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Hay & Forage Grower
USDA
Hay Prices
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A dragging dairy economy worldwide continues to put downward
pressure on alfalfa hay exports out of the Pacific Northwest, says Mark
Anderson, president of Anderson Hay & Grain Co., Inc., an exporting firm
in Ellensburg, WA. He reports the current price for premium export hay
is around $130/ton, significantly below last summer’s high-watermark
of $250/ton. “It’s best described as a soft market right now,”
says Anderson. There’s a lot of concern (among hay growers and
exporters alike) about how 2009 is shaping up.”
While slumping milk prices have been the major factor underpinning the
domestic hay price collapse, the “tough” dairy economy is not just a
U.S. issue, says Anderson. “Specifics vary from country to country.
But high input costs are the one constant. They have created an
unprofitable marketing situation for dairy producers all over the
world.”
A variety of other factors are also making it more difficult for U.S.
hay exporters to move product overseas. Fluctuations in currency values
have caused buyers in some Pacific Rim countries to back off on hay
purchases. “In particular, the Korean won has had a very tough
time,” says Anderson.
The worldwide economic slump has also crimped imports of all kinds of
products coming into U.S. ports. In turn, that’s created a shortage in
the number of shipping containers available for moving hay abroad.
“That really complicates the economics related to transportation,”
says Anderson.
Click
here to read the entire story.
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Switchgrass can produce substantially more biomass than previously
reported, according to Ceres Inc., an energy crop company based in
Thousand Oaks, CA. Average yield figures often used by academics and
policymakers to forecast bioenergy economics and environmental benefits
might be far too conservative, Ceres officials add.
In a press release issued last week, the company reported yield results
from its nationwide network of field trials. Average biomass yields for
switchgrass varieties tested last season were as much as 50% higher than
the government’s projected yields for 2022, according to the company.
Its Blade Energy Crops brand proprietary varieties were consistently the
highest-yielding varieties across multiple trial locations, with average
yields at nearly 10 tons/acre, officials say.
They add that policymakers will likely need to rethink assumptions
regarding energy crop production. A number of studies assume switchgrass
yields as low as 2-4 tons/acre and many hold that yields will be
virtually flat into the future.
Ceres CEO Richard Hamilton says that, while Ceres needs additional data
before formally proposing new benchmarks, the “writing was on the
wall. These results are not surprising when you look at the impact
utilizing modern biology has had on food crop yields, like corn, which
has seen a five-fold increase since the first hybrids were
introduced.”
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Determining whether to add boron to potassium and phosphorus
applications requires careful calculations by alfalfa growers, says
Keith Johnson, Purdue University extension forage specialist.
Alfalfa more than other crops requires boron for good growth and
productivity. “It’s an essential micronutrient for all plants, but
alfalfa requires higher amounts,” he says. “Boron is more likely to
be deficient in soils with low organic matter, sandy soils and in
unglaciated soils.”
Symptoms of boron deficiency include a shortening of the plant's
internodes, which leads to a shorter plant and yellowing. “It actually
looks very similar to potato leafhopper damage,” says Johnson.
To determine if boron is needed, he recommends randomly collecting the
upper 6” of 50 alfalfa plants and submitting plant tissue to a lab for
analysis. A tissue analysis costs between $20 and $30 and could more
than pay for itself if there is a deficiency, he says. A list of
laboratories is available at www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/soiltest.html.
“Because boron is a micronutrient, an application of only 1-3
lbs/acre/year is sufficient if the tissue test indicates a need,”
Johnson says. “It may be that boron only needs to be applied every
other year. It’s important to have a tissue analysis done because it
can be beneficial from a cost-savings standpoint, and too much boron can
be toxic for a following corn, soybean or other grain crop.”
Johnson also advises alfalfa growers to talk with their fertilizer
dealers. “Some may get a standardized mix with potassium, phosphorus
and boron when they may not need to add boron this year. It’s best to
check and make sure everything matches up from what the soil needs to
produce a good stand to what you're purchasing and applying.”
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Cool, wet weather in Kentucky this spring has been a mixed blessing
for many hay growers. The weather delayed some producers’ first
cuttings, but the cool temperatures and additional moisture were
beneficial to hay quality and growth. “As of right now, hay quality
across the state is excellent,” says Tom Keene, University of Kentucky
(UK) hay marketing specialist. “The wet weather should make for an
abundant first cutting.”
On the flip side, Keene notes that, while quality is not suffering now,
it could begin to decline if hay is not cut in another couple of weeks.
The number of cuttings this season could also be reduced if the weather
doesn’t improve soon. “It’s really a wait-and-see situation now.
We’re in great shape. We just need to get some good weather.”
Forecasts look more favorable for hay production. UK ag meteorologist
Tom Priddy says weather conditions should return to normal toward the
end of this month.
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0 Percent of Alabama affected by
drought/dry conditions as of mid-May, according to the U.S. Drought
Monitor. A year ago, 88% of the state was in a drought or experiencing
dry conditions. To see the most recent national drought conditions map,
go to www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.
$133 Average per-ton price of alfalfa hay in
the U.S. during April as reported in the May Dairy Situation and
Outlook from Bob Cropp, University of Wisconsin ag economist
emeritus. The April 2009 price is down 17% from year-earlier levels.
388 Bids tentatively accepted in the latest
round of Cooperatives Working Together (CWT), a dairy herd retirement
program developed by the National Milk Producers Federation. The bids
represent 102,898 dairy cows and 2 billion pounds of milk production
capacity. Get more specifics at hayandforage.com.
35,000 Estimated horse population of Maine,
according to a recent story in the Bangor Daily News. Citing a
study by the Maine Farm Bureau Horse Council and Maine Harness Racing
Promotion Board, the story notes that the total financial impact of the
state’s horse population is $400 million.
$100,000+ Estimated value of farm equipment
stolen from a McMinn County, TN, dairy farm earlier this month,
according to a report on WRCB-TV in Chattanooga. Roger Robertson,
Robertson Dairy Farm, says he’s been checking with farm equipment
auctions in several states, hoping to find the equipment. Anyone with
information is asked to contact law enforcement in McMinn County.
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Minnesota
A dry spring in the east-central part of the state could delay
first-crop cutting at Carpenter Farm Partnership, LLP, near Isanti, MN.
“We have some pretty sandy soils here, so we usually figure on getting
started around June 1,” says Ryan Carpenter. “But we’ve had a dry
spring so far. We might push things back a little to see if we can catch
a rain shower or two to help bring things along.”
Carpenter puts up 200 acres of alfalfa-grass (timothy and orchardgrass)
hay in small square bales. Depending on the weather, he’ll take three
cuttings and make 15,000-20,000 bales/year. He sells mostly to local
horse owners.
Like growers everywhere, Carpenter is wondering what’s in store for
prices in 2009. At the start of last year’s growing season, he notes,
horse owners were paying $5-6 for 50-lb bales. “But with the higher
prices, more people started making hay in this part of Minnesota,” he
says. “By the time the season ended, we had an oversupply, and that
brought prices down. Right now, the price is about half of what it was
at last year’s peak.”
Carpenter figures he probably could have charged even more for hay
during last year’s price run-up. He resisted because he believes
strongly in treating longtime customers fairly. “We have 50-60
customers we’ve been dealing with for a long time,” says Carpenter,
who has been in the hay business for 15 years. “We wanted to make sure
we could meet their needs and keep them as customers.”
“We like repeat business. It’s easier to work with customers
you’ve known for a long time. You get to learn what kind of volume
they’ll be looking for from year to year and that helps with planning.
Also with repeat customers, there’s a history of checks clearing at
the bank, and that can be worth a lot. We always welcome new business,
of course, but sometimes working with people you don’t know very well
can bring on a lot of additional challenges.”
To contact Carpenter, call 612-581-9777 or email ryan-carpenter@hotmail.com.
Mississippi
Heavy rains in the first two weeks of May delayed first-cutting harvest
of hybrid bermudagrass and bahiagrass in much of the state, reports
Mississippi State University extension forage specialist Rocky Lemus.
“We should have some good yields as a result of that precipitation,”
he says. “But we’re also expecting quality will decrease a little
bit.”
Lemus says the heavy rainfall pattern dates back to early February.
Currently, many parts of the state are running about 12” above average
for precipitation during the first five months of the year. The weather
also delayed first-crop ryegrass cuttings during April and May.
“Typically, we figure that for every two weeks harvest is delayed,
quality (crude protein) declines by about three percentage points,” he
says.
Heading into the new growing season, there appears to be an ample supply
of hay in the state, Lemus adds. “We see a lot of hay-for-sale ads in
the newspapers,” he says.
High fertilizer costs remain a major concern. Lemus reports some
Mississippi growers are looking at poultry litter as a replacement for
commercial nitrogen. “But right now it’s selling for around $60/ton
if you can get it,” he says. “And results from some economic
analyses we’ve done show growers can really only afford to pay about
$18/ton for it. More than anything else, it shows soil testing is more
important than ever.”
To contact Lemus, phone 662-325-7718 or email rlemus@ext.msstate.edu.
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Cornell University researchers are looking at new ways to control
alfalfa snout beetle, an invasive insect that infests about 13% of New
York’s agricultural land and causes substantial damage to alfalfa.
(For more on snout beetles, see last week’s eHay
Weekly.)
Cornell entomologist Elson Shields is conducting studies that involve
growing nematodes to naturally attack the beetle. "The field results
produced on northern New York farms showed the nematodes were able to
maintain themselves in the field while reducing the larval populations
of the alfalfa snout beetle and reducing or eliminating feeding injury
to the alfalfa crops," says Shields, who is developing a cost-effective
method for farmers to grow and apply their own nematodes to control the
beetles. "We think the protocol for using nematodes will require only
one inoculation per field with farm-grown, persistent nematode strains
to reduce the snout beetle population on a farm.”
As another control measure, plant breeder Don Viands has been
selectively breeding snout beetle-resistant alfalfa varieties. After a
decade of breeding, some varieties will be entering their sixth and
seventh generations of selections this year. Beetles collected by the
researchers this spring will be used to stress alfalfa growing in the
Cornell plant breeding lab.
Field testing already is under way on several northern New York farms.
"We have seen promising trends of less and less root damage on the
greenhouse-grown alfalfa and are eager to see how well the experimental
plant populations showing the greatest potential for resistance perform
on the farms in northern New York," says Viands.
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Improving profitability will be the focal point of this year’s
Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference in Dubuque, IA. The
conference is slated for June 10-11 at the Grand River Center.
The conference, which will feature presentations related to herd health,
feeding and nutrition, management and housing, is jointly sponsored by
University Extension in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. For a
brochure and registration information, go to www.wasa.org/4state09.pdf or
call the Wisconsin Agri-Service Association at 608-223-1111.
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June 11 -- University of Tennessee Beef And Forage Field Day,
Blount Unit/East Tennessee Ag Research and Education Center,
Knoxville. Call 865-974-7201 or go to east.tennessee.edu.
June 21-23 -- American Forage & Grassland Council Annual
Conference, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI. Call
800-944-2342, email info@afgc.org or
visit www.afgc.org/mc/page.do.
June 25 -- University of Tennessee Tobacco, Beef And More Field Day,
Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center, Springfield. Call
615-382-3130.
June 27 -- 2009 Equine Field Day, University of Kentucky’s
Maine Chance Equine Campus, Lexington. Call 859-257-2226 or go to www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/EquineFieldDayFlieremail.pdf.
July 23 -- University Of Kentucky All Commodity Field Day, UK
Research and Education Center, Princeton. For details, visit ces.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/.
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.
Aug. 1-2 -- Florida Small Farms And Alternative Enterprises
Conference, Osceola County Heritage Park, Kissimmee. Go to smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/floridasmallfarmsconference/index.htm.
Aug. 27 -- 2009 Arlington Agronomy And Soils Field Day,
University of Wisconsin Agricultural Research Station, Arlington.
Download the program here.
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.
Oct. 29 -- Kentucky Grazing Conference, University of Kentucky
Research and Education Center, Princeton. Details available soon at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage.
Nov. 4-6 -- DHI-Provo 55th-Annual Herd Management Training
Conference, Provo, UT. Details forthcoming at www.dhiprovo.com.
Nov. 10-11 -- BEEF Quality Summit, Stoney Creek Inn, St.
Joseph, MO, hosted by BEEF magazine. Visit beefconference.com for details to
come.
Nov. 18-19 -- McCook Farm And Ranch Expo, Red Willow County
Fairgrounds, McCook, NE. Visit mccookfarmandranchexpo.net
or call 866-685-0989.
Dec. 2-4 -- Western Alfalfa And Forage Symposium, Grand Sierra
Resort Casino, Reno, NV. Go to alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/+symposium/2009/.
Dec. 13-16 -- Fourth National Conference On Grazing Lands, Reno,
NV. Presented by the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. Visit www.glci.org.
Feb. 16-17, 2010 -- Idaho Hay And Forage Conference, Best Western
Burley Inn, Burley. Contact Glenn Shewmaker at 208-736-3608 or gshew@uidaho.edu.
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