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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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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
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by Neil Tietz
Editor, Hay & Forage Grower
Last week’s USDA crop report didn’t do much to bolster the optimism
of commercial hay growers hoping for significantly higher alfalfa prices
in 2010. After analyzing the report, Matt Diersen, South Dakota State
University Extension ag economist, foresees “steady to stronger”
prices compared to those of 2009. However, supplies will be tight, so
any significant production deterrent, such as a drought or grasshopper
invasion, “could put some pretty strong support under the alfalfa side
of the equation again,” says Diersen.
In its March 31 Prospective Plantings report, USDA said that
growers expect to harvest 60.5 million acres of all types of hay this
year, 1% more than in 2009. Production is expected to be mostly stable
throughout the country, with few big increases and declines. Acreage
increases are anticipated throughout most of the Southern Great Plains,
Southwest and Coastal Plains, with the largest increases forecast for
Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. The biggest declines are
predicted for Montana and Kentucky.
Diersen figures the expected 1% acreage increase is largely grass rather
than alfalfa, because new alfalfa seedings were down last year. An
earlier USDA report showed that 2.67 million acres of alfalfa were
seeded in 2009, compared with 2.7 million in 2008. “With that acre
number being up ever so slightly and the alfalfa seeding numbers being
down, I don’t think we’re going to see an increase in alfalfa
acres,” he says.
Economic recovery in the beef and dairy sectors should bolster demand
for alfalfa hay, contributing to the tight supply situation. But heavy
stocks of hay carried over from last year likely will impact prices
early in the 2010 growing season. The amount of hay stored on farms last
Dec. 1 was the highest in five years and, although hay usage may have
been heavier than normal this winter, Diersen expects the May 1 hay
stocks figure to be up also.
“I think anything under 24 million tons for May 1 stocks would drive
prices up a little bit,” he says. “Otherwise, if it comes in with
normal disappearance over the winter, you’re going to have some old
stocks weighing on this market.”
USDA’s May 1 hay stocks estimate will be in its May 11 Crop
Production report.
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 Know where to find the best alfalfa seed?
Isn’t it obvious? Syngenta alfalfa varieties include a seed coating
to optimize germination, nodulation, and promote early season health and
root development allowing more seedlings to survive and achieve their
full genetic potential. To learn more, 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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Farmer-employers who want to reward their stellar workers don't
necessarily have to give them raises to show how much they're valued.
All it takes is some creativity and initiative, according to ag labor
management consultant Don Tyler, Tyler & Associates, Clarks Hill, IN.
“A lot of times, managers assume that good wages, bonuses and job
security are the things that matter most to employees,” he says.
“But when we survey employees, we find that, while those things are
somewhat important, other things are more important. They’re often
more interested in intrinsic things like a sense of belonging to an
organization, feeling like they’re appreciated for what they do or
having a solid relationship with the boss.”
Some suggestions for low-cost perks for employees include offering them
the use of the farm shop for oil changes to their own vehicles, free car
washes, and pitching in on costs for employees to attend farm shows or
training sessions.
For more ideas from two custom operators who offer their employees
perks, see the story “When
You Can’t Give Your Farm Workers Raises” in Hay & Forage
Grower's April special edition on Custom Forage Harvesting. The
print issue is only mailed to readers who custom harvest. The digital version
of the April issue is available at hayandforage.com as well as
the text from the issue.
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A new Web site is a meeting place for farmers and custom operators
who offer a wide variety of services. Developed by Davin Doonan, Andale,
KS, harvesteverything.com has
six custom-work categories: Swathing-Baling, Forage Harvesting, Combine
Harvesting, Tub Grinding, Sprayer-Crop Dusting and Trucking-Hauling.
Custom operators pay $12.50/month for listings with a one-year minimum
listing period. Two additional categories – Hay for Sale and Equipment
Leasing – are priced the same but can be purchased month-to-month.
The service is free for farmers looking for custom operators, and anyone
having trouble finding one can contact Doonan, and he’ll provide a
free posting in a Jobs Available section of the site. “I wanted
something nationwide, and I also wanted it to be free for the farmers
and easy for the farmers,” says Doonan. “Even if a farmer doesn’t
have a computer, he can call me and I’ll print up a list of what
he’s looking for and send it to him.”
Contact Doonan at 316-617-1974 or harvesteverything@yahoo.com.
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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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Now that April has arrived, Matt Montgomery, University of Illinois
Extension director in Mason County, is reminding growers that the
earliest signs of feeding damage from alfalfa weevil larvae will likely
be showing up within a few weeks.
As a scouting protocol, he recommends collecting 30 stems from
throughout the field, noting the stage of plant development, the
presence of foliage damage and the number of larvae per stem. “If
25-40% of the leaves in an unharvested field are damaged and there are
three larvae per stem, damage will cause economic yield loss,” he
says. The field should be harvested or treated with an insecticide.
Weevil control may be needed in the regrowth after the first cutting if
half the field has leaves without succulent tissue, says Montgomery.
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Online registration for this year’s American Forage and
Grassland Council Annual Conference is now open. The conference will
take place June 21-23 at the University Plaza Hotel in Springfield, MO.
Get
complete conference details.
The Washington State Hay Growers Association (WSHGA) is offering
two $1,000 scholarships to current undergraduates, graduate students or
high school graduates planning to attend an institution of higher
education during the 2010-11 school year. Preference will be given to
WSHGA members and immediate family who are planning to study
agriculture, but others may also qualify. Application deadline is April
30. Get
details.
The University of Idaho has posted hay budgeting software online.
Idaho alfalfa growers can use the software to, among other things,
determine how adjusting cutting dates will affect profit. See the budgets.
Access the
software.
AgBoards.com has added a
hauling section to its HayTalk
forums. Producers can post when they're moving out with loads of hay or
hauling something else to alert other producers what directions they're
available to backhaul. Check out the hauling section.
Dave Forgey, partner in a 200-cow, pasture-based dairy farm in
Logansport, IN, has been named the 2010 Indiana Dairy Producer of the
Year by the Indiana Professional Dairy Producers. Read more about Forgey
at hayandforage.com
or in Hay & Forage Grower's January issue story, Farming
Toward The Future.
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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 peak of our special Custom Forage Harvesting issue mailed
to custom operators across the U.S.:
- Look At Overlap Loss
- Optimize Your Chopper
- Tractor Power
- Employee Perks
Click here to view
the digital edition.
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Alabama
Following a long, cold winter, pasture/hayfield greenup is just getting
under way in most parts of the state, reports Auburn University
Extension forage specialist Don Ball. “We’re probably just a little
behind normal,” says Ball. “The cool-season annuals are growing and
it won’t be long before warm-season grasses are coming on as well.”
The tough winter cut into the state’s overall hay supply. “We had
very good hay production last year, especially compared to the drought
years of 2007 and 2008,” says Ball. “But a lot of that hay got used
up over the last several months. Most of the hay barns are pretty well
empty.”
Fertilizer cost remains a concern for many producers. “The price for
many products has come down. But people are watching all of their
expenditures closely.” To help hold the line on costs, Ball recommends
shopping around among several dealers, calculating the per-pound cost of
individual nutrients within different commercial formulations,
prioritizing applications according to when and where they’re made and
researching costs on organic nutrient materials.
To contact Ball, call 334-844-5491 or email balldon@auburn.edu.
Idaho
Early indications are that 2010 hay production in the state will be down
compared to last year's, says University of Idaho Extension forage
specialist Glenn Shewmaker. A variety of factors will come into play.
Shewmaker expects some hay growers, frustrated by the low prices they
received for their 2009 crop, to convert hay ground to other uses this
year. “It’s too early to say with any certainty how many acres will
be plowed out,” he says. “Growers in south-central and western Idaho
have more options for planting other crops.”
Spot water shortages could also potentially crimp production. “We have
some good reservoir storage from last year’s wetter-than-normal
weather,” Shewmaker says. “But our snowpack is only about 70% of
normal. Even with normal precipitation for the rest of the year, water
shortages could affect yield in some areas.”
On the upside, he notes that buyers from the Far East – most notably
Korea and China – have been making inquiries about purchasing hay.
“That tends to happen when there’s pressure on price.”
Shewmaker adds that reduced alfalfa plantings in California could draw
more hay out of Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. “Then again, prices in
California really haven’t been any better than they have been
elsewhere in the West until recently. It’s a wild card.”
To contact Shewmaker, call 208-736-3600 or email gshew@uidaho.edu.
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University of Tennessee Extension will host a seminar on buying and
feeding hay at the Agricenter Showplace Arena WarmUp Barn and Meeting
Place in Memphis on April 27. Topics, developed with horse owners in
mind, will include what to look for when purchasing hay, weighing bales,
forage testing, reading forage tests, weight-taping a horse and
protecting hay from the elements.
For more information, contact Becky Muller at 901-752-1207 or beckymuller@utk.edu.
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The 2010 Midwest Horse
Fair is scheduled for April 16-18 at the Alliant Energy Center in
Madison, WI. The three-day event features educational presentations and
clinics, competitions ranging from rodeo to blacksmithing, entertainment
and a trade show.
The Minnesota Horse Expo 2010
will take place a week later – April 23-25 – at the Minnesota State
Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Event organizers say this is “the place to
share information and ideas about horse owning, care, training and use
and get answers that work for you.”
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April 8-9 -- Hay Production School, Spence Field, Moultrie,
GA. Get details.
April 12 -- Okanogan County Hay Day, Okanogan Grange Hall,
Okanogan, WA. RSVP at 509-422-7245 or suverly@wsu.edu.
April 14 -- Alfalfa And Biofuels Field Day, 8:30-Noon, Desert
Research and Extension Center, El Centro, CA. Get details.
April 14-15 -- Kentucky Grazing School, University of Kentucky
Research & Education Center, Princeton. Preregistration required. See
a brochure.
April 20-21 -- 2010 Tri-State (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio) Dairy
Nutrition Conference, Grand Wayne Center, Fort Wayne, IN. For
registration details, contact Michelle Milligan at 614-292-7347 or milligan.4@osu.edu. Get more information.
May 13 -- Legume Management In The Southeast: Field Day And Pasture
Walk, Central Georgia Research & Education Center, Eatonton. Get details.
May 19 -- University Of California Alfalfa & Forage Crops Field Day,
UC-Davis Agronomy Field Headquarters, Davis. Get additional details.
June 21-23 -- American Forage And Grassland Council Annual
Conference, University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, MO. Get details.
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.
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