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Growers
Talk About Finding Market Niches
Bill Simon, owner of Simon Farms, Inc., Fairfield, ID,
uses his organic certification as a marketing tool. Tom Bailey realized
he could sell more hay making small bales from larger ones; today he and
his brother, Ken, process and sell 200,000 tons of hay/year domestically
and internationally. Both men talked about their marketing successes at
last week's National Alfalfa Symposium in Kearney, NE.
Simon sells much of the hay from several thousand acres of alfalfa his
family grows to seven organic dairies, one as far away as Seattle, WA.
"We get higher prices for organic (hay) products than we do for regular
products or we wouldn't be doing it," he said. "We get $25-35/ton more
for our organic hay than for commercial alfalfa."
His input costs are lower with organic production, but some organic
fields need to be pulled out of production. "We have trouble with
noxious weeds and have had to take fields out ... in order to treat the
weeds with chemicals," he explained. "Once we have used chemicals, we
have to keep the fields out of production for 36 months." Maintaining
soil fertility is a challenge, too. There are specific restrictions for
using manure on organic fields, and manure is hard to get in Simon's
immediate area.
Simon said organic food products are claiming a steadily increasing
share of the U.S. food market and consumers are putting health and taste
ahead of price. "People like the idea of family farms dedicated to
growing food that has no possibility of trace amounts of harmful
chemicals. This creates a higher demand, and therefore a higher price,
for your organic crops." Simon knows he can make money selling organic
hay, but he is also prepared to move out of organic production if it
stops being profitable.
"There was a day when we struggled with marketing," said Bailey, who now
owns three processing plants selling hay cubes and compressed bales to
established markets. "We felt the necessity to broaden our markets and
established a game plan that would open up to us additional markets. We
did some research on international marketing. The products being offered
overseas, when we started, were mainly cubes and two-string bales. We
devised an idea to make small bales out of large bales and market those
overseas.
"We came up with a system where you take a large square bale, put it in
a hay press and hydraulically apply enough force to it that it's sliced
without losing the conformity of the bale or the feed value by the loss
of the leaf. It's quite a process. It opened up the market and there are
a lot of these hay presses today." The Baileys developed another
mechanical system that slices 900-lb bales to make the product adaptable
to TMR mixers. "The reason for our development of these machines was to
gain efficiencies, particularly densification, which allows us to
increase the weight in the container and minimize freight costs."
The international market for hay cubes has softened, Bailey said, "but
the domestic market has really picked up. Cubes offer ease of feeding."
Yet it all comes back to good farming, he added. "We focus very heavily
on leaf retention and the process of handling hay. Hay is a fantastic
product when it's standing in the field; the minute we touch it, it
starts to go downhill. It's very important, as we handle the hay, to do
it diligently," he told the audience of 200-plus growers and industry
people.
Bailey currently sells to Japan, other Asian countries and the Middle
East. "The advantage of foreign markets is that they depend on us
completely." The dairyman down the road can find another source of hay
more easily, he said.
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Publication
Offers Fuel Tank Security Tips
Thieves are turning their attention to aboveground
petroleum tanks, warns a Purdue University extension specialist. "With
the price of gas and diesel fuel going up, some people are now a little
bit more apt to help themselves to your fuel tanks," says Fred Whitford,
coordinator of Purdue Pesticide Programs. "When that happens, you're
lucky if all you lose is the gas or diesel." Sometimes thieves leave the
power to the tank on, running valuable fuel onto the ground and
contaminating soil. Whitford is the lead author of a new publication,
Aboveground Petroleum Tanks. Available in print and online
versions, it can help farmers select the right tank for a farm, handle
fuel spills and learn how to safeguard fuel tanks, among other topics.
"Install lights around the tank and put locks on the tank," Whitford
suggests as security measures. "At nighttime you can turn the
electricity off to your tank. You can even turn the circuits off from
inside your barn or farm building. Some people have even gone so far as
to put up security cameras." Whitford urges farmers to put tanks in
locations that help protect groundwater in the event of a spill, and to
prepare for an emergency before it happens. "Most of our insurance
policies will not cover cleaning up contamination," he explains. "So if
you had a fuel spill, the cleanup would come out of your pocket."
More than 230 photos in the 110-page booklet show examples of proper and
improper fuel-tank practices. The photos come from 15 years of
Whitford's travels to commercial businesses and farms across Indiana.
Also known as Purdue Extension Publication PPP-73, it can be ordered for
$1 plus shipping and handling by calling the toll-free Purdue Extension
hotline at 888-398-4636 or by emailing media.order@purdue.edu. It also
can downloaded free at www.btny.purdue.edu/Pubs/PPP/PPP-73.pdf.
Contact Whitford at 765-494-1284 or fwhitford@purdue.edu.
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AFGC
Supports GMO, Non-GMO Co-Existence
At its recent annual meeting, the American Forage and
Grassland Council (AFGC) adopted a resolution supporting the
co-existence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and non-GMO
systems. Non-GMO is defined in the resolution as being organic, natural,
etc. "AFGC is about advancing the use of forages as a resource and
promoting both economical and environmental production practices," says
AFGC President Bill Tucker, Tucker Family Farms, Amherst, VA. "The
industry is developing both GMO and non-GMO solutions, and the decision
to utilize one system or the other is based on a variety of personal,
economic and marketing reasons."
Tucker went on to explain that AFGC believes science is the key. "We
need to do what we can to support those who work with GMOs, as well as
those who favor non-GMO approaches to production. After all, our common
goal is advancing the use of forage as a prime resource for everyone's
benefit."
For a complete copy of the resolution, contact AFGC at 800-944-2342 or
info@afgc.org. Learn more at www.afgc.org.
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Kentucky
The after-effects of an extremely dry summer are still
impacting hay supplies and pastures in Kentucky, says Garry Lacefield,
University of Kentucky extension forage specialist. "We came out of the
winter last year with very low hay supplies, and then we had the spring
freeze with record-setting losses, which wasn't as bad as the
record-setting dry summer," he reports. "There was not much early fall
moisture. The rains came in October, but were too late in many cases."
Lacefield estimates the state's hay growers lost one-third to two-thirds
of their normal production due to last year's rough conditions, and
growers in surrounding states didn't fare much better. Livestock
producers are feeding a variety of commodities in place of
hard-to-come-by hay.
"Many pastures have been abused," Lacefield adds. "Some will have to be
replanted; some have a high proportion of broadleaf weeds." He expects
2008 to be a big year for seeding legumes as well as summer annual and
perennial grasses. "We are hoping for a good forage year to rebuild hay
supplies and get pastures back in shape," he says.
Contact Lacefield at 270-365-7541, ext. 202.
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Nebraska
Jeff Shaner, owner of Neale Farms, Fort Calhoun, NE,
came to last week's National Alfalfa Symposium and Mid-America Alfalfa
Expo to gather new ideas and network with other hay industry
professionals.
This will be his third year growing 700 acres of alfalfa on his family's
fifth-generation farm 10 miles north of Omaha. "The first two years we
were getting the process down," he says. "This year will be all about
perfecting the process." Shaner sells 3 x 4 x 8' bales to the dairy
market. He recently raised prices and says his customers accepted the
need for the increase. "The people I deal with are business people and
understand that is a part of doing business," he states. Shaner notes
the strong hay market has been a main topic of conversation during
meetings he has attended this winter.
Contact Shaner at 402-468-4221.
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Kentucky
Alfalfa Conference Coming Feb. 21
The 28th Kentucky Alfalfa Conference will be held Feb.
21 at the Cave City Convention Center. It will begin with a presentation
entitled "Haymaking: A Trip Down Memory Lane," and conclude with one
called "Hay Supply, Prices and the Future." The program will include
insight from Neal Martin, director of the U.S. Dairy Forage Research
Center, Madison, WI; Ron Tombaugh, president of the National Hay
Association and Streator, IL, hay grower; and Gary Bates, University of
Tennessee extension forage specialist. The $15 registration fee can be
paid at the door. View a copy of the program at the University of
Kentucky Web site at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/. Contact
Garry Lacefield for more information at 270-365-7541, ext. 202.
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Illinois
Forage Institute Is Feb. 26
Several presentations on utilizing forages and crop
residues for beef cattle will highlight the Illinois Forage Institute,
set for Feb. 26 at the Holiday Inn in Mount Vernon. Topics to be covered
by University of Illinois extension staff during the morning session
include: integrated weed and brush management in hay and pastures, hay
and forage testing to meet livestock nutritional needs, mineral
considerations of grazing forages, and utilizing crop residues as
forages. In the afternoon, Craig Roberts, University of Missouri
extension forage specialist, will present information on alkaloid
management in tall fescue and replacing old fescue stands. Additional
afternoon topics will include certified weed-free hay and forage and
livestock insurance options.
The complete program agenda and registration form can be found at web.extension.uiuc.edu/rockfordcenter/downloads/9878.pdf.
Registration covers a noon meal and handout material. Preregister for
$15/person until Feb. 19 or for $20/person after that date. Contact
Stacy Helm, Jefferson County SWCD, 221 Withers Drive, Mount Vernon, IL
62864. Phone: 618-244-0773, ext. 3.
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Calendar
Feb. 12-14 -- World Ag Expo, Tulare, CA. Learn
more online at www.worldagexpo.com/index.html.
Feb. 12-15 -- 2008 Minnesota Forage Days, Detroit Lakes Holiday
Inn on Feb. 12, Joseph's in Avon on Feb. 13 and the UCR Heintz Center in
Rochester on Feb. 15. Registration at 9:30 a.m., presentations start at
10 a.m., lunch at noon and adjournment at 3 p.m. Preregister at
651-484-3888 or at midwestforage@comcast.net.
For more information, visit www.extension.umn.edu/forages.
Feb. 13-16 -- National Farm Machinery Show, Kentucky Fair and
Exposition Center, Louisville, KY. Learn more at www.farmmachineryshow.org/.
Feb. 15-17 -- Idaho Horse Affairs, Expo Idaho, Boise. Learn more
at www.horseaffairs.com/.
Feb. 15-16 -- Indiana Forage Council Meeting/Indiana Cattle & Forage
Symposium, Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel. Contact Keith Johnson
at johnsonk@purdue.edu.
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,
Penn Stater Conference Center at Penn State University, State College.
Contact Marvin Hall at 814-863-1019.
March 6 -- Michigan State University Forage Technology
Conference, MSU Kellogg Center, East Lansing. Visit web1.msue.msu.edu/fis/workshops.htm.
March 7 -- Kansas State University Cattlemen's Day, Weber Hall,
Kansas State University, Manhattan. More information is available at www.asi.ksu.edu (click on Cattlemen's
Day on the right side) or by calling 785-532-1281.
March 8 -- 2008 Georgia & South Carolina Hay Production School,
Extension Office, Burke County Office Park, Waynesboro, GA. Program runs
from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more at www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/forages/hayps08.html.
Call Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia at 706-542-1529, or John
Andrae, Clemson University, at 864-656-3504.
March 19-20 -- 2008 Central Plains Dairy Expo, Sioux Falls
Convention Center, Sioux Falls, SD. Visit www.centralplainsdairyexpo.com
or call 218-236-8420.
March 28-29 -- Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008, Holiday Inn Arena,
Binghamton, NY. Call 607-334-3231, ext. 4, or visit the Central New York
Resource Conservation and Development Project Web site at www.cnyrcd.org.
April 10-13 -- Ohio Equine Affaire, Ohio Expo Center, Columbus.
Visit www.equineaffaire.com.
April 18-20 -- Midwest Horse Fair, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit midwesthorsefair.com.
April 25-27 -- Minnesota Horse Expo, Minnesota State Fairgrounds,
St. Paul. Visit www.mnhorseexpo.org.
June 6-8 -- Western States Horse Expo, Cal Expo Fairgrounds,
Sacramento, CA. Call 800-352-2411 or visit www.horsexpo.com.
July 11-13 -- North Carolina Equine Extravaganza, North Carolina
State Fairgrounds, Raleigh. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
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.
Sept. 30-Oct. 4 -- World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com.
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 -- Virginia Equine Extravaganza, Richmond Raceway,
Richmond. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
Nov. 13-16 -- Massachusetts Equine Affaire, Eastern States
Exposition Center, West Springfield, MA. Visit www.equineaffaire.com.
Feb. 15-16, 2009 -- Southwest Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso
NM. Contact Gina Sterrett at 575-626-5677 or Justin Boswell at
575-840-9908.
June 21-23, 2009 -- American Forage & Grassland Council Annual
Conference, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI. Call
800-944-2342 or email info@afgc.org.
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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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