|
|
Hay & Forage Grower
USDA
Hay Prices
Weather
Send Questions & Comments To...
Rick Mooney, Editor, eHay Weekly, at
hfg@hayandforage.com
For information on Hay & Forage Grower, contact:
Neil Tietz, Editor, ntietz@hayandforage.com
or
Fae Holin,
Managing Editor, fholin@hayandforage.com
For specific information from past issues of eHay Weekly and
Hay & Forage Grower, click on hayandforage.com, and use the search
function in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.
|
|
|
|
By Fae Holin, Managing Editor, Hay & Forage
Grower
More than 100 organic dairy producers, plus a few conventional-dairy
counterparts, last week forcefully asked Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack for
solutions to current low milk prices and allegedly unfair corporate
farming competition last week.
Vilsack was scheduled to speak at the La Crosse Interstate Fair in West
Salem, WI, as a part of USDA’s Rural
Tour on July 16. But he made an impromptu appearance at a
“symbolic milk dumping” organized by several farm watchdog and
lobbying groups just a few buildings down from the Rural Tour stage.
The number of large corporate organic dairy farms has grown from two to
20 in the past nine years, said Mark Kastel, farm policy analyst with Cornucopia Institute. “They’re
producing, in our estimate, somewhere between 30-40% of ‘organic’
milk in the U.S. That is putting our farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and
Iowa – ethical farmers – at a competitive disadvantage. We won’t
stand for that.”
More importantly, corporate organic dairies are disregarding current
USDA organic rules, the previous administration did not adequately
enforce those laws and it even catered to the “fat cats,” said
Kastel and several farmers at the rally. Some corporate organic dairies
own too little land for cows to adequately graze and produce milk
organically, Kastel charged. “The (previous administration’s) USDA
has let them get away with it. We want Secretary Vilsack to recognize
this is a joke, but it isn’t very funny when people are losing their
jobs over it.”
Click
here to read the entire story.
|
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
|
Hay and silage producers entering this year’s World’s Forage
Analysis Superbowl can win big with over $17,000 in cash prizes being
awarded.
“We’re excited to award cash prizes for the first time,” says Ron
Sorensen, contest chairman. “It’s great to see so many companies
providing involvement and support for this important contest.”
In this year’s contest, cash awards range from $2,000 for the grand
champion forage producer to $500 for the top first-time entrant.
Additional cash prizes will be awarded in the dairy hay, dairy haylage,
commercial hay, brown midrib and standard corn silage categories. Awards
will be presented at the Superbowl luncheon, Wednesday, Sept. 30, at
World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI.
Entries are due Sept. 3. The fee is $25 and includes complete
nutritional analysis of forage samples. Rules and entry forms can be
found at www.foragesuperbowl.org or
call the AgSource Soil and Forage Division at 715-758-2178.
Started in 1983, the World’s Forage Analysis Superbowl enables growers
to compare their forages with others from across the U.S. and Canada.
Hay & Forage Grower is a managing partner of the quality contest,
along with AgSource Cooperative Services, Dairy Business Communications,
University of Wisconsin, U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center and World
Dairy Expo.
|
Wheat stubble can be an excellent seedbed for no-till planting
forages like alfalfa, turnips or summer-annual grasses, says University
of Nebraska extension forage specialist Bruce Anderson. Even so, many
growers experience problems with spotty stands. Some factors to
consider:
- Heavy residue can limit proper drill operation and seed
placement or even partly smother new seedlings. Along with using a
properly functioning drill, you might also want to consider baling straw
to remove excess residue before planting.
- Annual weeds or volunteer wheat can also pose a challenge. Control
weeds prior to planting with a herbicide like glyphosate and be ready
with a postemergence herbicide like Select or Poast Plus.
- Cross or double drilling (planting half the seed driving one
direction, then the other half driving in a different direction) will
help fill in gaps, develop a canopy and improve weed control
earlier.
|
 Use
our site to search for forage production tips! Plus, read what other
growers are doing to stay profitable.
|
With numerous samples in the state testing positive for high levels
of nitrates and prussic acid, a Texas A&M University soil chemist is
reminding producers that forages containing high levels of either
compound are potentially lethal when grazed or fed as hay to livestock.
“Agricultural producers can follow several steps to minimize nitrates
in the baled forages, including raising the cutter height to leave the
high-nitrate lower stalk in the field,” says Tony Provin, director of
Texas A&M’s Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory (soiltesting.tamu.edu).
He notes that, since nitrate accumulation and prussic acid occur in
different parts of plants, it’s difficult for one sample to detect
both potential threats. For nitrate analysis, he recommends sampling
multiple plants and segregating the lower portion of the stalks. Samples
taken between 8” and 16” will help reveal concentrations at
different heights, allowing the producer to adjust cutting equipment
accordingly and minimize nitrates baled in the hay.
Prussic acid, on the other hand, only occurs in a select number of crops
and weeds. Producers should pay special attention to sudangrass, sorghum
and johnsongrass. For those species, Provin recommends collecting
samples from the newest leaves and/or damaged leaves.
With tight bales, it may require more than nine months for prussic acid
levels to decline below levels of concern, Provin adds. “Good field
curing of hay, specifically aided by utilizing crimper/conditioners,
usually reduces the threat to more negligible levels.”
For complete background and sampling instructions, go to agrilifebookstore.org/publications_details.cfm?whichpublication=1671.
|
2 Number of California counties (Fresno
and Madera) recently declared drought disaster counties by USDA,
according to the California Farm Bureau Federation. Several other
counties in the state have filed petitions asking for disaster
declarations. To see a more detailed account on how the drought is
impacting the state’s ag sector, go to www.cfbf.com/agalert/watercrisis.cfm.
18 Percentage of Texas experiencing
“exceptional” drought as of July 16, according to the U.S. Drought
Monitor map. A week earlier, the figure was 14%. To see the map, go to
www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.
$123 Average per-ton price New York farmers
received for hay in June, according to USDA’s National Ag Statistics
Service. That’s up $10 compared to May, but down $6 from the June 2008
price.
60.2 million Acres of all hay U.S. growers
expect to harvest in 2009, according to the July 14 Feed Outlook
report from USDA’s Economic Research Service. Expected harvested area
of alfalfa and alfalfa mixtures, at 21.0 million acres, is up 2,000
acres from the 2008 figure. To see the full report, click
here.
|
Alberta
Drought has drastically reduced hopes of a hay crop in the east-central
area of the province, reports broker Don Allan of AllanHay.Com in
Sylvan Lake.
“The situation here during June and early July was as desperate as
has been seen for seven or more years,” he says. “Cattle herds were
sent out to pasture what growth there was in the hay fields. Grain crops
have been written off as a total loss and cows have now been turned out
to graze what green growth they can find.”
Allan has been receiving calls at an unprecedented rate from people
looking to buy hay. “Callers are being put on a wait list as they
respond to our request to send an email outlining their needs and
contact information,” he says.
During the past two weeks, though, there has been significant rainfall
in parts of the province, raising hopes for a decent second cutting.
“In spite of that, the demand for all types of hay remains strong,”
Allan says. “The market has yet to establish itself as cutting is just
getting going. The recent inclement weather has discouraged growers from
running the risk of getting the drought-reduced windrows rained on.”
Allan discontinued his own hay production operation last year to
concentrate more on buying and selling hay. The decision enabled him to
expand his marketing business beyond Alberta into Saskatchewan, British
Columbia and Northwest Territories. “Our time was totally consumed
with hay production from the end of June through freeze-up in October.
Now we’re able to spend all of our time focusing on moving hay from
local growers to our customers.”
To learn more, go to www.AllanHay.com. To contact Allan,
phone 250-370-1762 or email dballan@telus.net.
Utah
An unusually long stretch of rainy weather in June wreaked havoc with
first-crop alfalfa harvest in many parts of the state. But some growers,
like Neal Briggs of Syracuse, were able to find a silver lining in all
of the clouds.
Briggs, who puts up alfalfa, grass and alfalfa-grass hay in small square
bales on 300 acres, opted to start his first-crop harvest in early May,
even though the cool spring had crimped growth. “The hay wasn’t very
tall compared to normal,” says Briggs, who markets primarily to
pleasure horse owners. “A lot of people thought we were foolish to get
going when we did. But it was some of the best hay we’ve had.”
By the time the rainy streak started, Briggs had put up 100 acres. “As
a result, we had a good supply of bright green hay to sell when other
growers didn’t have it.”
He didn’t escape weather effects entirely. The next 100 acres he put
up – about 6,000 bales – bleached slightly. By dropping his price
from $5/bale to $3, though, he was able to move all of it.
By the end of this week, Briggs figures, he’ll be two-thirds of the
way through second cutting. “It’s working out very well,” he says.
“We’ve had good drying weather so far, and the quality is very
good.”
Hay broker Brent Larson, of Hi-Land Hay in Riverton, estimates that as
much as 90% of the state’s first cutting was ruined by rain. “A lot
of it laid out there for two or three weeks,” he says. “It wasn’t
a good thing at all.”
Larson, who buys and sells hay in Utah and neighboring states, says
top-quality alfalfa hay in his marketing area is currently bringing
substantially lower prices than last year, causing a trickle-down
effect. “Dairymen don’t have any money because of low milk prices.
Some are going out of business and bankers aren’t lending. A lot of
people are hurting. It’s hard to say when prices will turn around
again.”
To contact Briggs, who operates under the business name Neal Briggs
Farm, phone 801-725-0149 or email briggsfarmer@yahoo.com. Larson
can be reached at 801-580-6303 or info@hilandhay.com.
|
The Muskingum Soil & Water Conservation District will hold its 2009
Forage Field Day on July 29 at Kreager's Farm near Chandlersville, OH.
Along with haymaking equipment demonstrations, it will feature
presentations on fencing technology, water development, brush
management, soil fertility, grazing management and animal waste
structures.
For more details and/or to preregister for the free event, phone
740-454-2027 or email kylene.newman@muskingumswcd.org.
|
The 2009 Illinois Forage Expo, set for July 31 at Meier Farms near
Ridott (Stephenson County), will include equipment demonstrations and
commercial displays. There will also be educational sessions on using
autosteer in forage systems, economics of producing alfalfa, hay
insurance, nutrient management and milk prices. Growers can also enter
2009 harvested bales and haylage in a quality hay and haylage contest.
For more information, visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/
or call Nikki Keltner at 815-235-4125.
|
July 23 -- University Of Kentucky All Commodity Field Day,
UK Research and Education Center, Princeton. Visit ces.ca.uky.edu/wkrec.
July 23 -- Alfalfa & Grass Forage Plot Day, 22022 Walden Ave.,
Hutchinson, MN. Contact the McLeod County extension office at
320-587-0770.
July 25 -- Forage Demonstration Day, Michigan State University
Lake City Experiment Station. Phone Janice Rumph at 231-839-3001 or Dave
Stroud at 231-839-4667.
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 -- Forage Production Workshop, New Mexico State
University-Valencia Campus, Los Lunas. Contact Kyle Tator at ktator@nmsu.edu or 505-565-3002.
Aug. 1-2 -- Florida Small Farms And Alternative Enterprises
Conference, Osceola County Heritage Park, Kissimmee. Go to smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/.
Aug. 27 -- 2009 Arlington Agronomy And Soils Field Day,
University of Wisconsin Agricultural Research Station, Arlington.
Download the program at ipcm.wisc.edu/.
For a complete list of upcoming events, click here.
|
|
|
To unsubscribe from this newsletter go to: Unsubscribe
To subscribe to this newsletter, go to: Subscribe
You are subscribed to this newsletter as #email#
To get this newsletter in a different format (Text or HTML),
or to change your e-mail address, please visit your profile
page to change your delivery preferences.
For questions concerning delivery of this newsletter, please contact our
Customer Service Department at:
Hay and Forage Grower
A Penton Media publication
US Toll Free: 866-505-7173
International: 847-763-9504
Email:hayandforage@pbinews.com
Penton Media | 249 W. 17th Street | New York, NY 10011
Copyright 2009, Penton Media. All rights reserved. This article is
protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property
laws and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated,
transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly,
in any medium without the prior written permission of Penton Media.
|
|
