|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
As we reported in last
week’s eHay Weekly, rains earlier this month brought relief
to many Texas hay growers and livestock producers who struggled with an
extended period of dry weather earlier in the season. Even so, producers
in some areas aren’t out of the woods when it comes to hay supplies.
“It’s been pretty hit and miss on the rains throughout East
Texas,” says Chad Gulley, Texas AgriLife Extension agent in
Nacogdoches County. “In some parts of our county, people got 4-6” of
rain in late June-early July. In other areas, people only got 1.5-2”.
Some people are cutting hay and reporting pretty good yields. But for
others, the yields have been pretty light. Some people are reporting
that they’re only getting one-quarter to one-half of what they should
be getting.”
Severe infestations of grasshoppers and armyworms have compounded
problems for many producers. “People who have been here a long time
tell me this one of the worst outbreaks of grasshoppers they’ve ever
seen,” says Gulley. “And the armyworms got here early. Usually, we
don’t see them until late July or August. But we’ve had them for
three or four weeks now. It’s been tough for people trying to conserve
what hay they do have.”
Gulley says it’s still too early to forecast how the overall hay
supply situation in East Texas will play out in 2010. “We’ve been
getting some calls from people who are looking for hay and trying to put
together some price information,” he says. “We went through a cold
winter and a lot of people fed up the hay they had on hand. We also had
a late spring, so people couldn’t get out on pasture right away. When
they got their first hay cutting, they had to feed it up.
“On the other hand, a lot of producers are optimistic that things
will turn around and that they’ll be able to get a good third cutting
to see them through.”
To contact Gulley, phone 936-560-7711 or e-mail c-gulley@tamu.edu.
|
 Know where to find the best alfalfa seed?
Isn’t it obvious? Syngenta alfalfa varieties offer top yield, high
forage quality and exceptional persistence. Plus all the varieties you
need, available through your Garst seed advisor, Golden Harvest dealer
or NK retailer. Contact them today to place your order.
The Syngenta logo is a trademark of a Syngenta Group
Company.
|
The Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) has released its July
2010 Saskatchewan Price Survey.
The report gives an overview of the current forage industry situation in
the province, including production, environmental and market conditions.
Most of the pricing for baled forages in the report is for 2009 crop
sold between the previous price survey (January 2010) and July. While
most industry watchers expect the 2010 crop to be priced lower, SFC
officials say the report gives a good starting point for buyers and
sellers in the province looking to price 2010 forages.
|
With a new state certification program going into effect this week,
hay growers in Oklahoma will now be able to sell hay and/or mulch to
contractors working on federal construction projects, something they
couldn’t do before under federal law.
Under the Oklahoma Weed Free Certification Program, administered by the
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, growers can have
their hay meadows inspected up to 10 days before cutting. If the
inspector finds no evidence of noxious weeds, the producer will receive
certification, identification tags for the hay bales and a transit
certificate.
Learn
more program details.
|
If there’s sufficient moisture available for germination and good
seedling growth, late summer can be an excellent time to establish new
forage crops and seed bare or thin spots in spring-established stands,
says Iowa State University Extension forage agronomist Steve Barnhart.
Barnhart says best results occur when growers take a few preparatory
steps months, or even years, ahead of seeding. These steps include
testing soils and applying corrective lime and/or fertilizer as needed
during previous cropping seasons, controlling problem weeds a year or
more ahead of seeding and being careful with herbicide selection in
crops grown in the field before seeding. “Some may have residual soil
activity and will harm new forage seedings if proper waiting periods are
not observed,” says Barnhart. “Read the labels for details.”
He also reminds growers that late-summer seeding is not fall seeding.
Some of his recommendations:
- Seed as early as possible. Seedlings require six to eight weeks
of growth after emergence to have adequate vigor to survive the winter.
Seed by Aug. 10 in the northern third of Iowa, by Aug. 20 in central
parts of the state and by Sept. 1 in southern Iowa.
- Legumes such as red clover and alfalfa can be seeded up to the
dates listed above if moisture is present. Slow-establishing species
like birdsfoot trefoil and reed canarygrass should be planted in early
August. Most forage grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, smooth
bromegrass, orchardgrass, tall fescue and timothy can actually be seeded
15 days or more later than the dates listed above.
- Don’t plant warm-season prairie grasses as a late-summer seeding.
- The above dates assume sufficient moisture is available to
establish the crop. Planting later than these dates is sometimes
successful depending on fall and winter weather patterns, but there is
increased risk of failure and reduced yield potential for the stand as
planting is delayed.
- A good rule of thumb for alfalfa is to have 6-8” of growth before
a killing frost.
See
more late-summer seeding tips from Barnhart.
|
“These leaders want to protect the rights of farmers who
choose to grow Roundup Ready alfalfa (RRA) and who want access to the
benefits that biotechnology can provide.” – Sharon Bomer
Lauritsen of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), applauding
the 75 members of Congress (from both major political parties) who
recently sent a letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsak asking that farmers be
allowed to plant RRA during the 2010 fall planting season.
Read
more at hayandforage.com.
“Conventional alfalfa growers rely heavily on the export market and
have real reason to worry about those markets drying up if GE
(genetically engineered) alfalfa is deregulated.” – Congressman
Peter Defazio (D-OR) in a letter to a constituent expressing his
concerns about Roundup Ready alfalfa.
Read
the letter.
“This is the worst infestation that I’ve ever seen.” –
Meade County, SD, rancher describing the damage caused to this year’s
alfalfa and corn crops by grasshoppers. Source: Rapid City Journal.
|
 Social Networking For Forage Producers
Hay & Forage Grower content is available on Facebook, a social
networking tool increasingly used by growers. Interact with readers and
editors, participate in discussions and keep up-to-date with industry
happenings. Become
a fan of Hay & Forage Grower!
Hay & Forage Grower is also on Twitter, a micro-blogging site
that provides brief status updates on people, groups or organizations.
Users can "follow" people or groups, including news organizations that
they want to keep up-to-date with.
Follow Hay & Forage
Grower on Twitter!
|
Kentucky
Overall, it’s been a great year for making hay, says Tom Keene, hay
marketing specialist with Kentucky Extension.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of hay baled up so far,” he
says.
With a fair amount of carryover from last year, Keene expects there will
be plenty of hay for the 2010-11 feeding season, assuming typical late
summer and fall weather. “If that’s the case, horse hay prices will
likely remain steady,” he says. “Cow hay prices, in all probability,
will be going down.”
Keene adds that this year’s variation in quality makes it especially
important for livestock producers to get their hay tested. “In the
last four or five years, we’ve been seeing more and more people
testing. With the economy the way it is, everyone needs to be prudent
and fiscally responsible if they are aiming to make a profit with their
livestock enterprises. Getting your hay tested and then feeding it
according to the test results will keep more money in your pocket.”
Keene can be reached at 859-257-3144 or tom.keene@uky.edu.
Minnesota
Like counterparts in other areas of the country, hay growers in central
Minnesota have been playing tag with rain for most of the growing season
so far, says Dan Martens, Extension educator for crop production in
Stearns, Benton and Morrison counties. Plenty of hay has been produced,
but quality is variable.
According to local reports, there were 19 days in June with at least a
trace of precipitation. During the first 15 days of July, rain fell on
six days.
“For people who were able to get first-crop hay put up before the
rains started, the quality was probably pretty good,” says Martens.
“But for people who had to wait until after the rainy weather started,
the crop
probably wasn’t in the best of shape.”
Many producers were also dodging showers when second-crop harvest got
under way. Martens says second-crop alfalfa has been testing lower in
RFV than normal. “Even so, we’ve had reports from farmers that
it’s feeding pretty well.”
Yields have been good. “Some people will have some extra hay they’ll
be looking to sell,” he says.
To contact Martens, phone 320-968-5077 or email marte011@umn.edu.
|
Potato leafhopper densities are beginning to reach “impressive
levels” in some alfalfa stands in Illinois, says Kyle Cecil, Extension
educator in Knox County.
He reports that most producers in his area have wrapped up second
cutting, and leafhoppers are concentrating their feeding on the
regrowth. “These fields should be scouted and treatment decisions
made,” says Cecil. “As few as 0.2 potato leafhopper per sweep can
cause economic loss when alfalfa is less than 3” high, so don't delay
your scouting efforts.”
Learn
more about potato leafhoppers.
|
An overview of research and projects at the University of Missouri
Forage Systems Research Center will be the focus of a field day on Aug.
3. The facility is located near Brookfield, MO.
The program will highlight forage advancements, beef research and a
walking tour led by forestry, weather and wildlife specialists.
Agricultural vendors will have more than a dozen displays on site. Lunch
will be provided.
For more information, phone 660-895-5121. Learn more about the Forage
Systems Research Center.
|
Aug. 9-10 -- Kentucky Grazing School, Woodford County
Extension Office, Versailles. Preregistration required. See
a brochure.
Aug. 12 -- University Of Idaho Forage Field Day, UI Research and
Extension Center, Kimberly. Phone 208-734-9590.
Aug. 14 -- 2010 Southern Plains Beef Symposium, Ardmore
Convention Center, Ardmore, OK. For details, contact Tracy Cumbie at
580-224-6411 or tlcumbie@noble.org or Shan Ingram
at 580-224-6412 or shingram@noble.org.
For a complete list of upcoming events, click here.
|
|
|
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 2010, 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.
|
|
