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Hay & Forage Grower
USDA
Hay Prices
Weather
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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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While diesel fuel prices are expected to remain fairly steady
through at least the first half of 2010, locking in prices on at least
part of their fuel needs for the year is still good strategy for most ag
producers, says Marty Wieland, director of energy risk management for
Growmark, Inc., Bloomington, IL.
“Even when prices appear to be stable, like now, we advise people to
think about forward pricing to lock in a certain percentage of their
needs for the year,” says Wieland. “It gives you a little protection
in case some outside event – like political turmoil in the Middle East
or a hurricane – comes in and disrupts the market.”
There can be other benefits to forward-pricing, he adds. “It’s a
good planning tool. You have a better idea of what your input costs for
the entire year are going to be. Once you lock in the price you don’t
have to worry about it.”
Weak demand, due mostly to slow growth in the U.S. economy, has been the
key factor holding diesel fuel prices in check, says Wieland.
“There’s plenty of inventory right now. And until the general
economy picks up, demand isn’t likely to be all that strong.”
In its Short-Term
Energy Outlook for February, the U.S. Department of Energy
projected that retail diesel prices in the U.S. will average
$2.95/gallon in 2010. That’s up from $2.46/gallon last year but down
from an average price of $3.80 in 2008.
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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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If you’re planning to register a comment on the USDA-APHIS draft
environmental impact statement (EIS) for Roundup Ready alfalfa, you’ll
have to hurry. The extended public comment period ends tomorrow
(Wednesday) night at 11:59 p.m.
APHIS officials report that, as of late last week, they had received
more than 7,700 comments
online and “hundreds of mail-submitted form letters.” Of that
total, approximately 1,000 comments were received after the agency
decided to extend the deadline. That decision was made when an early
February snowstorm forced the postponement of a public comment meeting
in the Washington, D.C., area.
Once the comment period closes, APHIS will tabulate and evaluate the
comments, respond to the issues raised, then issue a final EIS. “After
the final EIS is approved, there will be another 30 days before there is
a final decision made on the deregulation of Roundup Ready alfalfa,”
says APHIS spokesperson Mike Pina. “There may also be additional time
between the date of the final decision and the effective date of the
action.”
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A dew simulator that applies steam to dry hay makes higher-quality,
denser bales and dramatically increases the capacity of big square
balers, says its inventor. With a DewPoint 6110, a Western grower
doesn’t have to wait for natural dew to start baling, says Dave
Staheli, Cedar City, UT. He claims a grower baling 40-50 acres per day
with one baler can easily cover 200-250 acres per day with a baler and
dew simulator.
Pulled between the tractor and baler, the machine has a diesel-fueled
boiler and 1,000-gallon water tank. It injects steam into the top and
bottom of a windrow at the baler’s pickup mechanism and again as the
hay passes through the feed chamber just before it’s compressed.
Staheli says the steam is absorbed instantly, retaining leaves and
softening the hay.
He built his first dew simulator in 1995, then over the next three years
built and sold several more. In 1998, he signed a license agreement with
an equipment manufacturer, but the simulator was never marketed, and the
license expired in 2007. Since then, he’s upgraded most of the
components.
“One of the main things we’ve done is develop a computer-based
control system,” says Staheli. “Many of the processes the operator
had to think about before have been automated, so now all he has to do
is maintain an optimum moisture level in the hay he’s baling.”
Read more about the dew simulator in the March issue of Hay & Forage
Grower.
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 Know where to find the best alfalfa seed?
Isn’t it obvious? Syngenta alfalfa varieties deliver maximum
productivity. For your productivity solution, review your forage
objectives and performance requirements with your Garst seed advisor,
Golden Harvest dealer or NK retailer. Then select from our portfolio of
high-performance alfalfa varieties and scientifically developed
blends.
The Syngenta logo is a trademark of a Syngenta Group
Company.
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A rainy autumn and heavy winter snowfall make flooding likely in
parts of the Peace Garden State, and North Dakota State University
Extension veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow advises livestock producers to
move hay to higher ground before floodwaters start rising.
“As with last year, areas may flood that have not seen flooding
before,” Stoltenow cautions.
With hay production above average in 2009, Stoltenow says it’s likely
some hay is being stored in areas with high risks of flooding – low
spots in fields, along creeks and rivers and on the wrong sides of
washed-out roads.
His bottom line: “It is easier to move or blow snow on top of frozen
ground to get to your hay now than it is to try to fight 3’ of mud
with 3’ of water on top of that.”
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- Livestock producers can expect hay prices to drop 6% in
2010, according to the recently released 2010
Farm Sector Income Forecast from USDA. Feed corn prices will be
equal to 2009 prices, while soybean meal prices will drop 20%.
- The 2010
Weed Control Guide for Ohio and Indiana is now available
online. The 192-page publication provides researched-based, unbiased
weed control recommendations for a variety of field crops, including
forages. Topics covered include the importance of timing, proper
identification, cultural and mechanical control, spray drift, weed
resistance and sprayer calibration.
- Excel-based
crop budgets for alfalfa and grass hay, along with other crops, are
now available from Penn State University Cooperative Extension. The
Excel format allows farmers to plug in costs of fertilizer, seed and
pesticide. The program also allows for adjustments in application and
seeding rates and covers government payments, manure contributions,
cover crops, legume contributions, crop insurance, land rent and more.
- The Washington State Hay Growers Association has posted its 2010
Annual Conference proceedings online. Topics covered include insect
management, state variety trials, teff research, insurance, farm
implement permitting and more. The conference was held in Kennewick, WA,
in mid-January.
- An uptick in the number of dairy replacement animals is likely a
major factor in the recent drop of dairy product prices, says University
of Wisconsin ag economist Bob Cropp. In his February
Dairy Situation and Outlook, Cropp notes that USDA’s Jan. 1
inventory showed dairy replacements were up by 2% from the year-earlier
figure. “About two-thirds of these replacements are expected to enter
the dairy herd within the next 12 months,” says Cropp. “Thus, the
decline in the number of milk cows in 2010 may not be as high as earlier
predicted.”
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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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Alberta
Dwindling hay stocks have pushed up the demand and prices for hay in
many parts of the province, reports Don Allan of AllanHay.com Quality Hay in Sylvan Lake.
“While the main calving season is still a month or two away, ranchers
are finding it difficult to source adequate supplies to meet their
needs,” Allan says. “A lot of straw and pellets have been fed this
winter in lieu of hay. Many are scrambling now to find hay with higher
protein to feed to lactating cows with calves at foot.”
Allan, who markets alfalfa-grass and straight grass hay, says his sales
have been brisk since last summer. “Our own stocks are nearing their
end.”
On price, Allan reports that hay delivered within 100 km (62 miles) of
source is currently fetching around $185/ton. Last year, the delivered
price was closer to $120/ton.
The supply shortfall is the result of a devastating drought last spring
and summer. The year ahead could hold more of the same. “Soil moisture
reserves continue to be low,” he says, adding that hay prices will
likely be strong again unless there is adequate rainfall over most of
the province in April, May and June.
For more information, contact Allan at 403-887-1728 or dballan@telus.net or visit his Web site.
South Carolina
A cold and extremely wet winter has crimped cool-season annual ryegrass
growth in the state, reports John Andrae, forage specialist with Clemson
University Cooperative Extension. “It’s been raining, raining,
raining,” he says. “We even had a snowstorm that dumped 3-8” of
snow on parts of the state in early February. It remains to be seen what
all that moisture and cold will mean for annual ryegrass growth as we
get into the spring.”
On the upside, the lack of ryegrass growth may have put a floor under
hay prices. “There’s plenty of beef-quality hay around statewide,
but, even so, prices have held up there,” he says. “Part of that may
be because we’re not going to have the winter-annual grazing that we
normally would have starting right about now. That’s probably helping
demand a little bit. On the other hand, demand could drop as winter
comes to an end and people have to start moving some of that hay out.”
Another positive to all the wet weather: “We’ll have excellent soil
moisture heading into the spring and summer. We should have a great
first cutting of bermudagrass, our primary forage crop. After going
through fairly dry summers in seven of the last 10 years, it will be
nice to go into a growing season feeling good about it.”
Andrae also notes that the Georgia-South Carolina Piedmont Forage and
Grassland Council will host its first-annual meeting at Just More BBQ
near Pendleton, SC, on March 25. Along with two keynote presentations,
entitled Opportunites with Improved Forage Varieties and Building and
Maintaining Soil Fertility in Times of High Input Costs, there will be a
short tour of a local farm, a discussion of ongoing research projects
and producer presentations.
To contact Andrae, call 864-656-3504 or e-mail jandrae@clemson.edu.
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The Coastal Bend Pasture Symposium will be held March 12 at the
Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi. The
focus will be on strategies for dealing with weed problems brought on by
drought last summer followed by above-normal winter rainfall.
“Pastures have taken a beating, so folks will soon be looking to
renovate their pastures, and, in some cases, plant new grasses,” says
Jeffrey Stapper, AgriLife Extension agent in Nueces County. “This
symposium will bring together experts who will share invaluable
information and answer questions pertaining to the rejuvenation of
pastures.”
Morning topics will include establishing improved pastures, adapted
forage varieties, forage nutrient management, pasture-weed
identification and control and managing pastures with prescribed burns.
Afternoon topics will include determining stocking rates to maintain
forage stands and water quality, producing quality hay, managing forage
insects and risk management.
The registration fee is $10 (includes lunch). Registration deadline is
March 8. For more information, call 361-767-5223.
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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 9 -- University Of Minnesota Extension Dairy Meeting,
McLeod County Fairgrounds, Hutchinson. Call 800-587-0770 or
320-587-0770.
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 25 -- Georgia-South Carolina Piedmont Forage And Grassland
Council’s Annual Meeting, Just More Barbecue, Pendleton, SC. Details coming.
March 26 -- 2010 Forage Production Seminar, Bremer Bank, Amery,
WI. Call 715-485-8600 or visit polk.uwex.edu.
March 27 -- Texoma Pasture Conference, Ardmore Convention Center,
Ardmore, OK. Program will focus on brush and weed control in pastures.
Preregister at www.noble.org/agevents or
contact Tracy Cumbie at tlcumbie@noble.org or 580-224-6411.
March 27 -- Winter Regional Horse Owner Program, Cloquet Forestry
Center, Cloquet, MN. Registration deadline is March 24. Register online.
March 30-April 1 -- Pasture And Livestock Management Workshop,
Texas AgriLife Research & Extension Center, Overton. Call
903-834-6191 or get
info.
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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