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Hay & Forage Grower
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North Dakota livestock producers facing critical feed shortages
were happy to see prolonged stretches of sunny weather in late May and
early June, reports Julie Ellingson, executive vice president of the
North Dakota Stockmen’s Association. “People are anxious to get
going on the hay harvest,” she says. “It was wetter and cooler than
normal for most of May. But in the last week to 10 days, we’ve been
getting some sunshine and things have started to dry out a little
bit.”
Even so, Ellingson notes, the start of the haying season will likely be
delayed in some areas. “It varies a lot depending on where you’re
located in the state, but we typically look at the end of the first week
of June as a starting point for making hay. This year it will probably
be a week or more later than that in many areas.”
An extreme shortfall in the state’s hay supply started to develop with
widespread drought conditions during last year’s growing season.
“That really crimped production, so we were already very short heading
into the winter,” says Ellingson.
A long winter featuring heavier-than-normal snows and extreme cold and
heavy spring flooding forced livestock producers to delay turning
animals out on pasture. “A lot of people were really hurting for feed
coming out of the winter,” says Ellingson. According to USDA, hay
stocks on North Dakota farms and ranches as of May 1 totaled just
700,000 tons, down 44% from year-earlier levels.
The state ag department, utilizing $750,000 in USDA grant funds and
another $250,000 from the state legislature, has set up the North Dakota
Livestock Feed Transportation Program. It’s aimed at helping livestock
producers offset extraordinary feed-related expenses or losses related
to the harsh winter and/or spring flooding. Eligibility details and an
online application can be found at www.agdepartment.com.
Application deadline is June 15.
To contact Ellingson, call 701-223-2522 or email jellingson@ndstockmen.org.
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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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The application deadline for the organic incentives component of
the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) has been extended in
several states. The program gives farmers transitioning to organic
farming and those expanding existing organic production an opportunity
to apply for EQIP funds. Participating farmers will receive compensation
for six core conservation practices – conservation crop rotation,
cover cropping, integrated pest management, nutrient management,
rotational grazing and forage harvest management.
The original signup deadline for the program, which makes $50 million
available to organic farmers, was May 29. But state offices of USDA’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offered extensions.
Wisconsin and South Dakota extended the deadline to June 12 and Iowa, to
June 13. Minnesota will now allow producers to sign up through June 30.
If you’re not in one of those states, contact your state NRCS office
to see if the deadline has been extended. Contact information for state
offices is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/organization/regions.html.
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Missouri farmers should be on the lookout for imported fire ants in
hay brought in from parts of the southern U.S, warn USDA’s Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Cooperative Extension
officials.
“The increased trade and transport of hay into Missouri over the last
few years has increased the risk of the pest being transported into the
state,” said Brian Deschu, APHIS domestic program coordinator in
Jefferson City, MO.
Reddish-brown or black in color and 1/8-1/4” long, imported fire ants
were inadvertently introduced to the U.S. about a century ago. Free of
the natural predators that kept them in check in South America, imported
fire ants have become a significant pest throughout the southern part of
the country. They’ve infested more than 380 million acres in at least
13 states, according to APHIS.
The agency is enforcing a federal quarantine that regulates the
transport of certain items, including baled hay that has been on the
ground, soil, grass sod and soil-moving equipment. Regulated items
cannot be moved outside the quarantine area unless certified by federal
or state inspectors.
The quarantine area includes all of Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Puerto Rico; large portions
of Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas; and small parts of
California, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
“Imported fire ants are a minor threat to agricultural crops, but are
a bigger threat to the landscaping, nursery and sod industries,” says
University of Missouri extension entomologist Richard Houseman. “They
have a major impact in residential areas. They produce unsightly mounds,
enter residential structures and deliver a potent sting when threatened
or disturbed.”
Southern Missouri is at risk because of its proximity to existing
imported fire ant infestations and a climate congenial to the ants,
particularly in the Bootheel Region, he says.
To find out if a particular location is under quarantine, go to www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fireants/
and Maps.
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Listings for the 2009 Colorado Hay Directory are due June 15, the
Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) reminds state hay growers.
First published in 1987, the annual publication markets Colorado hay to
buyers throughout the state and around the country. Each directory
listing includes the type and amount of hay available, bale type and
size, whether or not laboratory analysis is available, certified
weed-free status and identifies organic hay. Listings are grouped by
region of the state.
Members of the Colorado Hay and Forage Association receive their
listings free as a benefit of membership. The listing fee for all other
hay growers is $25. Listing forms are available at Colorado State
University (CSU) Extension offices or by contacting CDA.
The directory also includes listings for companies offering hay-related
products or services. Companies can also place display ads in the
directory; advertising rates are $50 for a half-page ad and $90 for a
full-page ad.
The free directory will be available in August through CSU Extension
offices and various livestock associations in the state as well as at ag
events such as the Colorado State Fair, National Western Stock Show and
Colorado Farm Show. It will also be available online at www.coloradoagriculture.com
and www.coloradohay.org.
For more information, call CDA’s Markets Division at 303-239-4115,
email loretta.lopez@ag.state.co.us
or visit www.coloradoagriculture.com.
To learn more about the Colorado Hay and Forage Association, contact
Jared Anderson at 970-903-5229, email chfa@coloradohay.org or visit www.coloradohay.org.
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$4.16 Total sale price for two bull
calves received by a central New York dairy farmer in March 2009,
according to a recent Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper story on
troubled times in the state dairy industry. In March of 2008, the same
dairy farmer sold one bull calf for $105.
$138 Average per-ton price of dry alfalfa hay
throughout the U.S. in May, according to USDA. That’s down $5/ton from
the previous month’s price.
700 Number of farmers and ranchers who die
in work-related accidents each year, according to the National Safety
Council. Another 120,000 ag workers are injured in work-related
accidents.
$29,600 Average dollar amount spent locally
on ag equipment repairs by farmers enrolled in South Dakota’s Farm
Business Management Program during 2008. The enrolled farms also paid
local businesses an average of $30,548 for gas and lubricants.
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 Use
our site to search for forage production tips! Plus, read what other
growers are doing to stay profitable.
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Alabama
Extremely wet weather in May delayed tall fescue harvest by two to three
weeks in some parts of the state, reports Don Ball, Auburn University
extension forage specialist. “But after the extremely dry
growing-season weather we’ve had the last couple years, nobody is
complaining,” he says. “This has been an absolutely great spring for
forage production.”
Bermudagrass harvest is also just getting under way in most of the
state. “We should see some pretty good yields,” he says.
State hay growers are invited to attend the Alabama Forage Conference,
scheduled for Dec. 10 at the University of West Alabama in Livingston.
“We’re in the process of finalizing the agenda, and we’re really
excited about the list of speakers from all over the country that we
have lined up,” says Ball, noting the conference is an
every-other-year event. “This is our seventh conference, and we really
think this one promises to be the biggest and best ever.”
Ball can be contacted at 334-844-5491 or balldon@auburn.edu.
Pennsylvania
Like their counterparts in many parts of the country, farmers in
southwestern Pennsylvania last month found themselves choosing between
getting their corn crops in the ground and taking their hay crops off
the field when quality was at its highest.
“It was quite wet and cool in the first half of May, and a lot of
farmers were struggling to get their field work done,” says Gary
Sheppard, Penn State extension director in Westmoreland County. “When
we finally did get some drier days later in the month, many of them
decided to make hay rather than finish up corn planting.”
But many didn’t. Farmers who opted to stay with their other field work
likely will find hay quality reduced when they do harvest the crop.
First-crop yields may drag overall compared to average, Sheppard
suspects. “It was pretty cool when a lot of that hay was coming on,
and that likely affected tonnage.”
On the upside, he says, early season growing conditions should set the
stage for good hay production through the rest of the year. “It all
depends on what kind of weather we get from this point on, of course.
But with all this moisture early, things are looking pretty good. Every
year is different, with its own set of challenges.”
To contact Sheppard, call 724-837-1402 or email gls4@psu.edu.
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While many species of leafhoppers can cause plant injury and yield
reductions in alfalfa, California growers should be especially alert for
the presence of species in the genus Empoasca, says Eric Natwick,
extension director in Imperial County.
He notes that adult Empoasca leafhoppers are small (1/8” long), bright
green, wedge-shaped insects that have piercing and sucking mouthparts
and jump and fly readily when disturbed. Nymphs are also green,
wedge-shaped and run rapidly sideways or backward when disturbed. The
rapid movements, plus their shape, easily distinguish leafhoppers from
lygus bug nymphs or slow-moving aphids.
Empoasca leafhoppers damage alfalfa by removing sap. But the main
concern for hay growers is “hopper burn,” caused by leafhoppers
injecting salivary toxins into plants while feeding. Its early symptom:
a characteristic V-shaped yellow area on the leaf tip. “This symptom
should not be confused with nutrient deficiencies or diseases, in which
yellowing of foliage typically begins at leaf margins,” says Natwick.
“As damage increases, the yellow area spreads over the entire leaf and
the field takes on a yellow color.”
Leafhoppers can severely stunt alfalfa regrowth; severe injury affects
hay quality by reducing protein and vitamin A in hay. Yellowing and
stunting symptoms following a heavy Empoasca leafhopper infestation may
carry over into one or two subsequent cuttings, even though leafhoppers
are no longer in the field.
Monitor weekly for leafhoppers using a standard 15” insect sweep net,
Natwick advises. When symptoms first appear, sample a minimum of four to
six areas over the entire field – take 10 sweeps in each area and
count the number of adults and nymphs. “Leafhopper infestations
usually begin on the field margin, so be sure to include field edges in
your samples.”
Apply an insecticide if alfalfa is two or more weeks away from harvest
and counts reach five leafhoppers per sweep. Treat alfalfa that is to be
harvested in 10 days to two weeks if counts reach 10 Empoasca
leafhoppers per sweep. “It is not unusual for heavy leafhopper
infestations to be confined to the first 50-100’ of the field margin,
in which case only the field margin should be treated,” says Natwick.
He recommends taking a “common sense” approach when mapping out
treatment strategies. “Heavy leafhopper infestations on young regrowth
immediately after harvest are more damaging than similar infestations
later in the growth cycle. Alfalfa under stress from other insects,
diseases or lack of water is more susceptible to injury than stress-free
alfalfa. Alfalfa within a week of harvest may be able to tolerate very
heavy leafhopper populations without yield loss, but regrowth should be
monitored closely.”
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Texas AgriLife Extension Service will conduct “After CRP:
Wildlife, Farming and Grazing” conferences at two locations on June 17
and 18.
The conferences are designed to explore opportunities and alternatives
available to landowners with expiring Conservation Reserve Program
contracts. Compliance, cost-assistance programs, land management and
economics with wildlife in mind, farming and grazing alternatives,
impacts on land values and the effect on future eligibility for federal
farm programs will be discussed.
The conferences will be held at Texas AgriLife Research and Extension
Centers in Amarillo (June 17) and Lubbock (June 18). Registration cost
is $40 through June 12 and $50 at the door, and will include lunch,
refreshments and conference materials.
To register, visit agrilifevents.tamu.edu
and search for CRP or call 979-845-2604. For more details, contact
Ken Cearley at kcearley@ag.tamu.edu or
806-651-5760.
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June 10-11 -- Four-State Dairy Nutrition And Management
Conference, Grand River Center, Dubuque, IA. To register online or
download a conference brochure, go to www.wasa.org or contact the Wisconsin
Agri-Service Association at 608-223-1111, or Dale Thorsen at
319-267-2707.
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 13 -- Texoma Pasture Conference, Samuel Roberts Noble
Foundation Conference Center, Ardmore, OK. Register online at www.noble.org/agevents. Contact
Tracy Cumbie at tlcumbie@noble.org or 580-224-6411.
June 18 -- University Of Georgia/University Of Florida Corn Silage
And Forage Field Day, UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton,
GA. Contact John Bernard at 229-391-6856 or jbernard@uga.edu, or Jerry Wasdin at
352-392-1120 or jwas@animal.ufl.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 24 -- North Dakota State University’s Central Grasslands Field
Tour, 6-9 p.m., Central Grasslands Research Extension Center,
Streeter. Visit www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/streeter/
and click on Field Days and Events.
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. 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.
July 31 -- 2009 Illinois Forage Expo, Meier Farms, Ridott. Go to
web.extension.uiuc.edu/stephenson/index.html
or contact Dale Baird, University of Illinois extension educator, at dlbaird@illinois.edu.
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 at ipcm.wisc.edu/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=WqM8AqDKW9o%3D&tabid=114&mid=669.
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. 22-23 -- Georgia Grazing School, University of Georgia
Livestock Instruction Arena, Athens. Details coming soon at www.georgiaforages.com/.
Sept. 29-Oct. 3 -- World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com.
Oct. 20-22 -- 2009 Southeast Hay Contest/Sunbelt Ag Expo,
Moultrie, GA. Contact University of Georgia extension forage specialist
Dennis Hancock at 706-542-1529 or dhancock@uga.edu.
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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