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Hay & Forage Grower
USDA
Hay Prices
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Overall entry numbers were down slightly from previous years, but
average quality scores were high at last week’s Southeast Hay Contest,
held in conjunction with the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo in Moultrie, GA.
Vickers Still Farm, Coffee County, GA, captured overall honors in the
contest with an entry in the Perennial Peanut/Alfalfa Hay category. The
farm’s entry tested 264 for relative forage quality (RFQ), with 23.2%
crude protein (CP) and 77.3% total digestible nutrients (TDN).
Other category winners are listed below.
Warm-Season Perennial Grass Hay – Rusty Bean, Jones County, GA:
RFQ, 155; CP, 17.5%; TDN, 64.4%.
Cool-Season Perennial Grass Hay – Duncan Legacy Farm, Carroll
County, GA: RFQ, 154; CP, 11.3%; TDN, 58.4%.
Mixed and Annual Grass Hay – Larry Smith, Elbert County, GA:
RFQ, 175; CP, 11%; TDN, 60.9%.
Grass Baleage – Woodson Montgomery, Oconee County, GA: RFQ,
166; CP, 11.9%; TDN, 63.9%.
Legume Baleage – Troy Platt, Madison County, FL: RFQ, 163; CP,
17.1%; TDN, 68.5%.
The average RFQ for entries in this year’s contest was 121 vs. 117
last year, notes Dennis Hancock, contest organizer and University of
Georgia extension forage specialist. “We also saw an increase in RFQ
scores in most of the individual categories,” he says.
Overall, there were 160 entries in six categories, down from last
year’s 195 entries. Weather was likely a major factor. “We had a lot
more rainfall in many areas this year than we’ve had in recent
years,” says Hancock. “While that was certainly a good thing
overall, it created problems for growers trying to put up high-quality
hay.”
A slumping ag economy may have also played a role. “A lot of hay
growers in this region are also beef producers or dairy producers. Both
of those sectors have been struggling,” he says. “And even though
the entry fee for this contest is the same as the cost of a routine
forage analysis, a lot of people are pinching pennies.”
On the upside, Hancock notes, the contest attracted entries from North
Carolina to Louisiana and as far north as Kentucky. “We’re pleased
with that,” he says. “It shows this is truly a regional contest and
that growers in the Southeastern U.S. can produce very high-quality
hay.”
For a complete rundown of category placings, along with guidelines for
testing forages, a discussion of the value of RFQ and information on
entering the 2010 Southeast Hay Contest, go to the
University of Georgia’s forage
Web site. For additional information, contact Hancock at
706-542-1529 or dhancock@uga.edu.
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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
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The common alfalfa seed supply may be down and prices up, but
premium alfalfas are in good supply, say alfalfa breeders in the
November issue of Hay & Forage Grower.
For growers looking to buy alfalfa seed, the issue also contains the
eight-page alfalfa variety leaflet that’s annually put together by the
National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance
(NAFA). This year, NAFA and Hay & Forage Grower joined forces
to publish the leaflet, called Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest
Resistance Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties, in the magazine. A listing
of new varieties for 2010, and a table showing pest information on
varieties being newly marketed, but not yet eligible for certification,
are also part of the issue.
Here’s a small taste of other stories in the issue, due to appear in
mailboxes – and on hayandforage.com
– the first week of November:
- Double Hay Drying. A Canadian grower dries hay using solar and
biomass heat. The two renewable energy sources help him dry hay faster
and more efficiently than when he dried with natural-air ventilation.
- Mob Grazing. Grazing very high numbers of cattle for short periods
restores grass health and productivity, reports Terry Gompert, a
cow-calf producer and University of Nebraska extension educator.
“Ultra-high stock densities – up to 1,600 head/acre – heal the
land as well as increase production and profits,” he says.
- Switchgrass Under Pivot. When the perennial grass is grown for
cellulosic ethanol production in the Pacific Northwest, it’ll be
irrigated and cut twice per season, says Steve Fransen, Washington State
University forage agronomist. “Our research has shown that, under
normal conditions, we constantly average over 10 tons of dry matter per
acre,” he says.
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Deciding whether or not to take a fall alfalfa cutting is mostly a
matter of assessing benefits and risks, says Marvin Hall, extension
forage specialist at Penn State University. “For example, you probably
wouldn’t take a harvest in the fall if you knew that a very cold and
open (no snow cover) winter was waiting just ahead,” says Hall. “The
risk of losing the alfalfa stand would be greater than the benefits of
taking the harvest.”
Hall suggests the following questions to ask yourself as you work
through the decision-making process:
1) Do you really need the forage? If you already have plenty of
forage to make it until next spring, why risk a fall harvest?
2) Is it a younger stand? Older alfalfa stands are more likely to
winterkill or suffer winter injury following a fall harvest than younger
alfalfa stands.
3) Are the soil pH and fertility at optimum? Adequate soil pH and
fertility minimize the risk of fall harvesting.
4) Is the field well-drained? Alfalfa on well-drained soils is
less likely to suffer winter injury than alfalfa on poorly drained
soils.
5) Did any previous harvests this year have flowers before
cutting?
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today to place your order.
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Company.
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Livestock producers planning to add legumes to pastures next spring
should graze grass this fall until virtually nothing is left. That will
help seedlings get off to a good start, says Bruce Anderson, forage
specialist with University of Nebraska Extension.
The biggest challenge in establishing slow-growing legume seedlings into
grass sod is grass competition, he notes. “Anything you do to reduce
competition and slow down grass growth will help. And one of the best
ways to slow down spring grass growth is to graze it hard now.” Heavy
fall grazing will weaken grass, reduce its spring growth and remove old
dead thatch.
Even if you’ve already moved livestock to cornstalks or winter range,
you might want to bring animals back to pastures and/or meadows this
fall, Anderson says. At the same time, consider collecting soil samples
and applying fertilizer according to lab recommendations, he advises.
“Legumes often need extra phosphorus and sometimes lime to improve
soil pH.”
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“Those guys are losing big-time money and until they get back
to being breakeven or making money, the forage industry is going to be
slow.” – Jon Hill, Nevada Hay Growers, Inc., sales manager, on
how economic woes for dairy producers are affecting local hay growers.
Source: Reno Gazette-Journal.
“It doesn’t matter if you sell alfalfa or write software, it
takes innovation to efficiently produce value, get your product to
market and grow your business.” – Idaho Gov. C.L. Otter in an
email to media outlets explaining how all kinds of companies, not just
high-tech firms, will play a role in boosting the state’s gross
domestic product. Source: Associated Press.
“The clock is ticking and there’s no urgency to apply common
sense.” – Aaron Kiess, executive director of the California Alfalfa and Forage
Association, on a proposal by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to
have the Interior Department appoint a panel of scientists within 30
days to examine the causes of the water shortage in the state’s San
Joaquin Valley. If the timeline isn’t met, Feinstein would turn to the
National Academy of Sciences for a study. Source: Western
Farm Press.
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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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Montana
What a difference a year makes. During the 2008 hay-growing season,
Townsend, MT, hay grower Joel Flynn sold more than half of his crop to
West Coast hay export firms. This year he’s sold none for export.
“Last year we had buyers in here all summer looking to line up
supplies,” says Flynn, who grows alfalfa, timothy and alfalfa-grass
mixed hay on 650 irrigated acres. “We could hardly make the hay fast
enough. This year we haven’t seen a single buyer in our area.”
Lack of exporter interest was just one factor making 2009 a challenging
year for state hay growers, according to Flynn. “Like a lot of people
all over the country, we had to deal with very strange weather this
year. Some parts of the state had way too much rain at the wrong times,
making it difficult to put up high-quality hay. Other areas were
extremely dry, and people had to deal with grasshoppers.”
In Flynn’s operation, showery, cool weather made for a late first
cutting. He ordinarily starts cutting in mid-June or as early as June 1.
This year he didn’t start until late in the month. “That put us
behind on second cutting as well.”
A warm spell in early to mid-September gave growers hopes for a decent
third cutting. “The hay was catching up a bit,” says Flynn. “A lot
of people were waiting to cut until we got a hard freeze. We did get a
freeze (in early October), but it was a severe freeze. We had several
days where the lows were nearly down around zero and the daytime highs
were 25-30 degrees.
“Then we needed to cut everything quickly before it dried and
shattered.” But it rained before the hay was dry enough to bale, and a
lot of the third cutting is still lying in the field, he says.
Although Flynn has been able to market nearly all of the hay he’s put
up so far this year, prices have lagged. His horse-quality hay, packaged
in small square bales and sold mostly on the East Coast, is currently
bringing $140-150/ton at the stack. That compares to $200/ton and up a
year ago. Large squares of dairy-quality hay (minimum RFV of 155 or 160)
are bringing around $90-100/ton, compared to $175/ton in 2008. He’s
selling beef feeder hay for $70-85/ton. Last year it was bringing
$130/ton. “There’s always a bit of market for the feeder hay,” he
says. “But it’s not huge, and it’s not going to bring the kind of
prices that will sustain a commercial hay-growing operation.”
Flynn, who also grows small grains, isn’t planning to change the
amount of acreage he devotes to hay production next year. “I’ve been
at this for about 40 years. My experience has been that, unless you
really know what you’re doing, it doesn’t pay to jump in and out of
different crops. You’re better off to keep doing what you’ve been
doing.”
Instead, he’ll look for opportunities to become more efficient.
“We’ll have to make better use of fertilizer and put off some
equipment purchases. Mostly, we’ll tighten up our belts a little and
do the best we can.”
To contact Flynn, call 406-980-0536 or email joelflynn@mt.net.
New York
A weak general economy and a growing-season weather pattern conducive to
good pasture growth have put a lid on horse hay sales up and down the
Eastern Seaboard, says hay grower and dealer Terry Button of Terry L.
Button Farms in Rushville, NY. “Demand is down and prices are soft,”
he says.
Button grows timothy, alfalfa-timothy and alfalfa-timothy-orchardgrass
on 300 acres. The hay is packaged in small square bales weighing 60 lbs
each. His primary markets are feed stores, horse-racing tracks and
dealers supplying race tracks located from New York to Florida.
“With the economy the way it is, a horse is considered a luxury,”
says Button. “Money is tight, and people don’t want to spend what
money they do have on feed until they absolutely have to.”
Adequate rainfall this year in most parts of his sales area has helped
hold demand in check. “There’s still plenty of good pasture
available in a lot of places. As long as that’s the case, people are
going to put off buying hay.”
Even so, Button is confident demand will pick up as the selling season
progresses. “There’s always a market for good horse hay,” he says.
When he’s not busy making hay and running a companion trucking
business, Button works on transportation issues for two professional
organizations. He serves on the board of directors and heads up the
transportation committee of the National Hay Association. He is
also on the government affairs committee of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers
Association, a trade association representing small-business
trucking professionals.
He believes that hay growers need to get more involved politically to
bring attention to transportation issues. “The explosion in fees,
taxes and regulations in recent years affects every hay grower and
shipper in the country,” he says. “It’s driving our costs up and
making us less competitive. We all need to work on educating the general
public, lawmakers and bureaucrats on how important agriculture and the
trucking industry are to our country and its economic well-being.”
To contact Button, call 585-554-3799.
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The 2009 Missouri
Livestock Symposium will take place Dec. 4-5 at the Kirksville
Middle School in Kirksville.
Featured at this year’s event will be educational sessions of interest
to livestock producers, horse owners and forage growers. More than 30
speakers from 11 states will be on hand. Forage topics include getting
started with strip grazing, extending the grazing season and forage
choices.
A trade show, country music concert and free meals are also part of the
symposium. For more information, call the Adair County Extension Center
at 660-665-9866 or email Bruce Lane at lanen@missouri.edu.
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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.
Visit www.mbforagecouncil.mb.ca, call 204-622-2006 or register
online.
Dec. 2-4 -- Western Alfalfa And Forage Conference, Grand Sierra
Resort & Casino, Reno, NV. Go to alfalfa.ucdavis.edu.
Dec. 10 -- Alabama Forage And Grassland Conference, University of
West Alabama, Livingston. 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. 5-8 -- University Of Wisconsin Crop Production And Management
Meetings. Locations: Jan. 5 – Arlington and Fond du Lac;
Jan. 6 – Kimberly and Wausau; Jan. 7 – Eau Claire and
Sparta; Jan. 8 – Janesville and Belmont. Contact Joe Lauer at
608-263-7438 or jglauer@wisc.edu.
Jan. 14-15 -- New Mexico Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso
Convention Center, Ruidoso. Visit www.nmhay.com or call 575-626-5677.
Feb. 2-3 -- Mid-America Alfalfa Expo, Buffalo County Fairgrounds,
Kearney, NE. Visit www.alfalfaexpo.com or contact
Barb Kinnan at 800-743-1649 or nebalf@cozadtel.net.
Feb. 16-17 -- Idaho Hay And Forage Conference, Best Western
Burley Inn, Burley. Contact Glenn Shewmaker at 208-736-3608 or gshew@uidaho.edu.
Feb. 25 -- Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, Cave City Convention
Center, Cave City. Visit the University of Kentucky’s forage
Web site.
April 8-9 -- 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.
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