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Hay & Forage Grower
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With more and more people in rural areas using the Internet to
conduct business (see Numbers Of Note, March 10 issue), hay growers need
to be open to new ways of advertising and marketing their products, says
Don Brown, Jr., a hay grower and hay and straw dealer from Davis, IL.
Brown is also president of the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council.
“We’ve advertised in farm newspapers and magazines over the
years,” says Brown, who with his wife, Sandee, operates under the
business name of D & S Brown Farms. “But like everybody else, we’re
trying to watch what we’re spending on advertising more closely.
We’re also concerned that newspapers may not be around in a couple of
years the way things are going.”
This year, Brown put a hay-for-sale listing on Craigslist, www.craigslist.org, an online
classified ad service, for the first time. “I didn’t really know
what to expect,” he says. “But I put the ad up. After about 20
minutes, I sold two semi loads of beef- and horse-quality hay. Both of
the sales were within an hour of home.”
Placing an ad on Craigslist is free, Brown notes. “It does take a
little time to get familiar with how the site works. You also have to
monitor it closely because as more ads are placed, your listing moves
farther down the list. We’re learning. It’s definitely something
we’ll use more.”
Brown has also started making use of listing services developed and
maintained by public agencies, such as the University of Wisconsin’s
Farmer to Farmer Web site, farmertofarmer.uwex.edu, and
the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Hay and Straw Directory, www.agr.state.il.us/markets/hay.
“We try to do a little research ahead of time and then target our
listings to where it looks like there’s a need for what we have,” he
says.
The Browns devote 300 acres of their 600-acre farm to hay production,
putting up alfalfa, mixed alfalfa-grass and straight grass hay in 3 x 3
x 8’ bales. In a typical year, about 30% of their hay sales are to
dairies, 30% to beef operations and 30% to horse owners. The remaining
10% of sales are to a variety of markets, including alpaca owners and
circuses. The Browns have a fleet of three trucks to deliver in their
target market area of Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. When they get calls
for hay farther afield – Indiana and Tennessee – they contract with
other truckers.
While dairy-quality alfalfa hay (RFV of 150-160) in the Browns’ area
fetched $165-180/ton throughout the fall and into the early winter,
prices have dropped to around $145/ton. “And we’re trying to move
it,” he says. “After the first of the year, people started emptying
their barns, and there was a lot of hay and straw moving at the local
auctions.” Depending on quality, horse hay is bringing $110-185/ton
and beef hay is selling for $60-120/ton.
To contact Brown, phone 815-238-8372 or email don.brownjr@yahoo.com.
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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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California alfalfa fields should be a lush green carpet this time
of year, but in many parts of the state, fields are scarred with patches
of stunted, dead-looking, twisted and deformed plants. University of
California-Davis scientists have determined a voracious microscopic pest
known as the alfalfa stem nematode may be causing the reduced growth and
crop losses. Researchers suspect warm weather in January followed by
abundant rainfall in February set the stage for the infestation,
although changing cultural practices and/or pesticide use patterns may
also be playing a role. For more details on the outbreak and steps UC
Cooperative Extension is taking to deal with the problem, visit hayandforage.com.
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The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted
approval to state ag departments in Texas and Oklahoma to issue a
Section 18 specific exemption allowing the use of pendimethalin (Prowl
H20) to control sandbur species in bermudagrass pastures and hayfields.
Pendimethalin is a widely used pre-emergent herbicide in turf grass and
certain field crops, but does not have permanent label registration
status for use on pastures and hayfields. Although drought is severely
limiting forage production, eliminating sandburs will help pastures
recover faster and improve grazing and hay opportunities if it rains.
Prowl may be used following all directions, restrictions and precautions
on the product label, as well as restrictions within the exemption
notice. The exemption expires June 30, 2009. A recent story in
Southwest Farm Press notes that, under the exemption rules,
applications can only be made by certified applicators, licensed
applicators or people under the direct supervision of licensed
applicators.
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 Silencer®
insecticide maximizes your return on investment in alfalfa with the
premier pyrethroid. Silencer® provides highly advanced chemistry for
immediate knockdown and effective control of a wide spectrum of
yield-robbing pests. Dual action activity, by contact and ingestion,
strengthens performance. Protect alfalfa from competitive insects with
long-lasting Silencer from MANA.
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A third of the 150 attendees at the recent Monett Beef
Cattlemen’s Conference in southwestern Missouri ranked
rotational/management-intensive grazing as the most helpful management
practice they’ve used in the last 12 months, reports University of
Missouri extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole. “A high percentage
of the other responses dealt with pasture or hay production,” says
Cole. Adding legumes to pastures and stockpiling fescue were the distant
second and third answers.
Other forage-related management tips included: cut hay earlier, applied
weed control, used warm-season grass, replaced endophyte-infected
Kentucky 31 fescue and used poultry litter instead of commercial
fertilizer. "It's logical that cattle producers concern themselves with
forage production since it's at least two-thirds the annual cost of
keeping a beef cow," says Cole.
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7 days remaining until the release date (March
31) for USDA’s 2009 Prospective Plantings report, which will estimate
the number of hay acres growers will harvest. See next week’s eHay
Weekly for details.
15 California dairies (out of a total 1,750 dairies
in the state) exiting the business since the start of the year,
according to a recent report in the Sacramento Bee.
$195 per-ton selling price for a load of medium
square bales sold at the quality-tested hay auction in Sauk Centre, MN,
on March 5. The fourth-cutting hay tested 240 for relative feed value
(RFV). For a complete auction summary, go to www.extension.umn.edu/cropenews/hay.
$829 million cost of the ongoing drought to Texas
farmers and ranchers since last November, according to Texas A&M
University economists. The economists estimate losses could surpass the
$1 billion mark in the next 60 days as livestock producers continue to
make supplemental feed purchases or sell cattle and calves in a
declining market.
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Iowa
Hay demand remains high in the eastern part of the state, says Bob
Humpal, owner of Fort Atkinson Hay, which conducts a weekly auction on
Wednesdays year-round. “There’s a lot of hay moving right now. Last
week, we had a 120 loads go through here.”
Good to choice hay, packaged in large square bales, has been bringing
$125-175/ton depending on quality, he says. “That’s off a little bit
from a year ago, but not all that much. The market is still good.”
A major difference comparing this year to other years is that hay seems
to be coming in from farther away, Humpal notes. “In early March, we
had six loads come through from Manitoba, 600 miles north of here.
We’ve also had loads from Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and
southwestern Minnesota. Apparently, there’s a pretty good supply in
those areas.”
To learn more about Fort Atkinson Hay, visit the company’s Web site at
www.fortatkinsonhay.com.
Contact Humpal at 563-534-7513 or forthay@acegroup.cc.
Texas
High horse-owner demand has pushed up prices for small square bales of
Tifton 85 and Coastal bermudagrass by $1/bale over year-ago levels,
reports Kilgore hay grower Ross Kinney. Even though dry weather has
crimped available supplies in many parts of the state, he’s reluctant
to move his asking price much higher. “We’re probably running pretty
close to the maximum price at $7/bale. If we went much higher than that,
we’d run the risk of losing sales.”
Kinney puts up nearly 20,000 small squares annually on 120 acres,
including 80 irrigated acres. In a typical season, he’ll take seven
cuttings. Most of his buyers are located within 50 miles of Kilgore.
“We had a little carryover heading into the winter. But hay sales have
been pretty brisk. We’re about sold out at this point.”
Looking to the upcoming growing season, Kinney says he already has
commitments from buyers for about 85% of his production. “If it stays
dry, demand will likely be strong again. If that’s the case, we’ll
bump up our fertilizer use a bit and put more water to the crop. If
demand looks like it’s not going to be there, we’ll back off some on
inputs.”
Kinney also markets Tifton 85 bermudagrass sprigs for planting by other
growers in Texas and neighboring states. “Last year, our sales were
off by more than 35%, mostly because people were tearing up hay ground
for corn and because of high input costs. This year, we’re hoping we
can at least hold even with last year’s sales.”
Contact Kinney at 903-522-0308 or ross@esawireless.com.
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The Virginia Forage and Grassland Council and Virginia Cooperative
Extension will be conducting day-long workshops on fencing for
controlled grazing systems at two locations next week. Along with
presentations on fence economics, construction basics and electric fence
and energizer troubleshooting, the workshops will feature post-driving
and safety demonstrations and hands-on brace-building and fence
construction sessions.
The workshop on Tuesday, March 31, will be at the Days Inn in Raphine.
The workshop will be repeated on Wednesday, April 1, at the Southern
Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Blackstone.
For more details, contact Gordon Groover at 540-231-5850 or xgrover@vt.edu.
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April 1-2 -- Central Plains Dairy Expo, Convention Center,
Sioux Falls, SD. Phone 218-236-8420 or visit www.centralplainsdairy.com.
April 17-19 -- Midwest Horse Fair, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Go to midwesthorsefair.com/.
April 21 -- Georgia 2009 Hay Production School, Stuckey
Auditorium, University of Georgia Griffin Campus. Go to www.georgiaforages.com.
May 8 -- Southwest Dairy Day, Sierra Dairy, Dublin, TX. Visit texasdairymatters.org or email
c-holley@tamu.edu.
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.
July 29-30 -- U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center Getting More From
Forages Conference, Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.dfrc.ars.usda.gov/forages/Program.html
for more details.
Sept. 17-19 -- National Hay Association Convention, Cadillac
Jack’s Gaming Resort, Deadwood, SD. Contact Don Kieffer at
800-707-0014 or visit www.nationalhay.org.
Sept. 29-Oct. 3 -- World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com.
Feb 16-17, 2010 -- Idaho Hay and Forage Conference, Best Western
Burley Inn, Burley, ID. For more information, contact Glenn Shewmaker at
208-736-3608 or gshew@uidaho.edu.
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