|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
A new online hay auction service patterned after eBay –
eHayAuctions – has been set up by Midwestern Cattle Marketing, LLC, a
Sidney, NE, company specializing in video cattle auctions. It can be
found at eHayAuctions.com.
“We saw this as a way to extend a new service to our customers,”
says Tom O’Connell, Midwestern Cattle CEO. “Technology makes it
possible. The Internet affords sellers an opportunity to market their
products faster and gain access to more customers over a larger
geographic area.”
O’Connell notes that the new hay auction site links buyers and sellers
similarly to eBay. Sellers register, provide descriptions of their hay
(photos and test results are optional), set prices and establish auction
timeframes. Potential buyers also register, then bid on hay until the
price is met, the seller accepts a bid or the auction time lapses.
“Competitive bidding is the most accurate form of price discovery
there is,” says O’Connell. “Sellers get the best price, and buyers
get the best choice.”
Sellers remain in control of their hay until payment is made and hay is
transported by the buyer. A fee of $4/ton is paid to the auction company
by the seller at the time of listing.
O’Connell believes eHayAuctions is the first of its kind set up to
serve an agricultural hay- and forage-oriented audience. “There are
any number of other hay listing sites on the Internet. But we’re the
only one I know of that is based on the bidding concept. Eventually,
I’m sure we’ll see some other tag-along sites pop up.”
Up and running for roughly a month, the site has attracted listings from
several sellers. “It’s like any other business startup,” he says.
“It takes some time to get your name out there.”
To contact O’Connell, call 308-249-0079 or email tom@midwesterncattle.com.
Editor's Note: eHayAuctions is not affiliated with
eHayWeekly.
|
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
|
An unusually wet growing season during 2009 makes forage testing an
absolute “must” for this year’s hay crop in many parts of the
country, says Tom Keene, hay marketing specialist with University of
Kentucky (UK) Extension.
While driving the roadways of his home state this fall, Keene has seen
“rows and rows” of round hay bales stored outside – with green
grass growing on bale tops, he reports in the November issue of UK’s
Forage
News. That green growth, he says, indicates that the hay was way
past optimal nutrient value when it was harvested and/or that it
deteriorated at a greater-than-normal rate due to an overabundance of
rainfall after harvest.
A listing of certified hay testing laboratories in the U.S. is available
at The
National Forage Testing Association.
|
Organizers of this year’s Western
Alfalfa & Forage Conference apparently hit on a winning concept.
Signups for the new Hands-On Alfalfa Diagnostics Workshop (to be held in
advance of the symposium) came in at such a fast-and-furious clip that
registrations had to be shut down last week.
“We really didn’t want to do it,” says Dan Putnam, Extension
forage specialist with the University of California-Davis and a member
of the conference organizing committee. “But we felt we had to limit
the number of attendees so people would have time to ask questions of
presenters and participate in informal discussions with each other.”
Putnam adds that a workshop waiting list is being developed.
Registration for the main part of the conference, scheduled for Dec. 2-4
at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, NV, is still open. “We
thought we might be down on numbers a little this year because of the
tough economy,” Putnam reports. “But we worked hard to hold costs in
line. Somewhere over 500 people have already registered.”
Conference registration will remain open until Nov. 23. Cost is $150 and
includes all speaker sessions, admission, proceedings, banquet lunch and
refreshments. Walk-up registrations will be available for an additional
fee. Registration
details are available online.
|
 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.
|
A reprinted, low-resolution version of Understanding Forage
Quality is now available for download through National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance
(NAFA). A collaboration of leading forage agronomists in the U.S.,
the publication provides an in-depth look at factors affecting forage
quality and the tools that can be used to analyze and manage forages.
Topics include species differences, temperature, maturity,
fertilization, varieties and more. The publication also offers
information on forage quality and forage testing that can be used to
increase animal performance and producer profits.
|
“The timing of this is absolutely horrible. You have all these
acres coming out when the bottom has come out of the grain market. All
we need is more ground going back into production.” – Kansas
farmer reacting to reports that 3.4 million acres nationwide were taken
out of the Conservation Reserve Program in September when owners’
contracts expired. Source: Associated Press.
“I just don’t know what’s going to happen. A lot of people are
struggling as it is in this economy, including me, so I'm sure if they
go out of business it is going to hurt the people who supply them with
hay.” – Worthington, PA, hay grower commenting on reports that a
local mushroom plant plans to lay off 300 workers over the next several
months and may go out of business entirely. Source: Pittsburghlive.com.
“You are going to have these boom-and-bust periods, and during the
boom periods you should follow sound financial advice, pay down debt and
build a cash-flow cushion.” – Cameron Thraen, Ohio State
University ag economist, on lessons dairy producers can learn from the
current economic downturn. Source: Ohio State Extension.
“(Various reports) show that about 80% of the state's water goes to
agriculture, not to people.” – Rebecca Schmidt, in a guest
editorial, “California’s Deficit of Common Sense,” which appeared
recently on the Los Angeles Times opinion page.
|
 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.
|
Arkansas
Abundant rainfall has almost been too much of a good thing for state hay
producers in 2009. “We’ve probably had only about three weeks of
good hay curing weather this whole season,” says Joe Vestal, staff
chair for University of Arkansas Extension in Lafayette County. “May
and early June were wet. We had a little dry period in July, and then
from August to present we’ve had intermittent rainfall that has
hampered good hay production.
“Hay quality will be lower because harvest was delayed, resulting in
overly mature hay from first cutting,” Vestal says.
In northwestern Arkansas, the story is the same. “We are down on the
number of acres seeded in cool-season crops, such as ryegrass, wheat and
other winter grazing forages,” says Darrin Henderson, Vestal’s
counterpart in Madison County. “The only thing I worry about is this
winter – how bad it will be and that the hay we do have put up is not
that good quality-wise.”
Henderson adds that unprotected hay bales are losing quality with each
rain, so growers should have their hay nutrient-tested. “We’re not
seeing any fungus,” he says. “Mold will form in hay when it is
harvested too wet and then stored. There will be a lot of moldy,
low-quality hay this winter.”
Shawn Burgess, Extension chair in Stone County (north-central part of
the state), says there’s been no real weather damage to the hay crop
in his area, but many fields have been too wet to work. “Some
producers lost a cutting of hay because they couldn’t get in.”
Ohio
The state is heading into winter with a plentiful hay supply overall,
says Mark Sulc, forage specialist with Ohio State University Extension.
High-quality alfalfa hay stocks, though, could tighten up as the season
progresses.
After a dry 2008 in many parts of the state, Sulc notes that hay
production got a boost from plentiful rainfall during the 2009 growing
season. According to numbers from the Ohio Department of Agriculture,
average alfalfa yields, at 3.6 tons/acre in 2009, were up 24% from those
of a year earlier. Yields for other hay averaged 2.5 tons/acre, up 14%
from 2009 yields. “With the exception of a few dry spots northwest of
Columbus, most of the state had very timely rains this year,” says
Sulc. “That definitely had an effect on yields.”
The average price for alfalfa hay in September was $145/ton, according
to another report from the state ag department. That’s down from
$212/ton a year earlier. Other hay was selling for an average of $92 in
September, roughly the same as a year earlier. Sulc adds that a recent
spot-check of prices reported at state hay auctions shows first-cutting
alfalfa prices ranging from $85 to $180/ton. Second and third cuttings
were fetching anywhere from $125 to $250. “That’s a pretty huge
price range,” he says. “To me, it indicates there’s probably a
wide range of quality out there. For good-quality hay, there’s still
likely to be a fairly good market.”
To contact Sulc, call 614-292-9084 or email sulc.2@osu.edu.
|
The importance of forages in Iowa will be among the topics
discussed at this year’s Iowa Forage and Grassland Council annual
conference. Scheduled for Nov. 23-24, the conference will be held at the
Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines. Other conference topics include
alternative uses for forages, storing and feeding forages, and economics
of forage and grass-fed cattle production.
A
full agenda and registration form are available from the Iowa Beef
Center. For additional information, call 641-774-2016.
|
Dec. 1 -- “Growing The Bioeconomy: Solutions For
Sustainability” conference. Registration
options and a conference
agenda are available online.
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 & 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. 9 -- 13th Annual University Of Wisconsin Arlington Dairy Day,
Arlington Agricultural Research Station. Registration is $25/person
through Nov. 25, then $35/person. For details, call 608-263-3308.
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.
Dec. 15 -- Mid-Missouri Grazing Conference, Boone County
Fairgrounds, Columbia. For more information, contact Ed Gillmore or
Peggy Lemons at 573-893-5188, ext. 3.
Jan. 13-14 -- Washington State Hay Growers Association Annual
Convention And Trade Show, Three Rivers Convention Center,
Kennewick. Details at www.wa-hay.org/convention.
Jan. 14-15 -- 2010 New Mexico Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso
Convention Center, Ruidoso, NM. Details to come at www.nmhay.com or call 575-626-5677.
Jan. 25-27 -- Midwest Forage Association, Wisconsin Custom Operators
And Professional Nutrient Applicators Symposium And Annual Meetings,
Chula Vista Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI. Contact the Midwest Forage Association.
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 8-12 -- Minnesota Forage Days, held at various locations
throughout the state. Call 651-484-3888 or visit the University of Minnesota
forage Web site for specific locations, dates and times.
Feb. 16-17 -- Idaho Hay And Forage Conference, Best Western
Burley Inn, Burley. Contact Glenn Shewmaker at 208-736-3608 or gshew@uidaho.edu.
April 8-9 -- Hay Production School, Spence Field, Moultrie, GA.
Details at www.georgiaforages.com.
June 21-23 -- American Forage And Grassland Council Annual
Conference, University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, MO. Details at www.afgc.org.
Sept. 5-7 -- National Hay Association Annual Meeting, Griffin
Gate Marriott Resort, Lexington, KY. Watch for details on the NHA Web site.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
