|
Hay & Forage Grower
USDA
Hay Prices
Weather
Send Questions & Comments To...
Rick Mooney, Editor, eHay Weekly, at
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.
|
|
|
|
Like many of his extension counterparts around the country,
University of Kentucky forage specialist Ray Smith has been getting lots
of phone calls in recent months from producers who want to know if they
should plant switchgrass as a biomass energy crop. His response?
“There really isn’t any biomass market right now,” says Smith.
“Nobody is paying farmers to grow it.”
Even so, Smith says he encourages some callers to consider planting
switchgrass as a forage crop on a small scale. “It will make a
good-quality, not top-quality, hay for a beef cow herd,” says Smith.
“You can start out planting just a few acres; I wouldn’t do it with
the idea that you’re going to get rich off it or even see a good
return right away. Instead, I’d get into it with the idea that
you’re going to learn more about what it takes to produce a crop.
Then, if a biomass energy market develops in the future, you’ll have
some experience growing switchgrass and might be in position to
capitalize.”
Click
here to read the rest of this story.
|
 Arrow™ herbicide contains the
number one post-applied grass active. Arrow controls the
toughest grassy weeds in alfalfa. Get outstanding performance with
excellent crop safety at the right price. Learn more about Arrow from
MANA at www.manainc.com
|
The 2008 version of the Ohio Forage Performance Trials Report is
available online at www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~perf/.
The report includes the performance of varieties of alfalfa, red clover,
orchardgrass, tall fescue, perennial and annual ryegrass, teff,
sudangrass and forage sorghum in tests planted during 2005-2008 on
various Ohio sites.
|
A quick look at grass hay samples from central Missouri shows just
how tough it was to put up high-quality hay in the show-me state during
2008. Last year’s samples, collected by University of Missouri
extension livestock specialist Gene Schmitz, averaged 6.9% crude protein
and 47.3% TDN. Samples Schmitz collected from 2004-2006 averaged 14.4%
protein and 53.1% TDN. “That’s a 52% reduction in protein content
and an 11% reduction in TDN compared to hay sampled in previous
years,” Schmitz notes.
The take-home message for beef producers looking at the numbers, says
Schmitz, is that sampling hay is extremely important this winter.
“For dry beef cows, the average 2008 hay crop is 12% below their
requirement for protein and 10% below their requirement for TDN,” he
says. “For lactating beef cows, it is 30% below their protein
requirement and 20% below the TDN requirement. Producers have access to
a variety of ingredients, such as grain and grain by-products, to supply
nutrients to overcome these nutrient deficiencies in hay. However, these
feed ingredients may be more expensive than in past years. ”
|
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
|
Put reducing farm-related injuries near the top on your list of
ways to cut operating costs, advises Jesse LaPrade, coordinator of
Alabama Extension’s farm safety training program. He cites data from
the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health showing 20% of
farms in the U.S. experience at least one injury each year that results
in one or more lost work days and that also requires professional
medical attention. Roughly 2% of farm injuries nationwide result in
permanent disabilities that can cost thousands of dollars to treat and
can result in years of lost income to the victim.
Providing safety training is your best bet for preventing costly
accidents. For ideas on what to include in a safety training program,
check out LaPrade’s Web site at www.aces.edu/farmsafety. For
information more specific to preventing accidents while haymaking, check
out the University of Maine’s “Harvesting Hay Safely” by clicking
here.
|
Topics related to harvesting equipment will be in the spotlight
when members of the Wisconsin Custom Operators get together for their
annual meeting and symposium at the Chula Vista Resort and Conference
Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI, next Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan. 27 and
28). Along with a session where three producers share their experiences
using tractor autosteer technology, there will also be a presentation on
how new regulations for diesel engines are likely to affect custom
operators.
Representatives from several major equipment manufacturers will offer
tips on how to properly repair and maintain choppers to keep them
running during the harvest season, while University of Minnesota
extension economist Bill Lazarus will discuss equipment economics. Along
with the equipment topics, WCO is also planning sessions on a banker’s
perspective on the custom harvesting business, a dairy producer panel
discussion on what they want from custom operators, a research report on
biomass harvest and storage considerations and more.
WCO hosts the symposium jointly with the Midwest Forage Association and
Professional Nutrient Applicators Association of Wisconsin. Watch for
reports on many of the presentations in upcoming issues of eHay
weekly and Hay & Forage Grower.
|
Idaho
With diesel fuel prices dropping sharply in recent months, now is a good
time to consider locking in a price on at least a portion of the coming
year’s supply needs, figures Don Hale, a Blackfoot, ID, hay grower and
president of the Idaho Hay and Forage Association.
Hale, who grows 500 acres of irrigated alfalfa-grass hay, has already
locked in 50% of his anticipated 2009 diesel fuel supply at an
agricultural-use price of $1.78/gallon. “Our feeling is that all of
the risk is to the upside,” he says. “We don’t see the price
getting too much lower.”
To shave the amount of fuel he’ll use in the year ahead, Hale intends
to continue blending diesel fuel with vegetable oil in his tractors. The
vegetable oil is obtained from a local potato processing business. “We
tried it for the first time last year because fuel prices were so
high,” he says. “We were a little skeptical about doing it at first.
We started out with a blend of 10% vegetable oil in one of our older
tractors and eventually moved up to a 50:50 blend in all of our
tractors. It was pretty pure stuff, so we didn’t have to filter it or
make any other kind of modifications to our equipment. When the weather
turned cold in November, we went back to straight diesel fuel.”
Hale figures he used 1,200 gallons of the vegetable oil last year.
Heading into 2009, he still has 700 gallons on hand. “We were able to
get a good deal on it because it was outdated and the (potato processor)
didn’t have a lot of other options for getting rid of it,” he says.
“It saved us some real money.”
To contact Hale, phone 208-680-4525 or email halefarms@msn.com.
Editor's Note: Have some good ideas for reducing fuel and other
input costs in 2009? To share them with other eHay Weekly
readers, email us at hfg@hayandforage.com.
Tennessee
After an unusually slow November, sales of high-quality horse hay
started to pick back up last month at Calvin Howard’s Production Acres
near Crossville, TN. The upward trend is continuing with the start of
the new year. “Typically, November is one of our two best months for
sales,” says Howard. “Last year, though, it was tough. We were
starting to get concerned.”
Howard believes the November slump was the result of buyers waiting to
empty their barns before making purchases. “With everything going on
in the general economy, people were scared heading into the winter,”
he says. “Now they’re completely out of hay and have to buy. We’re
adding two or three new customers a week.”
In a typical year, Howard makes 10,000, 3 x 3’ square bales on 1,500
acres split almost equally among orchardgrass-alfalfa,
orchardgrass-timothy and mixed grass plantings. He uses a Steffen
Systems slicer to repackage 50-75% of those bales into the small
rectangular bales favored by his horse-owner clientele. He buys another
10,000 bales out of a 10-state area for compressing. Along with horse
owners, he sells hay to alpaca, beef and dairy producers throughout the
southeastern U.S.
Howard says prices for medium-quality grass hay in his part of the
country are off roughly 20% from year-ago levels. Prices for
top-quality, fancy hay, on the other hand, are up $10-20/ton compared to
last year’s prices. “Some kinds of hay are just tough to find,”
he says. “We’ve been looking for second and third cuttings of
straight orchardgrass and we can’t find it anywhere. It just doesn’t
exist.”
To learn more about Howard’s company, go to www.productionACRES.com. To
contact Howard, phone 800-579-8115 or send an email to cdhoward@highland.net.
|
The 2009 Mid-America Alfalfa Expo will take place on Feb. 3-4 at
the Buffalo County Fairgrounds in Kearney, NE. Along with a full slate
of presentations on profitable alfalfa production from national and
international experts, a full line of exhibitors will be on hand to
showcase the latest in harvesting equipment, new alfalfa seed varieties,
irrigation systems, storage systems and more. The Nebraska Alfalfa
Marketing Association (N.A.M.A.) will also conduct its annual meeting
during the expo. For more information, contact Barb Kinnan,
N.A.M.A.’s executive director, at 800-743-1649 or nebalf@cozadtel.net.
|
Jan. 21-22 -- Heart Of America Grazing Conference, Columbus,
IN. Contact Jason Tower at 812-678-4427 or towerj@purdue.edu.
Jan. 22 -- University of California Cooperative Extension Winter Ag
Meeting, Ingram Hall, Intermountain Fairgrounds, McArthur. Call
Larry Forero at 530-224-4900 or Dan Marcum at 530-336-5784.
Jan. 29 -- Four-State I-29 Dairy Conference, Best Western
Ramkota Inn & Conference Center, Sioux Falls, SD. Contact Chris Mondak
at 712-737-4230 or cmondak@iastate.edu, or Alvaro
Garcia at 605-688-5488 or alvaro.garcia@sdstate.edu,
Jan. 29-30 -- Utah Hay and Forage Symposium, Holiday Inn Resort
Hotel and Conference Center, St. George. Go to www.utahhay.usu.edu.
Feb. 3-4 -- Idaho Hay And Forage Conference, Burley. Call Glenn
Shewmaker at 208-736-3608.
Feb. 3-4 -- Mid-America Alfalfa Expo, hosted by the Nebraska
Alfalfa Marketing Assn., Buffalo County Fairgrounds, Kearney, NE.
Contact Barb Kinnan at 800-743-1649 or nebalf@cozadtel.net.
Feb. 9-13 -- Minnesota Forage Days, tentative dates/locations.
Feb. 9 – Lamberton; Feb. 10 – Grand Rapids; Feb.
11 – Detroit Lakes; Feb. 12 – St. Cloud area; Feb.
13 – Rochester. For general information, email peter072@umn.edu or krishona@umn.edu. For updates, visit
www.extension.umn.edu/forages.
Feb. 12-13 -- Clemson University Conference, “Profitable Approaches
For Managing Forage Based Operations in the 21st Century,”
Radisson Inn, Columbia, SC. Go to www.clemson.edu/.
Feb. 17-18 -- Pennsylvania’s Professional Crop Producers
Conference, Penn Stater Conference Center, State College. To
register, call 877-778-2937.
Feb. 18 -- Manitoba Forage Symposium, Southern Manitoba
Convention Centre, Morris. Contact Dwayne Summach at 204-268-6014.
Feb. 19 -- Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, Cave City Convention
Center. Email glacefie@uky.edu or
raysmith1@uky.edu.
Feb. 21 -- Horse Education Day, University of Wisconsin-River
Falls Agriculture Building. (Jointly sponsored by University of
Wisconsin Extension and University of Minnesota Extension.) Contact
Krishona Martinson at 612-625-6776 or krishona@umn.edu.
Feb. 24 -- Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference,
University Plaza Hotel, Springfield. Contact the Greene County SWCD at
417-831-5246, ext. 3.
Feb. 27-28 -- Indiana Cattle And Forage Symposium, Hilton
Indianapolis North, Indianapolis. Call 800-515-2333 or go to www.indianabeef.org.
March 6-7 -- Appalachian Grazing Conference, Morgantown, WV.
Phone 304-293-6131 (ext. 4231) or email becky.casteel@mail.wvu.edu.
March 6-7 -- Joint Maryland Cattlemen's Convention/Central Maryland
Hay & Pasture Conference, Four Points Sheraton, Hagerstown. Contact
Scott Barao at 410-795-5309 or sbarao@marylandcattle.org or
Les Vough, 301-405-1322 or vough@umd.edu.
March 17 -- Northeast Pennsylvania Grazing Conference, Tri-County
Church, DuBois. For brochure and conference information, call
814-375-1372, ext. 4.
June 21-23 -- 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.
|
|
