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Alfalfa
Could Be A Biomass Fuel, Says Expert
Growing alfalfa as a biomass crop isn't profitable now,
Michael Russelle, a USDA-ARS soil scientist, told the audience at the
National Alfalfa Symposium earlier this month. But growth in the fuel
market has been "phenomenal" and alfalfa growers should be ready to take
advantage of it. He cited several reasons why alfalfa should considered
as a biomass crop along with corn, switchgrass, miscanthus and other
crops.
Besides its well-developed infrastructure that includes breeding and
manufacturing companies, university expertise and a ready transport
system, alfalfa also is an environmentally friendly crop. It fixes its
own nitrogen and that of future crops, improves soil organic matter and
water quality and supports wildlife habitat, Russelle said.
He offered details on those advantages during his presentation. For an
in-depth synopsis of his talk, visit: hayandforage.com/alfalfasymposium/coverage/alfalfa-green-biomass-crop/.
For other recaps of symposium presentations, visit: hayandforage.com/alfalfasymposium/coverage/.
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Grasses'
Strengths Complement Alfalfa's Weaknesses
A number of grasses show potential for use in
alfalfa-grass mixes in the Upper Midwest, says Paul Peterson, University
of Minnesota extension forage specialist. Seeding a grass with alfalfa
can boost yield, speed drying, improve feed value and reduce winter
injury and traffic damage, he points out.
Peterson says mixtures help offset field variability. High and low spots
and fertility differences within fields present challenges. "Alfalfa has
pretty specific soil requirements for optimum growth," he states. "In
reality, it is rare to have optimum growing conditions throughout a
field. Having a grass together with alfalfa will help us deal with the
natural variability within fields."
Grasses can help every cutting produce well, increasing yield and
profitability, Peterson says. "Many of these grasses that have a lot of
yield potential also have a lot of growth in the fall, the fescues and
orchardgrass for example," he reports. "So mixtures that include them
need to have a fall cut. That good fall growth also provides more
residue than alfalfa stubble alone to catch snow and insulate alfalfa
crowns."
Some grasses will help speed hay drying, particularly smooth bromegrass,
reed canarygrass and timothy. Because they produce stems with every
growth cycle, they create fluffy swaths that dry faster. However, he
cautions growers that leafy grasses with shiny surfaces, such as tall
fescue and ryegrass, will not speed drying rate.
Grasses also have a fiber digestibility advantage. "Our standard quality
system of relative feed value (RFV) continues to be a tremendous tool,
but is quite alfalfa-oriented in terms of assessing true feeding
potential," Peterson says. "Grasses tend to have more NDF than alfalfa,
which has been viewed as a negative. However, that NDF is more
digestible. The big reason we grow perennial forages for ruminant
animals is for fiber. The more digestible that fiber is, the better.
Growing grass with alfalfa in many situations can allow us to harvest
more digestible fiber per acre than alfalfa alone." Grasses are more
competitive when measured by relative forage quality (RFQ), which
Peterson says is a better indicator of how a forage is going to feed.
Reed canarygrass, like smooth bromegrass and timothy, is very
winterhardy. It's a sod-forming grass so it helps prevent frost heaving,
and is very flood-tolerant. "Few people realize that it is also the most
drought-tolerant cool-season grass," Peterson says. "It matches very
well with alfalfa in terms of yield distribution. You can have more-even
distribution throughout the season with reed canarygrass." One issue,
though, is composition throughout the life of the stand. Alfalfa will
dominate the mix early on, but reed canarygrass tends be dominant later.
Smooth bromegrass is a dependable cool-season grass with good
persistence through heat and drought conditions, although it doesn't
produce well during drought. Because it is a sod-former, it will help
reduce alfalfa frost heaving in winter. It's very present in the first
cutting, but probably not in summer and fall harvests. "If you like
smooth brome, you might want to include another grass such as
orchardgrass or a fescue that has better regrowth after the first cut to
ensure grass presence in later cuttings," Peterson suggests.
Timothy "tends to be later maturing, which I think is one reason horse
owners like it so much," Peterson says. "It is easier to get put up
later without rain damage and mold." Timothy does well in cool, moist
conditions and has a high spring yield but has limited presence in
summer and fall cuttings.
Orchardgrass is a "good old standard." Winterhardy varieties offer good
summer and fall forage production. "Keep the seeding rate low, and cut
low," he advises. "The more stubble that is left, the more rapidly
orchardgrass regrows. Cutting it low is a good way to keep it in check
when it is grown with alfalfa."
Tall and meadow fescues offer high yield and quality, and a yield
distribution that matches alfalfa. However, fescues can be too
competitive if seeded heavily or in the same row with alfalfa, and can
be difficult to wilt to hay moisture levels. Meadow fescue is very
winterhardy, whereas tall fescue's hardiness is similar to that of
orchardgrass.
Contact Peterson at peter072@umn.edu.
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Consider
Details When Choosing Forage Grasses
A variety of factors need to be taken into
consideration when evaluating and maintaining perennial forage grasses,
hay growers were told at the recent Minnesota Forage Days.
"Use variety trials to evaluate grasses in your region, but be aware
when grasses were cut," said Geoff Brink, USDA-ARS research agronomist
at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center in Madison, WI.
Brink highlighted the results of recent research comparing grasses in
southern and central Wisconsin. He compared growth and forage quality
indicators of meadow fescue, orchardgrass, quackgrass, reed canarygrass,
smooth bromegrass, tall fescue and timothy. In spring, all the grasses
produced more dry matter at the central Wisconsin research site than in
the southern part of the state. There were no differences between
locations in the summer or fall.
Smooth bromegrass was the most productive grass for both leaf and stem
tissue yield in early spring, while the other six grasses showed no
significant leaf yield differences at that time. Tall fescue and
orchardgrass had the highest leaf yield in summer, while tall fescue
placed first for fall leaf yield.
As grasses mature, cell walls thicken and NDF digestibility declines. At
12-14" high in spring, meadow fescue showed the lowest NDF among the
seven grasses studied. During summer, smooth bromegrass, meadow fescue
and timothy had the lowest NDF. In fall, reed canarygrass, meadow fescue
and timothy had the lowest NDF. Meadow fescue will often have lower NDF
than any of other grasses except timothy throughout the season, said
Brink.
He told producers to manage grasses for the benefit of the plants, not
necessarily the animals. He said grass stubble height is a good
predictor of future growth potential because of its effect on the
carbohydrate status. Carbohydrates stored from the previous growing
season help plants get through winter and start growing in spring. "One
of the most important management variables we must consider with grasses
is leaving an adequate residual stubble," he says. "When we leave an
adequate residual after grazing or haying, the remaining leaves use
photosynthesis to produce carbohydrates for new leaves. If you don't
leave enough residual stubble, the plant is forced to move carbohydrates
from the stem base or the roots to produce new leaves."
Contact Brink at 608-890-0052.
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Missouri
More hay is available in Missouri than had been
anticipated, but high prices and trucking costs are contributing to slow
sales, according to Tony Hancock, Missouri Department of
Agriculture-USDA market news reporter in Jefferson City. "It won't be
long until we have grass in the southern part of the state," he says.
"Nobody wants to buy hay and then have it left over at these prices. If
you've got the money, the hay is there, although a consistent supply of
high-quality hay is so hard to find that the market for that hardly
exists right now."
A fair amount of hay is available in western Missouri, but asking prices
are very high, Hancock states. Southern Missouri has had several ice
storms that made it difficult to schedule hay deliveries. As the ice
melts, growers in those areas have to deal with muddy conditions.
"Northern Missouri has had unbelievable amounts of snow this winter," he
reports. "It has been rough for producers in that part of the state."
North-central to northeastern Missouri had a very wet fall that
prevented corn harvest in some areas along the Iowa border. Hancock
hasn't heard of much alfalfa winterkill being identified yet.
High prices have had livestock producers looking for alternative feeds,
but no cheap options exist. Consequently, he says high feed costs seem
to be driving producers to sell cattle earlier than usual.
High fertilizer prices have many hay growers talking about cutting back
on fertilizer or going without it this year, Hancock notes.
View the most recent USDA hay prices for Missouri online at www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/JC_GR310.txt.
Contact Hancock at 573-751-5618.
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South
Carolina
South Carolina is very short on hay, reports John
Andrae, Clemson University forage crop specialist. "We had a drought
year last year and cattlemen and horse owners throughout the state are
looking for hay," he says. "Some hay is coming in from Florida and as
far away as Pennsylvania, but prices are high." Some livestock producers
have turned to byproduct feeds. Fescue has started growing; however,
some fescue pastures are quite thin after suffering drought stress.
Conditions are starting to look more promising for the 2008 growing
season. "We have had a really good December, January and February and
soil moisture is good," Andrae reports. "If we can keep the moisture
coming we should be able to get a good start on the hay production
year."
Contact Andrae at 864-656-3504.
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March
8 School Focuses On High-Quality Hay
Novice and veteran hay growers all will have something
to gain from attending the March 8 Hay Production School in Waynesboro,
GA. Jointly sponsored by the University of Georgia and Clemson
University cooperative extension services, the school's primary focus is
to help attendees serve the growing market for high-quality hay. John
Andrae, Clemson University extension forage crop specialist, will talk
about forage species, harvest timing and forage quality. Dennis Hancock,
University of Georgia extension forage specialist, will talk about how
to cure and handle hay.
A variety of additional topics will be also be covered, including
recommendations for selecting, establishing and fertilizing a hay crop;
weed management options; insect management; hay storage systems; and the
economics of hay production. The training will be held in the auditorium
at the extension office in Burke County Office Park. Registration begins
at 8 a.m. The registration form and payment must be received by Feb. 29.
Registration cost is $60 per person, and $25 for each additional person
from the same farm.
Learn more at www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/forages/hayps08.html.
Call Andrae at 864-656-3504 or Hancock at 706-542-1529.
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Organic,
Biological Crops Workshop Is Feb. 27-28
Producing more with less-costly inputs, improving crop
quality and receiving premium prices will be the focus of a free
workshop set for Feb. 27-28 in Albert Lea, MN. Sponsored by Albert Lea
Seed House and ProfitPro, "New Insights in Organic and Biological Crop
Production" is intended for organic, biological and conventional
producers. Speakers will include Carmen Fernholz, an organic grower from
Madison, MN, and Jim Ladlie, founder of ProfitPro. The final session
will feature a panel of organic and biological growers answering
questions and speaking about their experiences with cover crops, hay and
silage production, fertility management and crop marketing.
For more information, go to www.profitproag.com and click on
the link to the workshop. You may also call 800-352-5247 or 888-875-2425
for a registration form.
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Calendar
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,
KSU, Manhattan. Visit www.asi.ksu.edu or call 785-532-1281.
March 13 -- Ethanol From Hay And Other Biomass Crops For Northeastern
Kentucky Symposium, Maysville Community and Technical College. The
free symposium begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at 12:45 p.m. It is not
necessary to register in advance.
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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