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In Today's eHay
Weekly
February 9, 2010
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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.
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A series of storms brought much-needed rain and mountain snowfall
to drought-stricken California in recent weeks. But it will likely be
some time before hay growers and other farmers in the state see water
allotments return to normal, says Rick Staas, CEO of the San Joaquin
Valley Hay Growers Association, a cooperative with 275 members spread
throughout the state’s Central Valley.
“The precipitation is certainly helpful,” says Staas. “But after
three years of drought, the water levels in our reservoirs are way
down.”
The National Weather Service is predicting that the El Niño weather
system that brought the January precipitation – 4-6’ of snow in
parts of the Sierra Nevada mountain range – will continue into spring.
“But even if we get normal or above-normal rainfall through the rest
of the season, things are still likely to be pretty tight. We have a lot
of ground to make up.”
Many California hay growers have seen water allotments drop by 50% or
more over the past several years, Staas notes. “It’s going to take
several years at least to get back to where we should be.”
The lack of available irrigation water, coupled with depressed hay
prices in 2009, will play a role in decreased alfalfa plantings in the
state this year, he adds. Staas expects state acres could be down by as
much as 10% from year-ago levels. “That would bring it to a point as
low as I’ve seen it in a long, long time.”
To contact Staas, call 209-835-1662 or email haygrower@caldsl.net.
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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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Following major snowstorms in January, Arizona’s Division of
Emergency Management is looking for livestock hay donations in response
to a request from the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation. The January snows
left many roads on the reservations impassable and created snowdrifts
8’ deep.
Anyone who can donate hay should contact the State Emergency Call Center
at 877-464-1144. Donors are asked to supply transportation for hay if at
all possible.
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Bermudagrass growers are about to get a new tool for fighting
crabgrass, goosegrass, Texas panicum, sandbur and other summer-annual
grasses, reports University of Georgia Extension weed scientist Tim
Murphy. BASF announced in late January that Prowl H2O is now
labeled for use on forage bermudagrass.
Murphy notes that the pre-emergent herbicide has been used for years for
annual grass control in numerous row crops, including cotton and
soybeans. The new use for Prowl H2O will be shown on a
supplemental label. BASF is in the process of obtaining state
registrations for the herbicide.
At this time, Prowl H2O will be labeled for applications to
only dormant bermudagrass, Murphy adds. But he expects that applications
to tall fescue, bahiagrass and other perennial forage grasses will
eventually be added to the label.
To learn more, see the Hot Topics section of the University of Georgia
Extension Forages Web site.
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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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Doing a little prep work before heading off to see your tax
preparer will go a long way toward ensuring the tax return you file is
accurate, says University of Minnesota (U of M) Extension farm
management specialist C. Robert Holcomb. “It will also help you reduce
your stress,” he says.
Get ready for your appointment by having a copy of the most up-to-date
accounting report for tax-year 2009. “As you assemble your year-end
accounting report, be aware that expenses such as utilities, fuel,
property taxes and business vehicle use must be examined to determine
the business portion of those expenses,” says Holcomb. “If you
don’t reflect the business use in the accounting report, have
notations prepared to share with your tax professional.”
Holcomb offers more tax preparation tips in a recent press
release. An update on recent
tax law changes of interest to farm families is available at the U
of M Agricultural Business Management Web site.
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7 Days remaining (from our publication
date) to submit comments to USDA-APHIS on the draft environmental impact
statement for Roundup Ready alfalfa. The public comment period
closes on Feb. 16. Get more background on the issue at hayandforage.com.
Submit
a comment. to USDA-APHIS.
$25 Individual registration cost to
participate in a Kansas State University webinar on the Supplemental
Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), a new USDA crop disaster program for
producers growing forage and grain crops. The webinar is scheduled for
noon Friday, Feb. 19. Get more details.
28 Number of Washington state dairies that
exited the business in 2009, according to the state department of
agriculture.
100,000 People from 67 countries expected to
attend this year’s World Ag Expo at the International Agri-Center in
Tulare, CA. The show runs from today, Tuesday, Feb. 9, to Feb. 11. See
a schedule
of seminars.
$2.5 million Funding request to the Wyoming
State Legislature from Gov. Dave Freudenthal for emergency pest
management in 2010. The money would be used to head off a repeat of last
year’s devastating grasshopper invasion.
$7.8 million Estimated value of grass hay
lost in Arkansas due to poor weather conditions throughout the 2009
growing season, according to a recently released report from economists
at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. The report
puts the total value of losses for all crops in the state last year at
$397 million.
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 Hay & Forage Grower – Digital
Edition
Get all of the features of Hay & Forage Grower print editions
with all the interactive capabilities only available online.
Here's a sneak preview of this issue's highlights:
- 2010's Forage Equipment
- Debating the EIS
- Pinpoint Hay Moisture
- Handle Silage Safely
- Weather Outlook
Click here to view
the digital edition.
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The past year's been a tough one economically, and money problems
can at times bring out the worst in people. Have you as a hay grower or
custom forage harvester lost equipment to theft? If so, please email us
a few lines about your experience at HFG@hayandforage.com.
Or maybe you found a good way to encourage your farm workers or custom
forage harvest crew – without having to spend a lot of money. Send us
your ideas at HFG@hayandforage.com.
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Georgia
A plentiful supply of average-quality grass hay has depressed prices in
most parts of the state, reports University of Georgia Extension forage
specialist Dennis Hancock.
Based on local market reports, Hancock says round bales are selling for
around $90/ton. Average cost of production – including both variable
and fixed overhead costs – is probably closer to $115-120/ton.
“People are probably close to covering their variable costs, but
that’s about it,” he says.
A wet fall harvest season brought a shortfall in peanut hay production
in the southern part of the state and probably kept all hay prices from
declining more, Hancock says. “If people had been able to get into the
field and harvest, we’d probably be looking at an even weaker
market.”
Horse-hay prices, in particular, have been depressed with small square
bales selling in the $4-4.50/bale range. That probably has as much to do
with the sluggish overall economy as the hay supply glut, he says.
“There’s a lack of discretionary income for middle-class people who
have horses.” He notes that the horse industry ranks sixth in the
state for farm gate receipts, ahead of beef and dairy. “They’re
looking to keep their feed bills as low as possible.”
As a side note, Hancock reminds commercial hay producers that the
3rd-Annual Georgia Hay Production School will be held April 8-9 at the
Sunbelt Ag Expo grounds in Moultrie, GA. A list of presentation topics
is now available at the UGA
Extension Forage Web site.
Call Hancock at 706-542-1529 or email him at dhancock@uga.edu.
Minnesota
Weather glitches in December and January have kept buyer and seller
numbers on the low side at the Houston County Forage and Grassland
Council’s (HCFGC) monthly quality-tested hay sale in Caledonia.
“We’ve been feeling a little snake bit,” says HCFGC treasurer
Gordon Klankowski. “We had the December auction as scheduled even
though a snowstorm hit right before the farmers were to bring in the
hay. Then we had another snowstorm for our January sale.”
A load of alfalfa small square bales took the top sale in January.
Testing at 136 relative feed value (RFV), the hay brought $230/ton. A
load of 120-RFV large square bales sold for $155/ton, while a load of
alfalfa packaged in large rounds and testing 155 RFV brought $130/ton.
“We’ve been tracking our sale prices against prices at non-tested
auctions in northeastern Iowa and Minnesota, and they seem to be pretty
much in line with what they’ve been getting,” says Klankowski.
Auction organizers are hoping for clear skies and pleasant temperatures
for the sale this Friday, Feb. 12. It takes place at Green Power
Equipment in Caledonia. Start time is 1 p.m. Sellers need to have hay
delivered to the equipment dealer’s lot by noon the day before the
sale. Straw can be delivered up to noon on sale day.
For more information, call the Houston County Extension office at
507-725-5807. The final HCFGC sale of the season will be March 12.
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University of Wisconsin Extension forage specialist Dan Undersander
will be the featured speaker at the Manitoba Hay Day, scheduled for Feb.
17 at the Brandon Research Station, Brandon.
He will speak on the benefits of grass in alfalfa stands, making
good-quality hay and new drying technology and low-lignin alfalfa.
Several sessions on export opportunities will also be a part of the
program.
Registration fee is $25 for members of the Manitoba Forage Council and
$40 for non-members. Registration deadline is Feb. 11. Get more information.
Kentucky Alfalfa Conference Is Feb.
25
The 30th-annual Kentucky Alfalfa Conference will be held at the Cave
City Convention Center on Feb. 25.
Educational sessions will offer presentations on alfalfa seed coatings,
alfalfa’s value in crop rotations, alfalfa hay for horses, alfalfa
baleage, alfalfa varieties for the future and more. A trade show with
more than two-dozen exhibitors and a silent auction are also part of
this year’s event.
Registration fee for the conference is $15 ($5 for students) and
includes breaks, meal, proceedings and other educational materials.
Preregistration is not necessary.
For more information, call Christi Forsythe at 270-365-7541, ext. 221.
Get
a brochure.
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Feb. 9-11 -- World Ag Expo, Tulare, CA, starting at 9 a.m.
each day. Cost: $12/day. Visit www.worldagexpo.com.
Feb. 16-17 -- Professional Crop Producers Conference, (Forage
Program is Feb. 17), Holiday Inn Harrisburg/Hershey, Grantville, PA.
Contact Marvin Hall at mhh2@psu.edu or
download program.
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. 18-20 -- 2010 Wisconsin Grazing Conference, Hotel Mead,
Wisconsin Rapids. Visit www.grassworks.org or contact
Heather Flashinski at 715-289-4896 or grassheather@hotmail.com.
Feb. 25-28 -- 8th Annual Pennsylvania Horse World Expo, Farm Show
Complex, Harrisburg. Visit the Expo Web site.
March 2 -- Illinois Forage Institute, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Kankakee
Community College, Kankakee. Visit www.illinoisforage.org.
March 4-6 -- U.S. Custom Harvesters Inc. Annual Convention,
Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, Wichita Falls, TX. Visit www.uschi.com.
March 5-6 -- Maryland Cattle Industry Convention/Hay And Pasture
Conference, Hagerstown Hotel and Convention Center, Hagerstown.
Contact Les Vough at vough@umd.edu or
301-405-1322.
March 10-11 -- Wichita Falls Ranch & Farm Expo, JS Bridwell Ag
Center, Wichita Falls, TX. Visit www.wichitafallsranchandfarmexpo.net,
call 866-685-0989 or email dales@bwtelcom.net.
March 16-17 -- Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Annual
Business Conference, Alliant Energy Center, Madison. Download
a brochure.
March 27 -- Winter Regional Horse Owner Program, Cloquet Forestry
Center, Cloquet, MN. Registration deadline is March 24. Register online.
April 8-9 -- Hay Production School, Spence Field, Moultrie, GA.
Details at www.georgiaforages.com.
April 14-15 -- Kentucky Grazing School, University of Kentucky
Research & Education Center, Princeton. Preregistration required. See
a brochure.
May 13 -- Legume Management In The Southeast: Field Day And Pasture
Walk, Central Georgia Research & Education Center, Eatonton. Details
forthcoming at the University
of Georgia Forage Web site.
June 21-23 -- American Forage And Grassland Council Annual
Conference, University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, MO. Details at www.afgc.org.
Aug. 9-10 -- Kentucky Grazing School, Woodford County Extension
Office, Versailles. Preregistration required. See
a brochure.
Sept. 1-4 -- National Hay Association Annual Meeting, Griffin
Gate Marriott Resort, Lexington, KY. Watch for details on the NHA Web site.
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