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Hay & Forage Grower
USDA
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Rick Mooney, Editor, eHay Weekly, at
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or
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Managing Editor, fholin@hayandforage.com
For specific information from past issues of eHay Weekly and
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Wet, cool weather made it a tough year for hay growers trying to
put up quality hay in the northeastern U.S. But the weird and whacky
weather also made it an almost ideal year for one company to use a new
processing system that turns standing forages into dry hay in about four
hours.
“We’ve had rain just about every week during the growing season so
far,” says Jeff Warren, a partner in Top
Quality Hay Processors (TQHP) in Geneva, NY. “Some farmers in this
area had to stack their hay in the field as mulch hay. But, with the
exception of one day where weather shut us down for 12 hours, we had our
trucks in the field 24 hours a day, six days a week.”
Warren and his partners started working on the new process in early
2006. This first full year of production, the hay crop – alfalfa,
alfalfa-orchardgrass mix and timothy – is mowed with a modified
windrower that loads the material directly into dump wagons or trucks.
The hay is then delivered to a 160,000-sq-ft processing facility in
Romulus, NY, where it’s dried in a 184.5’-long radiant-heat oven.
After drying, the hay is packaged in bales or bags. The whole process,
from the time the hay is cut to when it’s ready to go on the truck for
shipping, takes just about four hours.
Click
here to read the entire story.
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 Know where to find the best alfalfa? It’s Syngenta for
varieties like Genoa, three-time Forage Superbowl grand champion and
new 6475 with PLH resistance. For these and other Syngenta alfalfas,
see your Garst seed advisor, Golden Harvest dealer or NK retailer.
The Syngenta logo is a trademark of a Syngenta Group
Company.
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Results from a recent study in Scott County, AR, show that choosing
the right hay feeding method can go a long way in helping a livestock
producer reduce feed losses.
The study compared three different methods of feeding hay: unrolled,
unprotected and shredded hay fed in tires. About 47 fall calving cows
weighing about 1,250 lbs each were exposed to an allotment of hay for 24
hours. On average, cattle in the study consumed 61% of unrolled hay, 51%
of unprotected hay and nearly 100% of shredded hay fed in tires.
An advantage to feeding unrolling bales: The unrolling disperses the
hay. That allows “boss” and timid cows to eat from the same bale at
the same time and reduces hoof-action damage in the feeding area. On the
flip side, unrolling excess amounts of hay can contribute to losses as
cattle will trample, lie in, or eliminate waste onto remaining feed once
they are full.
The Scott County cattle, however, were used to eating shredded hay in
tires and unaccustomed to unrolled hay, which may, according to
researchers, have caused its higher losses.
Shredding hay with a mixing wagon and auguring it into large tires
results in nearly all the hay being eaten, but it requires an investment
in large specialized equipment and can be time-consuming.
The study also showed that differences in bale feeders can influence hay
losses. For unprotected bales, feed losses amounted to 40%; cradle
feeders, 15%; wagon hay feeders, 11%; ring feeders, 6% and cone feeders,
4%.
The University of Arkansas Extension Web
site provides more on hay storage methods and feeding losses.
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Applying glyphosate herbicides like Roundup in late fall might be
the quickest route to slowing down the invasion of cool-season plants
into warm-season grass pastures and rangeland, says Bruce Anderson,
University of Nebraska forage specialist.
According to Anderson, cool-season grasses – cheatgrass, downy brome,
bluegrass, smooth brome and others – take over summer pastures
relatively easily because they develop rapidly during fall and spring
when native grasses provide little competition. Then the cool-season
plants take in moisture and nutrients in spring before warm-season
plants have a chance to get going.
Anderson notes that recent hard freezes have turned warm-season plants
dormant, but weedy cool-season grasses are still green. For best
results, he recommends applying glyphosate when daytime temperatures are
above 60° F and nighttime temperatures stay above 40° F. “This will
kill or weaken the green and susceptible cool-season grasses but won’t
affect dormant warm-season plants,” Anderson says. “By reducing
competition, warm-season plants will grow more vigorously next year and
provide better summer pasture.”
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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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Growing Alfalfa In The South is a new 16-page brochure,
recently released by the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA). The
publication, written by forage extension specialists from Kentucky,
Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, is available for $2 per copy plus
postage at www.alfalfa.org. For
a pdf version, click on the brochure's cover on that Web page.
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The November issue of Hay & Forage is in the mail! For a
sneak preview or any time you want to review a particular story in the
most recent issue of the magazine, click on the issue cover photo,
located in the left column of this enewsletter. That takes you to hayandforage.com, where you can
scroll down to Most Recent Issue. If you’re looking for
information on a particular subject, type a keyword or two in our search
function in the upper righthand side of hayandforage.com’s homepage.
You’ll see the latest we’ve written about that subject.
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 New from National Alfalfa &
Forage Alliance and Hay & Forage Grower
The Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistance Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties
2010 Edition is now available in print and online. National Alfalfa
& Forage Alliance produced and Hay & Forage Grower published the
2010 Varieties Guide. The 2010 Varieties Guide is well-regarded within
the alfalfa seed industry as the most accurate listing of alfalfa
varieties ratings available. Click here for the
2010 Alfalfa Varieties Guide.
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$15+ Potential per-cwt price of Class
III milk in the U.S. in July 2010, according to Bob Cropp, emeritus ag
economist at the University of Wisconsin. Cropp made the prediction in
his Oct. 20 Dairy
Situation and Outlook Report. He noted that the current Class
III dairy futures price for next July is $15.42, up from $14.64 in
December. Cropp’s optimism for a better-than-expected price rise is
based on a number of factors, including shrinking U.S. milk cow numbers,
lower milk production and improved milk and dairy product sales.
34 Counties in Arkansas now included in the
federal
imported fire ant quarantine, administered by USDA’s Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Baled hay and straw stored in
contact with soil are among the items regulated by the quarantine. Last
week, Arkansas County, in the southeastern part of the state, was added
to the 33 counties already on the quarantine list.
40 Percent of U.S. farmers participating in
an August
2009 Rabo AgriFinance survey who believe their income will be worse
in 2010 than it has been in recent years. Of the 455 survey respondents,
27% have “some optimism” that their income will improve next year.
40 Employee layoffs announced last month by
Kuhn North America, according to a story in the Janesville (WI)
Gazette. Headquarted in Brodhead, WI, the company is North
America’s largest manufacturer of TMR mixers and manure spreaders and
a leading provider of hay, forage and crop packaging tools. The company
also laid off 60 workers in March 2009.
452 Employees will start back to work at the
John Deere Ottumwa Works, Ottumwa, IA, the end of November, the company
announced last week. A total of 494 production workers were laid off the
end of June. For more information, see Deere
Recalls Many Ottumwa Workers.
132,000 Gallons of milk sprayed on fields in
the Czech Republic last week by Czech dairy farmers. The farmers were
attempting to draw attention to the hardship caused by low milk prices.
Source: Associated Press.
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Indiana
Dairy-quality hay prices in the east-central part of Indiana have
softened somewhat compared to year-ago prices. But hay grower Eric
Miles, Cambridge City, thinks there’s a good chance they’ll hold
firm or increase slightly in the months ahead. “The hay price
typically follows corn and bean prices, and we’ve been seeing a little
strengthening there recently,” says Miles, who grows 140 acres of
alfalfa. He markets 90% of his crop, packaged in 3 x 3 x 8’ square
bales, to local dairies. He also buys and resells standing wheat straw.
Miles believes the turning point for hay prices will come when dairy
producers find they’re paying less for protein in hay than for protein
in soybean meal and other feeds. “There’s plenty of hay around now,
but so much of it is mediocre quality,” he says, noting that
“better-quality” hay in his area is currently selling for
$150-180/ton. “People who have good-quality hay to sell should do all
right on price. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.”
The slumping dairy economy and adequate supplies have also put a damper
on local straw prices. The going price in the area, according to Miles,
is $70-90/ton. “It’s one of the cheapest things, they (dairy
producers) can buy right now,” he says. “But those guys have just
been getting slaughtered with milk prices the way they are. It’s hard
to sell anything in the dairy market right now.”
Looking to next year, though, Miles thinks the stage is being set for
higher straw prices. “With the weather we've been having, the bean
harvest is late. That means a lot of wheat is going to be planted late
if it’s planted at all. There might not be a lot of straw around next
year. Things are really volatile right now.”
To contact Miles, call 765-478-6197 or email milesfarm@agristar.net.
Wyoming
Hard times in the regional dairy industry, coupled with an unusually wet
and cool growing season, created a backlog of hay in the state, notes
Donn Randall, crop and forage/value added program manager for the Wyoming Business Council’s
Agribusiness Division. “We have a lot of hay that still has to be
moved,” he says.
Along with making it more difficult for commercial growers to put up
high-quality hay, the unusual growing season weather has led many
livestock producers to cut and bale pastures in 2009. “It was a nice,
wet year, and (grass) growth was excellent. So people were cutting hay
they ordinarily wouldn’t have cut. A lot of it wasn’t high-quality
hay by any means. But it will take the place of hay that would
ordinarily be moving through the markets.”
Of even greater concern to many commercial growers is the downturn in
the dairy economy. Several large dairies in north-central Colorado were
forced to close their doors when a major regional bank went into
bankruptcy this past summer. Dairies that managed to stay in business
were strapped for cash due to the severe drop in milk prices.
With demand crimped, hay prices have drifted downward. Randall has heard
reports of alfalfa square bales, at 168-185 RFV, selling in the
$90-100/ton range. That’s down from $115-120 a year ago. “And if hay
doesn’t get moving soon, price could come down even further.”
The net result? State hay growers are looking eastward in hopes of
finding new markets. One bit of good news, says Randall, is that several
trucking firms approached the Wyoming delegation at last month’s World
Dairy Expo. “These are basically companies that deliver supplies and
equipment from the eastern U.S. to oil fields here. They’re looking
for backhauls into the Midwest and further east.” With lower fuel and
hay prices, backhaul arrangements could help make Wyoming hay more
competitive in some markets. And Wyoming quality, although not up to its
usual standard this year due to the weather, is still pretty good
compared to what was put up in other areas, he says.
To contact Randall, call 307-777-6578 or email donn.randall@wybusiness.org.
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Land-grant universities in 12 Midwestern states will co-host a
“Growing The Bioeconomy: Solutions For Sustainability” conference on
Dec. 1.
The conference will give attendees the option of viewing proceedings at
home on a computer or traveling to one of seven sites where they can
interact with presenters and other attendees. States with universities
participating in the conference are Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, North
Dakota, Ohio, Indiana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,
Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The keynote conference speaker will be James Lovelock, renowned for his
knowledge of global environmental science issues. Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu have been
invited to speak at the morning session. Afternoon sessions will focus
on non-traditional feedstocks for ethanol production, advances and
breakthroughs in biofuels, and bioenergy economic and policy issues.
Each university is setting its own registration fee and advanced
registration deadline; registration
options and a conference
agenda are available online.
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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. 4-5: Missouri Livestock Symposium, Kirksville Middle School,
Kirksville. Visit www.missourilivestock.com.
Dec. 10 -- 2009 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. 13-14 -- Washington State Hay Growers Association (WSHGA) Annual
Convention and Trade Show, Three Rivers Convention Center,
Kennewick. Details to come at www.wa-hay.org/convention.
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. 2-3 -- 2010 Mid-America Alfalfa Expo, Buffalo County
Fairgrounds, Kearney, NE. For details, visit www.alfalfaexpo.com, call Barb
Kinnan at 800-743-1649 or email her at nebalf@cozadtel.net.
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.
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