Quebec. They had severe challenges in getting the
first cutting made; there is not a lot of good quality north of us.”
|
University of Arkansas extension specialists will deliver
presentations on new ways to establish clover in pastures at two on-farm
field days next month. The first field day, to be held at the Larry
Wells Farm near Drasco (Cleburne County), will begin at 5 p.m. on Oct.
16. The second, scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 23, will take
place at the Steve Swenson farm near Shirley (Van Buren County). Topics
will include results of different seeding methods, tips for setting up
planting equipment, fencing and grazing for managing clover in pastures,
and determining how much nitrogen is provided by clover. While not
required, reservations are requested to help offset the cost of planning
materials and meals. For more information, contact Cleburne County
Extension at 501-362-2524 or Van Buren County Extension at 501-745-7117.
|
Sept. 30-Oct. 4 -- World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com.
Oct. 14 -- Cell Grazing: What, Why And How Webinar, 6-7 pm PT.
Free from Ranching For Profit School. To register, visit www2.gotomeeting.com/register/431268188.
Oct. 14-16 -- Southeastern Hay Contest, Sunbelt Agriculture
Exposition, Moultrie, GA. For guidelines and entry form, visit www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/forages/events/SEHC/SEHC.html.
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 BEEF 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 And Western Alfalfa
Seed Conference, Town & Country Resort and Hotel, San Diego. Learn
more at alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/+symposium/2008/.
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.
Jan. 15-16, 2009 -- Southwest Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso,
NM. Contact Gina Sterrett at 575-626-5677 or Justin Boswell at
575-840-9908.
Jan. 21-22, 2009 -- Heart Of America Grazing Conference,
Columbus, IN. Contact Jason Tower at 812-678-4427 or towerj@purdue.edu.
Feb. 3-4, 2009 -- Idaho Hay And Forage Conference, Burley. Call
Glenn Shewmaker at 208-736-3608.
Feb. 3-4, 2009 -- Mid-America Alfalfa Expo, Buffalo County
Fairgrounds, Kearney, NE. Contact Barb Kinnan at 800-743-1649 or nebalf@cozadtel.net.
Feb. 19, 2009 -- Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, Cave City
Convention Center. E-mail glacefie@kyu.edu or raysmith1@uky.edu.
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.
|
|
|
To unsubscribe from this newsletter go to: Unsubscribe
To subscribe to this newsletter, go to: Subscribe
You are subscribed to this newsletter as #email#
To get this newsletter in a different format (Text or HTML),
or to change your e-mail address, please visit your profile
page to change your delivery preferences.
For questions concerning delivery of this newsletter, please contact our
Customer Service Department at:
Hay and Forage Grower
A Penton Media publication
US Toll Free: 866-505-7173
International: 847-763-9504
Email:hayandforage@pbinews.com
Penton Media | 249 W. 17th Street | New York, NY 10011
Copyright 2008, Penton Media. All rights reserved. This article is
protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property
laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated,
transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly,
in any medium without the prior written permission of Penton Media.
|
|
|
