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Hay & Forage Grower
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by Neil Tietz, Editor, Hay & Forage
Grower
The Roundup Ready trait is a potential weed management tool for
Midwestern alfalfa growers, but other potential products of genetic
engineering may have a greater impact on the crop’s profitability.
That was the main message delivered by Craig Sheaffer, University of
Minnesota forage agronomist, at last week’s Midwest Forage Association
annual symposium in Wisconsin Dells, WI.
Speaking as part of a panel on Roundup Ready alfalfa, Sheaffer said new
traits are needed to make alfalfa more competitive with corn and
soybeans. He pointed out that Minnesota’s alfalfa acreage has dropped
by a third since 1990, while corn and soybean acreage has increased.
Alfalfa is used mostly for cattle feed, but dairy numbers have declined.
Compared to the other two crops, which are raw materials for a diversity
of products, alternative uses for alfalfa haven’t been developed.
Unfortunately, its significant environmental benefits, like reducing
soil erosion, improving water quality and sequestering carbon and
nitrogen, are undervalued, he said.
“I’m really concerned about the future of alfalfa,” said Sheaffer.
“We have a great environmental crop that can improve the
sustainability of agriculture if used in crop rotations, but I think it
may very well become a minor crop here in the next 10 years.”
In a four-year study, he applied Roundup herbicide to Roundup Ready
alfalfa in the seeding year and compared the results with those of
conventional varieties treated with another herbicide. Forage yield and
quality were similar in the first year and over the life of the stands.
But costs were $18/acre higher for the Roundup Ready system because of
Monsanto’s technology fee.
“Although Roundup Ready technology gives producers flexibility to
control a diversity of weeds, I really think a farmer in the Midwest who
has a good rotation with alfalfa, corn and soybeans, and has his weed
population under control, may not need it,” said Sheaffer. “He may
not need any herbicide.”
However, Sheaffer worries that other genetically engineered traits that
could increase alfalfa’s value and use may be delayed if Roundup Ready
alfalfa doesn’t clear legal hurdles. “Without genetic engineering,
will we lose alfalfa from our landscapes?” Sheaffer asked. He
suggested that the crop’s many ecosystem benefits should be weighed
against the risks associated with genetic engineering as part of the
Roundup Ready alfalfa debate. He emphasized, however, that if Roundup
Ready alfalfa is approved, guidelines and oversight must be developed
that will protect farmers’ rights to grow non-genetically engineered
forage or seed.
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California farmers are facing a severe drought heading into the
2009 growing season, according to the director of the state’s
Department of Water Resources. Commenting on last week’s statewide
snow survey, Lester Snow noted snow water content statewide is 61% of
average for this time of year. “The low precipitation in January and
snowpack results from today’s survey indicate California is heading
for a third straight dry year,” said Snow. “We may be at the start
of the worst California drought in modern history.”
A report in last week’s Western Farm Press, a sister
publication of Hay & Forage Grower and eHay Weekly, notes
that, with only two months left in what is normally the wettest part of
the season, it is growing increasingly unlikely that enough
precipitation will fall this winter to end the drought.
Currently, water stored in reservoirs statewide stands at 35% of
capacity. Only two other years have seen lower reservoir levels at this
time of year – 1977 and 1992, both extreme drought years.
In a recent statement on the water outlook for 2009, the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation said water deliveries in California will be “very
challenging this year” and allocations will be “relatively low.”
An official water delivery forecast will be released later this month.
According to a report in the California Farm Bureau Federation’s
AgAlert newspaper, banks are increasingly cautious about making
production loans without better assurances of reliable water supplies
and in some areas have cut off farmers' lines of credit.
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Buying hay for horses this winter? University of Minnesota
extension equine specialist Krishona Martinson offers these suggestions:
- Buy good-quality hay. Inspect several bales from a load and
evaluate them for content (grass or alfalfa), maturity (presence or
absence of seed heads or flowers), smell, color and texture. Ensure
bales are free of mold, dust and weeds.
- Have hay tested for quality before purchase. One option, says
Martinson, is to buy at a quality-tested hay auction.
- Try to keep hay type (grass and/or alfalfa) consistent.
“Constantly changing hay types can lead to horse health problems,
especially colic,” explains Martinson.
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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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A new publication outlining strategies for holding livestock
feeding expenses in line when stored forage is not available can now be
accessed online. Extending Grazing And Reducing Stored Feed Needs
was developed by forage and grazing specialists in five states. The
Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI), a consortium of livestock-
and forage-oriented organizations, also helped develop the publication.
It was written by Don Ball, Auburn University; Ed Ballard, University of
Illinois; Mark Kennedy, Missouri NRCS; Garry Lacefield, University of
Kentucky; and Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin. The authors
collectively have nearly 150 years of experience working with livestock
producers.
Hard copies of the 8½ x 11”, color publication will eventually be
available through extension forage specialists, NRCS offices and other
GLCI organizations. In the meantime, you can check out a pdf version by
clicking
here.
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Winter can be a good time to catch up on the reading you don’t
have time to do during the growing season. The following are some online
offerings we came across during a recent round of Web surfing:
- The “2008 Forage Trials Report” is now available from Penn
State University at cropsoil.psu.edu/pdf/2008.
This year’s report contains variety information on alfalfa, red clover
and many cool-season grass species.
- New Mexico State University has posted its 2008 “New Mexico
Alfalfa Variety Test Report” online. Go to cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/variety_trials.
Reports from previous years are also available on the Web site.
- The University of Minnesota has compiled a list of hay and straw
auctions held throughout the state. Go to www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components.
Also on the site is a listing of private hay suppliers in Minnesota.
- The University of Georgia has developed a Web site offering
information on managing switchgrass for wildlife habitat, bioenergy and
livestock feed. Go to www.caes.uga.edu/commodities.
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Relative forage quality (RFQ) will be added to the list of criteria
for determining winners in this year’s American Forage and Grassland
Council (AFGC) hay show. Relative feed value (RFV) will still be the
main quality criterion in this year’s show, accounting for 45% of the
total score for each entry. RFQ will account for 15% of the score, while
physical appearance will determine 25% and crude protein 15%.
According to hay show organizers, RFQ provides a better indication of
animal performance over all types of hay than RFV. The organizers also
note a number of states are now using RFQ as a quality criterion for
determining hay harvest timing, forage allocations to animals and
pricing.
Participation in the AFGC hay show, which features nine hay classes, is
limited to direct and affiliate members. All hay entered in this
year’s contest must be from the 2008 crop. Deadline for entering is
April 3. Hay show winners will be announced at this year’s AFGC annual
conference, scheduled for June 21-23 at the Amway Grand Rapids Hotel in
Grand Rapids, MI.
For more information on the hay show and conference, go to www.afgc.org. To learn more about RFQ, go
to www.uwex.edu/ces/crops.
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Georgia
With the exception of the northeast corner of the state, most of Georgia
should have an adequate hay supply to meet winter livestock feeding
needs, says University of Georgia extension forage specialist Dennis
Hancock.
“In northeastern Georgia, they had a fairly severe drought again last
summer, so hay supplies are pretty short,” says Hancock. “In the
rest of the state, though, we did get some rain when we needed it. It
wasn’t necessarily a great summer for making hay, but there’s enough
hay around that most people should be able to hold their own.”
Hancock also notes that many Georgia cattle producers have been heavily
culling their herds over the past 1½-2 years. “We have fewer mouths
to feed,” he says. “That’s taken some pressure off demand as
well.”
Net result: Prices have softened compared to year-ago levels. Currently,
good-quality grass hay (relative forage quality of 80-90) is selling for
$90-100/dry ton. “Last year, with the extremely tight supply situation
we had, the price was closer to $140-150/ton for that kind of hay,”
Hancock says. “In some cases, it was even higher.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming growing season, weather is the topic of
most interest to the state’s hay growers, according to Hancock. “The
long-term forecasts I’ve seen point to a dry spring,” he says.
“But it also looks like the chances are about 50-50 we could have a
normal summer. A lot of growers would look forward to normal.”
Input costs are also on the minds of many growers. “We’ve seen
nitrogen prices fall off pretty sharply recently,” he says. “Urea is
now selling for less than $300/ton. But it doesn’t look like P and K
are going to go down much more than they already have. If hay prices
stay where they’re at now, it could be tough for some producers to
cover their cost of production.”
To learn more about hay and forage production in the state, go to the
University of Georgia forage Web site at www.georgiaforages.com/. To
contact Hancock, phone 706-542-1529 or email dhancock@uga.edu.
North Dakota
The slump in the general economy bears close watching on the part of
organic hay growers, says Kevin Falk, who grows 650 acres of organic hay
under irrigation at Falk’s Organic Farms near Tappen, ND. “You
really have to wonder what’s going to happen,” says Falk. “If
things keep going the way they have been, we could see a correction in
prices. The big worry is that people may not have the money to buy
organic food products. In that case, organic dairy producers would
receive less for their milk and they’d have to back off some on what
they pay for hay.”
The price trend for organic hay in 2008 was more or less sideways, says
Falk. He sold his alfalfa, packaged in medium-sized square bales (3 x 3
x 8’), for around $1 per point of relative feed value (RFV).
Conventional hay (Falk put up about 2,500 bales last year) brought about
30 cents less per RFV point. Demand overall was good. He was sold out of
hay about two months after the harvest season ended.
Falk sold about 80% of his 2008 organic hay crop through an Organic
Valley Co-op producer pool. Based in LaFarge, WI, Organic Valley is the
largest organic farmer-owned cooperative in the U.S. “You have to have
an outlet to make organic hay pay,” he says. “Working with Organic
Valley is a good way to go. They line up the buyers and take care of the
contract details. They also guarantee payment. All we have to do is load
up the trucks and get it to the buyer’s place.”
Last year, Falk shipped hay to Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Carolina and
Minnesota. He’s looking to line up additional markets this year. To
contact him, phone 701-327-8290 or send an e-mail to skfalk@bektel.com.
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The 2009 Manitoba Forage Symposium will be held Feb. 17-18 at the
Southern Manitoba Convention Centre in Morris. Along with a trade show,
this year’s symposium will feature a full slate of
informational/educational presentations. Topics on the agenda include an
update on international forage markets, determining hay quality before
you cut, elements of successful businesses and more. For a complete
agenda and registration information, go to the Manitoba Forage Council
Web site at www.mbforagecouncil.mb.ca/.
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Feb. 9-13 -- Minnesota Forage Days, dates/locations: Feb.
9 – Lamberton; Feb. 10 – Floodwood; Feb. 11 –
Detroit Lakes; Feb. 12 – Royalton; Feb. 13 –
Rochester. Email peter072@umn.edu
or krishona@umn.edu.
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 5 -- Illinois Forage Institute, Del Curley Conference
Center/Agri-King, Inc., Fulton. Phone 815-772-4075 or visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/rockfordcenter/ag.html.
March 5-April 23 -- Georgia-South Carolina Regional Forage Training.
Dates and locations: March 5 – Thomaston, GA; March
9 – Chester, SC; March 10 – Florence, SC; March 12
– Abbeville, SC; March 17 – Dalton, GA; March 23 –
Ocilla, GA; April 23 – Carnesville, GA. Go to www.georgiaforages.com.
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 at 301-405-1322 or vough@umd.edu.
March 17 -- Northeast Pennsylvania Grazing Conference, Tri-County
Church, DuBois. Call 814-375-1372, ext. 4.
April 21 -- Georgia 2009 Hay Production School, Stuckey
Auditorium, University of Georgia Griffin Campus. Go to www.georgiaforages.com.
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.
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