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Slumping milk prices (see item below) are putting a lid on hay
prices at quality-tested hay auctions in the Upper Midwest as winter
progresses.
Prices at the twice-monthly auction in Stearns County, MN, have remained
flat overall since the auction season began in September, reports Dan
Martens, University of Minnesota extension educator for Benton, Stearns
and Morrison counties. “The price for good- to high-quality hay was
climbing a little from September through November,” says Martens.
“But in the last couple of months, with milk prices falling off the
table, it has dropped off. Dairy farmers are trying to manage their hay
cost and save a little money out of their milk checks for other aspects
of their businesses.”
At the Jan. 22 Stearns County sale, he reports, medium square bales of
alfalfa testing 151-175 relative feed value (RFV) brought an average of
$126/ton. Medium squares with an RFV of 126-150 averaged $104/ton.
“That’s off some from the extremely high prices we saw a year
ago,” says Martens. “But it’s also pretty close to the average
prices over a four- or five-year period.”
The trend is similar at the newly opened Steffes Auctioneers auction in
Litchfield, MN. “At the start of the season (November),
top-of-the-line alfalfa hay was going for around $1 per RFV point,”
says auction manager Roger Paul. “But at the last couple of auctions,
that’s probably dropped by 5% or so. Prices for lower-quality hay are
off by 20% from what they were in November.”
Click
here to read the rest of this story.
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by Ann Behling
During last week’s Mid-America Alfalfa Expo in Kearney, NE, Ron
Sealock invited hay growers to use the Nebraska Alfalfa Marketing
Association’s (N.A.M.A.) new forage-testing lab.
“Since opening the lab last August, we’ve had good support from our
membership and now we’re ready to offer our services on a national
basis,” said Sealock, lab manager. Added Barb Kinnan, N.A.M.A.’s
executive director: “Up until now, we’ve been concentrating on
getting ourselves educated and established and getting our system and
equipment in place. Now we’re confident in our processes and results
and what we can offer.”
The association decided to open the lab, which uses near-infrared (NIR)
technology, for two key reasons – education and reliability.
“There’s been so much controversy surrounding forage testing in
recent years, that we decided to educate ourselves about it,” said
Kinnan. “Forage testing is not an exact science, but we want to
produce real numbers that are reliable and repeatable.”
The lab offers four tests: basic NIR, basic NIR plus relative forage
quality (RFQ), replicated analyses of basic NIR and replicated analyses
of RFQ. Under the tutelage of Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin
extension forage specialist, the lab’s offering replicated analyses to
increase reliability. Rather than submitting one sample of 20 cores
from a hay lot, growers put a third of those cores in each of three bags
and submit them for analysis, getting a range of numbers instead of just
one.
The lab has begun the year-long process of becoming certified by the
National Forage Testing Association and is following protocols set up by
Undersander in accordance with the NIRS Forage and Feed Testing
Consortium.
Single-sample prices for non-N.A.M.A. members are $18 for basic NIR and
$20 for basic NIR plus RFQ. Replicated analyses is $32 for basic NIR and
$35 for basic NIR plus RFQ. N.A.M.A. members save $5/test.
Forage samples can be sent to 2416 Rd. 19, Exeter, NE 68351. Sealock
provides same-day results via phone, fax or e-mail. For more
information, call 888-525-8836 or e-mail foragetesting@nebraska-alfalfa.com.
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Farm milk prices tumbled throughout the U.S. in January, according
to a report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The expected all-milk price of $13.80/cwt was down $1.80 from the
previous month’s price and down $6.70 from the January 2008 all-milk
price. Minnesota was looking at the largest month-to-month price drop,
from $16.60 in December 2008 to an expected $12/cwt in January.
California was expecting a drop of $2.16/cwt to $11.20, the lowest
all-milk price in the country. Florida was the only major milk-producing
state anticipating an increase in price for the December-to-January
period, according to NASS.
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State transportation agencies in Virginia have lifted requirements
for hay and feed haulers due to lingering drought conditions in 18
counties. At the request of the state ag department, the transportation
and motor vehicles departments last week authorized a temporary waiver
of registration and license requirements, along with normal weight and
width restrictions.
Virginia Ag Commissioner Todd Haymore says the waiver will help farmers
meet their livestock feed needs through the rest of the winter. It’s
effective through March 30.
The waiver pertains only to statewide shippers of hay and feed products.
Loads are restricted to a maximum 12’ width provided the shippers
adhere to hauling-permit regulations and safety guidelines. For more
details on waiver restrictions, go to www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news.
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- Proceedings from last month’s annual meeting of the
Washington State Hay Growers Association are now available at www.wa-hay.org/Proceedings/index.html.
Topics covered include tax issues for today’s farm economy, gopher
control in forages, the Columbia Basin hay market situation, Roundup
Ready alfalfa and more.
- USDA released results from the 2007 Census of Agriculture last week.
To see all the details, go to www.agcensus.usda.gov/.
- North Dakoka State University’s Feedlist Web site links producers
looking to purchase hay and other feeds with sellers who have supplies
to market. Also on the site are listings for truckers and feedlots. Go
to www.ag.ndsu.edu/feedlist/.
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Gary Vermeer, founder and chairman emeritus of Vermeer Corporation,
passed away in Iowa last week at the age of 90.
Vermeer and his cousin, Ralph Vermeer, launched Vermeer Manufacturing
Co. in 1948 to manufacture wagon hoists. Gary Vermeer got the idea for
the hoist from neighbors who had to shovel corn out of wagons. Over the
next 60 years, the company grew into an international organization
manufacturing agricultural, construction, environmental and industrial
equipment. Today, Vermeer Corporation, with headquarters in Pella, IA,
has industrial dealerships in more than 60 countries and several hundred
agricultural dealers throughout the U.S. In the hay industry, Gary
Vermeer is probably best known for the round hay baler he invented in
1971.
To learn more about Vermeer and his achievements, visit www.garyvermeer.com.
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New
Mexico
Prices for high-quality hay in New Mexico are sure to come down from
2008’s record highs during the year ahead, says Duane Riggs, president
of the New Mexico Hay Growers Association. The big question on
growers’ minds is just how steep the drop will be. “Dairy producers
are seeing their prices tumble,” says Riggs, a hay grower and custom
operator from Garfield. “If they’re not making any money selling
their milk, we won’t be making any money selling our hay. It could get
serious.”
Last year, the price for premium hay in Riggs’ area topped out at
$210/ton. This year, Riggs figures the price could drop by $20/ton or
so. “At that price, most growers could still make a go of it,” he
says. “If it goes too much lower than that, though, I think you’ll
see a lot of people plow up their hay ground and plant higher-value
vegetable crops like chili peppers or onions.”
Riggs is a member of the Hatch Valley Marketing Association, a group of
35 hay growers who produce for a local 15,000-cow dairy. “Farm size of
our members ranges from 20 acres to 600 acres,” he says. “By
marketing as a group, we can do better on negotiating a price.” Last
year, Hatch Valley delivered 30,000 tons of hay, packaged mostly in
1-ton square bales, to the dairy. This year, the group anticipates
producing 45,000 tons of alfalfa hay. “We are looking for additional
markets all the time,” says Riggs, who can be contacted at
575-644-8968 or 575-267-4788.
New
England
New England horse owners are paying roughly $1/bale more for small
rectangular bales of grass hay this winter than they were a year ago,
reports Burke, NY, hay dealer Chris Oliver. Top-of-the-line 45- to 50-lb
bales are currently fetching $8 delivered, he reports. Lower-quality hay
is bringing around $5.50/bale.
Oliver and his wife, Donna, operate DBA Hay Express. In a typical year,
they buy 90,000-100,000 small square bales from 10-15 local growers in
upstate New York. They sell to small horse-farm owners and feed stores
throughout New England, from Northern Vermont to Connecticut.
Adjusting for fluctuating fuel costs posed a major challenge in 2008. As
fuel prices moved upward earlier in the year, Oliver was forced to
adjust his prices accordingly. “Most people didn’t complain,” he
says. “They were putting gas in their tanks every week, too, and
understood that rising prices were just something everyone had to live
with.”
When diesel prices started declining this fall, Oliver responded by
cutting hay prices. “We still had to pay the same price to our
suppliers because their costs were higher at the time they were putting
up their hay,” he says. “It affected our margins some. But the way
we see it, that’s just how business works sometimes.”
A major change between this year and last year, Oliver says, is that
customers are buying in smaller quantities but more frequently.
“Someone who used to buy a trailer load once a month is now buying 200
bales once a week,” he says. “With so much uncertainty in the
general economy, people are reluctant to lay out too much money at one
time.”
Oliver can be reached at 518-335-9787 (cell) or 888-429-3977 (office).
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The 29th Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, sponsored by the University
of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and the Kentucky Forage and
Grassland Council, will take place on Feb. 19 at the Cave City
Convention Center in Cave City. Among the topics on the agenda are the
art and science of haymaking, alfalfa hay for horses and cost and return
of alfalfa hay production. Registration fee for the event, which runs
from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., is $15. Student registration fee is $5.
For more information, contact Garry Lacefield at 202-365-7541 or email
glacefie@uky.edu.
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Feb. 18 -- Manitoba Forage Symposium, Southern Manitoba
Convention Centre, Morris. Contact Dwayne Summach at 204-268-6014.
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/.
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 12 -- Forage Technology Conference, Michigan State
University Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. Contact Richard Leep at
616-915-6353 or leep@msu.edu.
March 17 -- Northeast Pennsylvania Grazing Conference, Tri-County
Church, DuBois. Call 814-375-1372, ext. 4.
March 31-April 1 -- Fencing For Controlled Grazing Systems, a
hands-on fencing school conducted by the Virginia Forage and Grassland
Council and Virginia Cooperative Extension. March 31 – Days Inn,
Raphine, VA; April 1 – Southern Piedmont AREC, Blackstone, VA.
Contact Gordon Groover at 540-231-5850 or xgrover@vt.edu.
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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