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Readers Save On Fuel, Fertilizer Costs
By Fae Holin, Managing Editor, Hay & Forage
Grower
Dan Funke, Larchwood, IA, traded equipment to save on
fuel costs this year and won a $50 gas card from eHay Weekly for
sharing his idea.
“I am downsizing two tractors that primarily run round balers.
Replacing 150- to 160-hp tractors that consume 5-6 gallons per hour with
115-hp tractors that will do the same job on 2.5-3 gallons per hour
should save 1,400 gallons of fuel over 700 hours of round baling,” he
wrote.
Click
here to read the rest of this story.
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Cut Grasses Higher Than Alfalfa
By Neil Tietz, Editor, Hay & Forage
Grower
Leaving only 2” of stubble when mowing maximizes the
yield of alfalfa with little sacrifice in quality. But it may cause
stand loss in grasses, warned a researcher at the W.H. Miner
Agricultural Research Institute, Chazy, NY. Speaking at the recent
Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference in Dubuque, IA,
Everett Thomas pointed out that physiological differences make cutting
height more critical for grasses than for alfalfa.
“Alfalfa stores its nutrient reserves in its taproot, so cutting it
shorter really shouldn’t have much effect and indeed it does not,”
said Thomas. “But grass stores the nutrients for the next cut in the
bottom 2-4” of the plant. So if we cut too close, we’re not only
removing the crop, we’re removing part of the nutrient reserves for
the next crop.”
In a 2007 greenhouse trial at the institute, cutting first-year reed
canarygrass 2” high killed every plant, but plants cut at 4” regrew
to 16” in 21 days. Also, recent orchardgrass stand-loss problems in
Pennsylvania and Maryland have been traced to cutting that grass about
2” high, Thomas reported. University of Maryland recommendations now
say to leave 3-4” of stubble, he added.
Grass cutting height has become an issue with the popularity of disk
mowers, he said. “This is something that we didn’t pay attention to
10 years ago. We didn’t need to because people had sicklebar mowers
and they didn’t mow at 2”. So changes in technology have caused new
problems that we’re having to deal with.”
In his alfalfa cutting-height research, Thomas found that the yield gain
from cutting at 2” instead of 4” more than compensates for a modest
quality loss. “So what we’re saying now is, unless farmers need that
last bit of quality, mow alfalfa at about 2”, leaving 5-6” of
stubble in that last cut in the fall to hold snow,” he said. “Also,
adjust the mowing height to field conditions.”
Alfalfa-grass mixtures are a judgment call. “If alfalfa is your
predominant forage, I’d probably cut it like alfalfa, maybe 2-2½”.
If it’s mostly grass, then raise your cutting height,” Thomas
advised.
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Internet Hay Scammers Try New Approach
Beware of hay scammers who use the identities of
reputable businesses to lure buyers and sellers into fraudulent
transactions, warns the CEO of a Pine Bush, NY, hay marketing company.
Nick Fitzpatrick of Aden Brook Farms, Inc., says a scammer recently
contacted a number of his company’s hay suppliers and customers,
claiming to be an employee and asking them to enter into transactions
with him. The alleged scammer registered the adenbrookfarms@gmail.com
email address and copied text, logos and photos from the company’s Web
site.
Fitzpatrick says Aden Brook employees all have email addresses ending in
adenbrook.com or adenbrookfarms.com, and all are listed on the
company’s Web site.
“This incident represents a change in the way Internet scammers are
targeting entities in the agricultural business,” says Fitzpatrick.
”They’re stepping up their efforts because people are catching on to
the old tricks. Using the names of companies that do reputable business
is a more sophisticated trick that has scammed even large Wall Street
investment banks out of millions.”
He says scammers pretending to be part of established businesses
typically attempt to defraud victims out of money using certified
checks, wire and money transfers, credit cards, PayPal or other standard
forms of payment. They’re usually easy to spot because they don’t
know the products they’re pretending to buy or the terminology used to
describe the products.
Always use caution when responding to contact from strangers,
Fitzpatrick advises. He says law enforcement agencies are overwhelmed
with cases of this type, but Internet scams should be reported at www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/internetschemes.htm.
For more on Aden Brook Farms, go to www.adenbrook.com.
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What’s Up With The Weather?
If it seems that high-water years in the Midwest are
increasingly common since about 1970, they are, says Elwynn Taylor, Iowa
State University climatologist. According to Taylor, this year’s
floods arrived earlier than the floods of 1993. And, in many cases, the
record-high flood levels of 1993 have been surpassed. Also, the 2008
event is more widespread in the Midwest.
As of June 10, flooding had been more extensive in 2008 than it was by
the same date in 1993. The very wet conditions of 2008 in the Ohio
River Valley and southern Missouri were mainly in March and April. The
moisture in the North was mainly in May and June 2008. The extreme
moisture of 1993 was mainly in July and August.
Changing climate is a factor, says Taylor. The Midwest receives about 10
percent more annual precipitation since 1980 than was received before
1970. This increase has effectively doubled the annual stream flow in
much of the region. Accordingly, rivers are more often over their
banks. In the 40 years up to 1970, there were two high-water years.
Since 1970, there have been 12.
Net result: An event that might have been expected once every 200 years
in the past would be expected every 33 years or so under current climate
conditions. Rivers across the western Corn Belt have responded to the
changing climate.
To see a Web presentation from Taylor on this year’s flooding, go to:
connect.extension.iastate.edu/floodupdate13june2008/.
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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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Arizona
Demand for baled hay remains high in Arizona and
surrounding states, says Tracy Johnson, secretary of the Arizona Forage
Producers Association and mill manager at Lakin Milling Co. in Avondale.
“Typically, we’ll see prices start to drop off a little in late May
or early June,” says Johnson. “But with demand staying so strong,
that doesn’t seem to be the case this year.”
Johnson reports that good- to high-quality hay produced in the state is
currently fetching about $200-205/ton delivered, up $50-60/ton over
year-ago prices. A change in feeding strategies on large dairy
operations in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas helps explain
the strong demand/price picture. “A lot of them are replacing flaked
corn and rolled barley in their rations with hay because of high
commodity prices,” he says.
The only downside to the hay production picture in the state so far this
year, according to Johnson, is a cooler-than-normal spring that crimped
yields slightly. “It’s not that much, maybe 5%,” he says, noting
that most state growers take eight baled-hay cuttings per year, plus one
or two green-chop cuttings. “Overall, baling conditions here have been
just fantastic.”
Johnson can be contacted at 623-932-3970.
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Wisconsin
Last week many Wisconsin growers and custom harvesters
were close to finishing first-cutting hay despite rain and wet soils.
Hay & Forage Grower, on a road trip across the state, saw
windrows ready for merging, wet spots and flooded-out fields. Custom
harvesters from Balsam Lake to Green Bay and parts south in the state
were busy trying to keep trucks moving in and out of fields. A Green Bay
harvester was forced to use dump wagons in low spots after a truck got
stuck. In the same area, grazing cattle were wading through flooded
pastures. South toward Milwaukee, then west to Madison, parts of fields
were flooded. Another custom operator, just east of the Twin Cities,
said relative feed value of hay being harvested is 30-40 points lower
than expected.
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Iowa Renewable Energy Workshop Is This
Friday
A renewable energy workshop for farmers will discuss
owning a wind turbine, on-farm energy efficiency and carbon credits. It
will be held June 27 at the Center for Energy and Environmental
Education (CEEE) in Cedar Falls, IA. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. and
costs $20 with lunch if registered in advance. At-the-door cost is $25.
The workshop is sponsored by the Iowa Farmers Union Education Foundation
and I-RENEW, with funding from the Leighty Foundation.
Workshop registration forms are at iowafarmersunion.org/2008/05/20/renewable-energy-workshops/.
For more information, call 800-775-5227 or e-mail info@iowafarmersunion.org.
The Iowa Renewable Energy Association is sponsoring a workshop series
this September. Topics will include wind power, solar hot water and
solar energy. For more information, visit www.irenew.org/.
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Calendar
June 25-26 -- Farm Progress Hay Expo, Ossian,
IA, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Visit www.HayExpo.com.
June 27 -- Weed And Pest Management Field Day, University of
Missouri Bradford Research and Extension Center, seven miles east of
Columbia. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.; wagon tours, at 8:30.
Register in advance at 573-884-7945 or chismt@missouri.edu.
June 28 -- 2008 Illinois Forage Expo, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Smith
Family Farms near Mount Vernon. Visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/regions/ag.
July 11-13 -- North Carolina Equine Extravaganza, North Carolina
State Fairgrounds, Raleigh. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
July 22 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Fond du Lac. Call
715-425-3345.
Aug. 19-20 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Richland Center. Call
715-425-3345.
Sept. 4 -- Kentucky Forage & Grassland Council Field Day,
Christian County. Learn more at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Sept. 4-6 -- Stockman’s School For Profit, Rockin H Ranch,
Norwood, MO. Call 417-259-2333.
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. 23 -- Kentucky Grazing Conference, Fayette County extension
office, Lexington. Learn more at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 -- Virginia Equine Extravaganza, Richmond Raceway,
Richmond. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
Nov. 6-7 -- 2008 BEEF Quality Summit, sponsored by
BEEF magazine, Antlers Hilton Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO. Visit
beefconference.com/.
Nov. 13-16 -- Massachusetts Equine Affaire, Eastern States
Exposition Center, West Springfield. Visit www.equineaffaire.com.
Dec. 2-4 -- California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium, Town & Country
Resort and Hotel, San Diego. Learn more at alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/2008AlfalfaConference/.
Dec. 5-6 -- 2008 Missouri Livestock Symposium, Kirksville.
Programs for horse, beef cattle, sheep, meat goat and forage producers,
and trade show. Details at missourilivestock.com, or call
Bruce Lane at 660-665-9866 or Garry Mathes at 660-341-6625.
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.Calendar.
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Send Questions & Comments
To...
Rick Mooney, 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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