|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
With dairy farms just about everywhere facing financial
difficulties, many commercial alfalfa hay growers are finding markets
for their product dwindling. Jason Turner, New Mexico State University
horse specialist, offers a potential solution for some growers: Refocus
your marketing efforts to expand sales to customers in the horse
industry.
As much as anything, Turner says, selling to the horse market offers a
way to diversify. “Diversification is the cornerstone many
multi-national companies, such as General Electric, use as a way to
weather tough economic times. Why wouldn’t it work in the hay
business?”
Turner acknowledges that some alfalfa growers have shied away from
selling to the horse industry for a variety of reasons. “Some growers
simply like the idea of selling a whole season’s worth of hay to a
single dairy on a contract basis because it doesn’t require a lot of
marketing. Also, horse owners have a reputation for being picky or hard
to deal with. I won’t say this doesn’t happen. But most horse owners
simply want a quality product for the price they pay with no hidden
surprises.”
Click
here to read the entire story.
|
 Looking for top quality alfalfa? Syngenta has a complete
line-up of varieties for your needs. From Genoa, the three-time Forage
Superbowl winner to new 6552, a top performer in non-dormant areas. For
more, see your Garst seed advisor, Golden Harvest dealer or NK
retailer.
The Syngenta logo is a trademark of a Syngenta Group
Company.
|
Recent rains have been “plenty welcome,” says Texas Agriculture
Commissioner Todd Staples, but the damage from this year’s
record-setting drought is far from fixed. “Not surprisingly, many
Texans and neighboring partners have rolled up their sleeves to tackle
the task of getting much-needed hay to fellow ranchers and producers,”
Staples wrote in a recent
blog.
As an example, Staples notes efforts by groups in Refugio County to
bring in hay at a discounted rate to local producers. Similar
initiatives have been launched in Gonzales, Lavaca, Goliad and Victoria
counties. “Like the recent rains, these partnerships are greatly
appreciated and need to be sustained,” he wrote. Staples urged
producers offering hay for sale or donation, as well as those offering
discounted transportation services, to call 877-429-1998 to reach the ag
department’s
Hay
Hotline.
More of such efforts may be needed. Following those rains, armyworms
marched in and devoured improved pastures and wheat. Depending on the
weather from this point forward, producers in some areas could see
another flush of the pests, say Texas AgriLife Extension Service
personnel.
“Conditions are improving, but the biggest problems we have right now
are the cooler weather – as far as forage production goes – and then
the onset of armyworms,” says Ron Gill, extension livestock
specialist.
Reports of armyworms from across the state have been “spotty,” Gill
says, but they have been observed in at least 17 Texas counties. The
pests are relatively easy to control if detected early, he adds. “One
of the problems we are having this year is that there seem to be several
hatches occurring in the same area, so all the worms are not the same
age. That may present a problem when you go in to control them; you may
have to spray multiple times.” Based on last year's prices, a single
treatment can be as low as $7-8/acre, which includes material and
application costs, Gill says.
Allen Knutson, extension entomologist based in Dallas, says cooler
weather has slowed the maturation of the current armyworm populations
and reduced the likelihood they’ll become adults and lay more eggs.
“However, we could still have moths migrating in from southern areas
that are currently depositing eggs, so additional worm populations could
develop. For these reasons, warm weather could prolong the armyworm
threat. Usually, cooler weather in November puts a halt to armyworm
problems, but that’s weeks away.”
|
Having hay analyzed by a certified lab takes the guesswork out of
assessing quality for buyer and seller alike, says University of
Illinois extension beef specialist Teresa Steckler. To make sure
you’re getting the most accurate test results possible, she recommends
the following:
- Use a good, sharp probe. A dull probe won’t give a
representative sample.
- Sample several bales. “Don’t choose bales based on
appearance,” advises Steckler.
- Take a sufficient number of samples. Steckler says too few samples
will not be representative of your hay. She recommends a minimum of 20
core samples for a lot of 10 tons or more.
- Use proper technique. Taking a cross section of the bale will give
the best representation of stems and leaves. For rectangular bales (all
sizes), probe 12-18” deep and at right angles into the center of the
bale ends. With round bales, probe at right angles to the outer
circumference of the bale.
- Handle samples correctly. Pool all core samples and store in a
plastic freezer bag, protect the sample from excess heat and direct
sunlight and immediately send it to a lab for analysis. For a list of
certified labs,
click
here.
|
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
|
In many parts of the country, October to early November is one of
the best times of year to use herbicides for thistle control, says Bruce
Anderson, University of Nebraska extension forage specialist.
If you had a thistle problem this year, Anderson says, check infested
areas for the small, flat rosette seedlings typical of fall growth.
Seedlings are especially sensitive to certain herbicides and are more
effectively controlled in fall.
Milestone, one of the newer herbicides, is very effective, he notes.
Tordon 22K and Grazon can also work, “but be careful with them as they
can also kill woody plants, including trees.”
While daytime temperatures are still warm, 2,4-D will work well. “But
you will get better thistle control by using a little less 2,4-D and
adding a small amount of Banvel or dicamba to the mix.”
Other herbicides to help control thistles in pastures include Redeem,
Ally and Curtail. When using any of these herbicides, read and follow
label instructions, and be sure to spray on time. To get a jump on
thistle control next year, avoid overgrazing pastures, Anderson advises.
“That will allow stands to thicken and better compete with
thistles.”
|
A new publication authored by University of California-Davis
researchers details weed management principles that reduce weed shifts
and herbicide resistance in Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa. To see a PDF
version of Avoiding Weed Shifts and Weed Resistance in RR Alfalfa
Systems, click
here.
USDA’s Economic Research Service projects the number of
roughage-consuming animal units (RCAUs) in the U.S. will decrease
slightly in the year ahead. “With hay production up and RCAUs down,
hay supply per RCAU is 2.5 tons in 2009/10 compared with 2.36 tons in
2008/09,” ERS notes in its Oct. 14 Feed Outlook report. The
entire report is available
here.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reports that foreigners had an
interest – partial or outright ownership – in 1.6% of all privately
held ag land in the U.S. as of February 2008. To see FSA’s Foreign
Holdings of U.S. Agricultural Land report, click
here.
Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) recently retooled
its official Web site. To see the site’s “fresh, updated look,” go
to www.pdpw.org.
|
 Use
our site to search for forage production tips! Plus, read what other
growers are doing to stay profitable.
|
Alabama
After three straight years of extremely dry weather, hay growers in the
north-central part of the state were delighted to have an average
growing season this year. “Compared to what we’ve had the last three
years, production this year was very good,” says Chuck Howard, Auburn
University extension coordinator for Marshall County. “But if you look
at it from the standpoint of a running average over a period of many
years, this was pretty much a normal year.
“Even so, a lot of people were tickled with the hay crop they were
able to put up this year. A lot of folks got two cuttings (mostly fescue
and/or bermudagrass). Some were able to get three.”
One indication of just how the severe drought impacted local livestock
producers: The county slipped from being the third-largest beef
production county in the state in 2005 to a No. 5 ranking by the end of
2008. “It was a matter of attrition,” says Howard. “People just
didn’t have the feed needed to keep their cows.”
With this year’s return to near-normal conditions, most livestock
producers should be able to get into late January or even early February
before they have to start feeding dry hay. “During the previous three
years, many people were already feeding hay by this time.”
To contact Howard, call 256-582-2009 or email howarch@auburn.edu.
Nebraska
It might seem as though February is still a long way off. But Barb
Kinnan, executive director of the Nebraska Alfalfa Marketing
Association, is already busy getting ready for the Mid-America Alfalfa
Expo, scheduled for Feb. 2-3 at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds near
Kearney.
Mark McCaslin of Forage Genetics will head the list of speakers at the
educational symposium portion of the expo. More than 100 companies have
also been lined up for the trade show.
Kinnan describes 2009 as a challenging year for most state alfalfa
growers. “We had one of the coldest summers on record for the state,
and it was wetter than normal, too, with lots of untimely rains. It was
definitely a struggle to get high-quality hay produced.”
The net result, she says, is a shortage of dairy-quality alfalfa hay,
not just in Nebraska, but in neighboring states as well. “There is
some out there but not very much. What there is will probably go pretty
quickly.”
To learn more about the Mid-America Alfalfa Expo, click here. To contact Kinnan,
call 800-743-1649 or email nebalf@cozadtel.net.
|
The upcoming Alabama Forage Conference promises to be one of the
best one-day forage conferences held in the country this year, says Don
Ball, Auburn University extension forage agronomist. “At this
conference, farmers will have an excellent chance to hear the latest
research and information on forages and grazing management from some of
the nation’s top authorities.”
The Dec. 10 conference will be held at the University of West Alabama in
Livingston. Topics on the agenda include opportunities with improved
forage varieties, insights into improved weed control in pastures and
the impact forages have on the meat quality of grass-fed beef.
Conference participants will also be able to select from three
concurrent sessions in the afternoon. Topics for those sessions include
clovers, equine issues and pest management. The conference will also
feature vendor exhibits related to forage and beef cattle production.
Registration is $15 per person before Nov. 30 and $20 per person after
that date. To register, send your name, address and registration fee to
Kay Holloway, 202 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849. Checks
should be made payable to the Alabama Forage and Grassland Coalition.
Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Ball at
334-844-5491 or dball@aces.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. Visit www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage.
Oct. 29 -- LSU AgCenter Calhoun Research Station Field Day,
Calhoun, LA. Innovative uses for forest and forage biomass will be
featured. Contact Michael Blazier at 318-927-2578 or mblazier@agcenter.lsu.edu.
Nov. 4-6 -- DHI-Provo 55th-Annual Herd Management Training
Conference, Provo, UT. Details at www.dhiprovo.com.
Nov. 18-19 -- McCook Farm And Ranch Expo, Red Willow County
Fairgrounds, McCook, NE. Visit mccookfarmandranchexpo.net
or call 866-685-0989.
Dec. 1-2 – Manitoba Grazing School, Victoria Inn, Brandon. Call
204-622-2006.
Dec. 2-4 -- Western Alfalfa And Forage Conference, Grand Sierra
Resort & Casino, Reno, NV. Go to alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/+symposium/2009/.
Dec. 10 -- 2009 Alabama Forage Conference, University of West
Alabama, Livingston. For more information, contact Don Ball at
334-844-5491 or dball@aces.edu.
Dec. 13-16 -- Fourth National Conference On Grazing Lands, Reno,
NV. Presented by the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. Visit www.glci.org.
Jan. 14-15 -- 2010 New Mexico Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso
Convention Center, Ruidoso, NM. Visit www.nmhay.com or call 575-626-5677.
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.
April 8-9, 2010 -- Hay Production School, Spence Field, Moultrie,
GA. Details at www.georgiaforages.com.
June 20-22, 2010 -- American Forage And Grassland Council Annual
Conference, University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, MO. Details to come
at www.afgc.org.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
