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Hay & Forage Grower
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A voluntary, producer-funded program aimed at supporting milk
prices through herd retirement and other means will only go so far in
helping the dairy industry out of its current slump, says Iowa Farm
Bureau President Craig Lang.
Testifying on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation at a recent
congressional hearing, Lang said his organization applauds the effort
undertaken by Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) so far. “The latest
removal of 100,000 cows unfortunately only represents about 1% of the
U.S. herd. Our economists believe another 3% reduction in cow herd
numbers for an extended period of time will be required before dairy
prices are likely to significantly rebound.”
A major obstacle, according to Lang: The program may not have the funds
necessary to reduce the U.S. herd enough to boost milk prices back to a
profitable level. This may mean the only option is for more farmers to
sell herds on the open market. “Eventually, that culling of the U.S.
herd will reduce milk supply and boost prices,” said Lang, partner in
a dairy with his father, brother and son. “Cull-cow markets have
already softened considerably and are making this a difficult decision
for farmers.”
While fewer dairy cows would be useful in increasing milk prices to
farmers, Lang said Farm Bureau is “adamantly opposed” to a federal
dairy herd buyout program similar to those used in the past because such
programs have had negative impacts on the beef industry.
Lang also noted that USDA expects a brighter economic picture around the
corner, forecasting the all-milk price to average $11.60/cwt in the
third quarter of 2009 and $13.10/cwt in the fourth quarter. For all of
2010, USDA is projecting an all-milk price of $15.30/cwt.
“We are working our way out of this severe crisis and must let the
dairy sector return to a supply/demand balance as soon as possible,”
he said.
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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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If you’re fascinated by antique hay tools – barn pulleys,
grappling forks, hay spears, hay carriers or other barn accessories –
Doug de Shazer of Crofton, NE, would like to hear from you.
De Shazer and his friend Steve Weeber of Iowa City, IA, are founding
members of the National Hay Tool Collectors Association (NHTCA). Roughly
a year old and with a growing list of nearly 150 members, the
association is geared toward helping collectors share information about
their hand hay-tool collections and learn more about tools produced in
other regions of the country.
Click
here to read the entire story.
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Agricultural businesses and organizations interested in exhibiting
or demonstrating equipment at next month’s Wisconsin Forage and
Tillage Expo still have time to sign up.
The event, sponsored by the Chippewa Valley Forage Council and Midwest
Forage Association, will take place Sept. 2 at D and D Hawkins Farm near
Chippewa Falls.
Field demonstrations planned for the expo include corn silage
harvesting, bunker silo management, silage facers, hay harvesting,
tillage and planting equipment, and cover-crop establishment. Pasture
system and fencing technology will be on display. There will also be
tours of a modern milking parlor and new heifer-raising facility.
To learn more, go to www.co.chippewa.wi.us/uw/crops/index.htm
or phone Jerry Clark, University of Wisconsin extension crops and soils
agent for Chippewa County, at 715-726-7950.
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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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Late-summer alfalfa seeding is not necessarily better than spring
planting, but it’s an option that may better fit work schedules or
rotational practices, says Jim Stordahl, extension educator in Polk
County, MN. Among the other advantages of late-summer seeding:
- Weeds and insects are seldom an issue. A preplant incorporated
herbicide or companion crop is not necessary since weeds that emerge are
generally killed by the first hard freeze.
- Soil temperatures are much higher in late summer than in early
spring, so with adequate moisture, alfalfa seedlings will germinate,
grow and develop a crop canopy at a much faster rate.
- Summer-seeded alfalfa generally has greater yield potential during
the first full year of production. By seeding alfalfa in late summer,
forage producers can have the equivalent of an established stand the
following spring.
- Because the soil is warmer and drier during late summer, diseases
like pythium, phytophthora root rot and aphanomyces root rot are less of
a concern for growers with heavy, poorly drained soils.
There are risks in late-summer planting. “Generally, the biggest
concern is lack of moisture for germination and early seedling
development,” says Stordahl. “Timely seeding will reduce this risk
significantly. If possible, time the rains and plant into moisture.”
An early killing frost and/or severe winter can also pose a threat.
Stordahl notes that the general recommendation for summer planting in
his part of northern Minnesota is late July into early August.
“However, in most cases, the small grains aren’t harvested, so the
planting date may get extended,” he says. “Our fall weather has been
much more favorable over the past several years, but that can change
quickly. As a rule of thumb, seed alfalfa six to eight weeks before the
average first killing frost. Seeding too late won’t give the plants
enough time to develop adequate root and top growth before winter.”
A final point from Stordahl: Don’t let an excellent catch tempt you
into taking a cutting late this fall. “The root systems are not well
developed and the risk of winterkill is increased significantly. Even
with a large amount of top growth, alfalfa will not smother itself out
during winter.”
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40 Percentage increase in the number of
calls to seven Sowing the Seeds of Hope crisis hotlines for farmers and
ranchers in the Midwest during recent months, reports J.W. Schroeder,
North Dakota State University extension dairy specialist. He says the
increase shows the extent to which the current economic crisis is taking
a toll on producers. To see Schroeder’s tips on dealing with stress,
including a list of national and regional assistance hotlines, click
here.
218 Number of pages in the Illinois
Agronomy Handbook, 24th Edition, recently released by University of
Illinois Extension. The handbook covers best management practices for
agricultural producers in the Midwest. Featured is current,
research-based information to help producers increase yield and lower
production costs. The selling price is $35. For more information, go to
pubsplus.uiuc.edu/C1394.html.
$125,000 Estimated value of hay lost in a
fire at a dairy near Mountain Home, ID, last week, according to local
newspaper reports. Spontaneous combustion was the fire’s likely cause.
$2 million Amount of federal grant money
recently awarded to two University of Georgia researchers to study
forages with potential as biofuels, according to a recent posting at
OnlineAthens. Plant scientist Andrew Paterson will get a $1.2 million
grant to research miscanthus genetics. Paterson’s colleague, Charles
Brummer, will get $705,000 for a research project aimed at identifying
genetic markers in alfalfa that will help traditional plant breeders
make alfalfa a better biofuels crop. To learn more,
click
here.
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Kansas
Wet conditions in many parts of the country so far this growing season
could create some marketing opportunities later on for growers with a
good supply of top-quality hay, says John Waechter, owner of Waechter
Hay and Grain, Emporia, KS.
“A lot of areas have had too much rain and a lot of stands have been
lost,” says Waechter. “I talked to a dairy farmer in Illinois last
week who lost his entire 500-acre crop to rain and there are a lot of
similar stories out there. We won’t really know what that means for
the hay supply and prices until we get into the late fall and winter. So
far, anyway, the alfalfa market in our area has been holding up even
with the problems dairy farmers have been having.”
Overall, hay trade in the state has been slow, according to last
Friday’s Kansas Hay Market Report from the USDA-Kansas Department of
Ag Market News. Demand is moderate to strong for dairy and stock-cow
alfalfa; moderate for alfalfa pellets, grinding alfalfa and grass hay.
Supreme-quality alfalfa in midsize and large square bales has been
fetching $130-150/ton; premium alfalfa, $120-140/ton. To see the entire
report, click
here.
Waechter devotes 4,000 acres to hay production annually. About one-third
of the crop is alfalfa, put up in 3 x 3 x 8’ square bales and marketed
primarily to dairies and horse owners. The remaining acreage is native
grass and bromegrass. He puts that up in medium and small square bales
for sale to sale barns, feedlots and horse owners. He also owns a
trucking business and delivers hay as far away as Ohio, Georgia and
Tennessee.
Rain slowed Waechter’s progress on third-crop alfalfa harvest for a
couple of days last week. “It was cool for July, and that held us back
a little on yield,” he says.
Yields on native grass have also been off this year, while tonnage on
brome has been good. He says the market for native grass and brome hay
is a little soft. “The economy is tough for a lot of people right now,
so it’s not moving. On the other hand, the price can only fall so far
before farmers say it’s not worth it to bale it up.”
To contact Waechter, phone 620-343-0298 or email jwaechter_waechterllc@seamless.net.
Maine
Rain, rain, rain has been the story of the 2009 haymaking season in the
state. “We had a little window of opportunity at the end of May and
during the first week of June,” reports Rick Kersbergen, University of
Maine extension educator in Waldo County. “People who were able to
take advantage of that window to get their hay put up did very well. For
everyone else, it’s been terrible.
“Since the second week of June or so, there have only been a couple of
times where we’ve had two dry days in a row. And even when it’s not
raining, the fields are so wet people can’t drive on them.”
The long stretch of wet weather has also impacted the state’s corn
silage crop. A lot of fields are under water and nitrogen-starved.
“We’re set up for a major forage crisis both in terms of quality and
quantity,” says Kersbergen.
To help growers who have hay for sale link up with livestock producers
looking to buy hay, University of Maine Cooperative Extension is
updating its online hay directory for 2009. Go to www.umext.maine.edu/Waldo/hay/.
For more information, contact Sonia Antundes at santunes@umext.maine.edu.
Kersbergen can be reached at 207-342-5971 or richardk@umext.maine.edu.
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The Southeast Minnesota Forage Council and Midwest Forage
Association (MFA) will hold a Summer Expo at the Dan Miller Farm in
Spring Valley, MN, on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Educational sessions include forage insurance updates, 10 keys to a
successful grazing system, mechanical forage harvesting options and a
forage association update. A free beef sandwich and ice cream treat
supper, sponsored by AgStar Financial Services, will be served
immediately following educational sessions.
For more information, contact Dan Miller at 507-259-6270 or visit the
MFA Web site at
www.midwestforage.org/events.php.
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Aug. 13 -- Ohio State Horse And Pasture Management School,
Clermont County Fairgrounds, Owensville. Contact Susie Steffensen at
513-732-7075 or susie.steffensen@oh.nacdnet.net.
Aug. 14 -- Ninth Annual Profitable Pastures Field Day, University
of Wisconsin Lancaster Ag Research Station. Phone 608-723-6243 or
608-723-2580 or email rhonda.gildersleeve@ces.uwex.edu.
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. 23-24 -- Virginia Tech University’s 2009 Mid-Atlantic
Grass-Finished Livestock Conference, Holiday Inn Conference Center,
Staunton, VA. Contact Margaret Kenny at 434-292-5331 or makenny@vt.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.
June 20-22, 2010 -- American Forage And Grassland Council Annual
Conference, University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, MO. Go to www.afgc.org.
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