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National
Alfalfa Symposium Offers Strong Program
Attendees at the upcoming 2008 National Alfalfa
Symposium will have access to premier hay production and marketing
experts. Sponsored by Hay & Forage Grower and the Nebraska
Alfalfa Marketing Association, it and will take place Feb. 4-5, just
prior to the annual Mid-America Alfalfa Expo in Kearney, NE.
The symposium begins at 12:30 p.m. with a presentation by Dan
Undersander, University of Wisconsin extension forage agronomist, on
manipulating hay swaths to speed drying. Then Michael Russelle,
USDA-ARS, will talk about alfalfa's potential as a green biomass crop,
and Joe Bouton, Noble Foundation, will discuss breeding tomorrow's
alfalfa.
Concurrent alfalfa management sessions on the first day will address
irrigation management and alfalfa as a grazing crop. The day concludes
with a Roundup Ready alfalfa debate, with experts from both sides of the
issue facing off. A reception and banquet will follow.
Results of an investigation into the accuracy of forage-test results
will lead off the second day's program. Concurrent alfalfa production
sessions will provide the latest information on fertility and pest
control, and finally, a panel of innovative growers will share their hay
marketing tips.
Following the conference, participants are encouraged to attend the
Mid-America Alfalfa Expo at the nearby Buffalo County Fairgrounds.
For more details on the symposium schedule or to register at the early
bird fee of $100/person, visit alfalfasymposium.com. For
information on the expo, visit alfalfaexpo.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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Texas
Researcher Finds Pasture Options For Changing Climate
A Texas A&M University forage agronomist has been
searching for forage options that will serve as an alternative to winter
wheat pastures as the climate becomes warmer and drier. Dariusz
Malinowski, based in Vernon, TX, has been investigating summer-dormant
tall fescues from the Mediterranean Basin of southern Europe and
northern Africa. He says the climate in Texas has been changing since
the mid-1990s, making wheat grasses and wheat pasture a less viable
option. Summer-dormant cool-season perennial grasses that start growing
with the first rains in September are showing promise.
The grasses grow under conditions of mild winters and hot, dry and long
summers, he says. At one time, the southern Great Plains had peak
rainfalls in May and September, but that precipitation pattern doesn't
currently exist, according to Malinowski. "This year is one of the many
examples," he points out. "Wheat is not growing because there has been
no moisture. So we think these perennial summer-dormant grasses are a
viable option." His team has been working in partnership with AgResearch
Grasslands of New Zealand and has introduced two varieties of
summer-dormant tall fescue to the U.S. market: Grasslands Flecha MaxQ
and Prosper.
A second part of the pasture improvement option is mixing annual legumes
with summer-dormant tall fescue. The legumes are used to fix nitrogen
and may reduce fertilizer requirements. Preliminary results show that
annual medics are the best companion species for the new fescues. The
best new medic varieties will be released in the next few years.
With the new combination of summer-dormant tall fescues and annual
medics, producers should be able to put cattle on pastures for grazing
in October, and keep them there until summer if moisture conditions are
right, according to Malinowski.
Learn more at agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=199.
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Learn
About Carbon Credits At Kansas Forum
Kansas State University will host a forum to provide
information about the rapidly changing field of carbon credit trading,
biofuels and climate change policy. The forum, "Agriculture's Role in
the New Carbon Economy," will be held Dec. 17-18 at the Kansas State
Alumni Center in Manhattan. Information about the Chicago Climate
Exchange and carbon trading programs for agriculture will be presented.
The economics of adopting cellulosic technology and modeling the impact
of cellulosic ethanol production on soil carbon will also be discussed.
The forum begins at 1 p.m. on Dec. 17 and ends at 5 p.m. the following
day. Registration details are available at solilcarboncenter.k-state.edu.
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Texas
It was a tough finish to the hay production year due to
dry conditions, says Jon Garnett, Garnett Farms, Spearman, TX. "The
start of the year was pretty good because we had a lot of rain," he
explains. "It got hot and dry in July, and then we didn't have very much
rain at the end of the year." Garnett Farms is at the top of the Texas
Panhandle.
Alfalfa supplies are good in Garnett's area, but supplies of beef-cow
hay are low. "We have good alfalfa supplies right now, but I have most
of it contracted, so I am not doing many outside sales," he notes.
Garnett sells to several large Texas ranches, delivering the hay with
his own trucks. "Our conditions are so dry that we don't have much
wheat, but we do have quite a bit of grass because early summer rains
helped grass supplies," he states.
Garnett cut his production from 635 acres of alfalfa to 155 acres for
next year, planning to plant more corn and wheat. "I had some alfalfa I
needed to take out of production because the fields were getting old,
and this was the year to do it," he reports. The fields had been in for
eight or nine years, which is fairly typical for his area. "Because of
our irrigation and our weed management, we can usually make a good field
of alfalfa go that long," he says.
He plans to plant about 125 acres of alfalfa in 2008. He would like to
see Roundup Ready alfalfa become available again. "We were ready to
plant around 160 acres of Roundup Ready alfalfa when the injunction went
into effect," he states. "We changed our plans and decided to plant corn
on those acres for now." He also has 60 acres of Midland 99 bermudagrass
under a pivot. He has 34 cows, 235 heifers and a feeder-calf enterprise.
Contact Garnett at 806-270-0204.
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whether you feed it or sell it. www.nk-us.com
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Virginia
"It was a pretty tough summer in Virginia," reports
Chris Teutsch, extension forage specialist at the Virginia Tech Southern
Piedmont Agriculture Research and Education Center, Blackstone.
"Producers in many counties only got 50-70% of their first cutting, and
lots of counties didn't get a second cutting or a fall cutting because
of the dry weather," he says. "Rain came late, around the third week of
October, so there was not a lot of pasture growth."
Teutsch says many livestock producers are turning to alternative feeds,
such as pelleted byproducts, that can be fed along with hay to help
extend the hay supply. "Lots of producers have culled all the cattle
they can and are just trying to get through the winter," he states.
Contact Teutsch at 434-292-5331.
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Virginia
Conferences Target Beef, Equine Topics
The Virginia Forage and Grassland Council and Virginia
Cooperative Extension Service are sponsoring a series of winter forage
conferences for horse owners and beef producers in January and February.
The theme is "Building Robust Grazing Systems -- Drought-Proofing Your
Pastures." According to Chris Teutsch, extension forage specialist at
the Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agriculture Research and Education
Center, Blackstone, "We are going to be looking at ways people can make
their pastures more resilient to help prepare for another drought."
The beef program will include presentations about stocking rates;
drought-tolerant grazing systems for grass-finished beef; cost-effective
fencing and watering systems; and conserved forage, crop residues and
byproducts as components of drought management. Dates and locations are
Jan. 21 at Rowe's restaurant in Harrisonburg, VA; Jan. 22 at the
Southwest 4-H Center in Abingdon, VA; Jan. 23 at the Southern Livestock
Center near Oxford, NC; and Jan. 21 at the Blackstone research and
education center.
Equine program speakers will focus on grazing behavior and health,
manure and soil management, toxic plants, alternative forage species and
extending the hay supply. Dates and locations are Feb. 11 at the Ruritan
Building in Chesapeake, VA; Feb. 12 at the MARE Center in Middleburg,
VA; and Feb. 13 at the Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena in Blacksburg.
Contact Margaret Kenny at 434-292-5331 for registration information.
Questions about the beef program can be directed to Teutsch at
434-292-5331, ext. 234, or cteutsch@vt.edu. Shea Porr can answer
questions about the equine program. Call 540-687-3521, ext. 27, or email
cporr@vt.edu.
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Calendar
Dec. 4-5 -- Midwest Dairy Expo, St. Cloud Civic
Center, St. Cloud, MN. Learn more at www.mnmilk.org/s.nl/sc.8/category.20/.f
or call 877-577-0741.
Dec. 9-11 -- 28th International Irrigation Show, Convention
Center, San Diego, CA. Classes and exams will be held Dec. 6-11. Contact
Beth Casteel, Irrigation Association, 6540 Arlington Blvd., Falls
Church, VA 22042 or call 703-536-7080, ext. 11. Visit www.irrigation.org.
Dec. 11-12 -- Range Beef Cow Symposium XX, Larimer County
Fairgrounds, Fort Collins, CO. Learn more at www.rangebeefcow.com.
Dec. 13 -- Alabama Forage Conference, Troy. Contact Don Ball at
334-844-5491 or Eddie Jolley at 334-887-4564.
Dec. 17-19 -- 2007 California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium, Portola
Plaza Hotel, Monterey. Contact Dan Putnam at 530-752-8982 or dhputnam@ucdavis.edu.
Jan. 7-8 -- Heart Of America And Mid-Missouri Grazing Conference,
Holiday Inn Select, Columbia. Visit www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Jan. 7-8 -- Wyoming Winter Ag Expo, Wyoming State Fairgrounds,
Douglas. Hay and forage seminars; trade show features hay equipment.
Learn more at www.wyoagexpo.com
or call Scott Keith at 307-237-4696.
Jan. 11 -- Forages At KCA, Lexington Convention Center,
Lexington, KY. Visit www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Jan. 16-17 -- Washington State Hay Growers Association Conference And
Trade Show, Three Rivers Convention Center, Kennewick. Call
509-585-5460 or visit www.wa-hay.org/.
Jan. 17-18 -- Southwest Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso
Convention Center, Ruidoso, NM. Contact Gina Sterrett at 505-626-5677 or
Justin Boswell at 505-840-9908. Visit www.nmhay.com.
Jan. 27-Feb. 1 -- Joint Society For Range Management And American
Forage And Grassland Council Conference, Louisville, KY. Visit www.rangelands.org/events.shtml.
Jan. 29-30 -- Midwest Forage Association 2008 Joint Symposium And
Annual Meeting, Howard Johnson Hotel and Conference Center,
Wisconsin Dells, WI. Held in conjunction with Wisconsin Custom Operators
and Professional Nutrient Applicators of Wisconsin annual meetings.
Learn more online at www.midwestforage.org, or call
the Midwest Forage Association at 651-484-3888.
Feb. 4-6 -- 2008 National Alfalfa Symposium And Mid-America Alfalfa
Expo, Kearney, NE, sponsored by Hay & Forage Grower and the
Nebraska Alfalfa Marketing Association. Visit www.hayandforage.com.
Feb. 12-14 -- World Ag Expo, Tulare, CA. Learn more online at www.worldagexpo.com/index.html.
Feb. 21 -- Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, Cave City. Contact Garry
Lacefield at 270-365-7541, ext. 202, or visit www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Feb. 26 -- Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference,
University Plaza Hotel, Springfield. Call 417-862-8085.
Feb. 26-27 -- Idaho Hay And Forage Conference, Burley Inn,
Burley. Call Glenn Shewmaker at 208-736-3608.
March 4-6 -- Pennsylvania Professional Crop Producers Conference,
State College, PA. Contact Marvin Hall at 814-863-1019.
March 19-20 -- 2008 Central Plains Dairy Expo, Sioux Falls
Convention Center, Sioux Falls, SD. Visit www.centralplainsdairyexpo.com
or call 218-236-8420.
Sept. 17-20 -- National Hay Association Convention, Oak Brook
Hills Marriott, Oak Brook, IL. Contact Don Kieffer at 800-707-0014, or
visit www.nationalhay.org.
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Shipping Costs Hurt Hay Sales
The story about Bridgestone Firestone (Nov. 27 eHay
Weekly) was great. I have been thinking that if the government would
subsidize truckers, we could get hay to producers in the Midwest. We
live in north-central Nebraska and have grass hay sitting here just
waiting for a buyer. A lot of people in southern/southwestern Nebraska
and western South Dakota say they would love to buy our hay, but
shipping could cost more than the hay. That is a serious setback for
supply and demand.
Just thought I would comment on the article. The bottom line: Hats off
to Bridgestone Firestone!
Betty Palmer
402-497-2656
dbpalmer@threeriver.net
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Send Questions & Comments
To...
Lora Berg, Editor,
eHay Weekly,
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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