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CRP Restraining Order Frustrates
Cattlemen
by Rick Mooney, Editor, eHay
Weekly
Confusion and frustration ruled in many rural areas of
the country last week after a federal judge in Washington state issued a
temporary restraining order relating to USDA’s release of Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) lands for haying and grazing. Judge John
Coughenour, U.S. District Court-Seattle, issued the order in response to
a lawsuit filed by the National Wildlife Federation and six affiliate
chapters. The suit claimed USDA failed to conduct an environmental
impact assessment before opening up the acreage.
Click
here to read the rest of this story.
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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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Proper Hay Storage Minimizes Nutrient
Loss
As much as 25% of hay’s nutrients can be lost due to
weather between harvest and winter feeding, notes University of Nebraska
extension forage specialist Bruce Anderson. He recommends taking the
following steps to minimize losses: - Make dense, evenly formed
bales or stacks. “They’ll shed water better and sag less than a
soft-core or less-dense package,” says Anderson. Use net wrap or
plastic twine spaced no more than 4” apart on round bales to maintain
bale shape and provide a smooth surface that encourages water runoff.
- Store hay on an elevated, well-drained site so it won’t soak up
moisture from wet soils or standing water. Avoid terrace valleys. Also
avoid fences or tree lines where snow can drift onto hay or prevent wind
and sunshine from drying wet bales. Place bales so water running off one
bale won’t soak into an adjacent bale. Never stack round bales during
the rainy season unless they’re covered or will be fed soon.
- Avoid placing bales in a row with the twine ends touching one
another. Instead, place round bales or stacks so there is about 1’ of
air space on all sides for good ventilation. Round bales also store well
when flat ends are butted end-to-end in a cigar-like shape. Orient the
rows north and south so prevailing winds will not cause snowdrifts and
so both sides of the row can receive sunlight for drying.
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Ahead For Fuel Prices: More Of The Same
Don’t expect relief on fuel prices anytime soon, says
the Energy Information Administration (EIA). According to the agency’s
latest short-term energy outlook, issued last week, the regular-grade
gasoline retail price will average $3.84/gallon this year and $4.06 in
2009. In 2007, the average price was $2.81. Diesel fuel retail prices
are projected to average $4.35/gallon in 2008, an increase of $1.47 over
last year’s average price. In 2009, EIA projects, the average diesel
retail price will rise to $4.48. Check out the full report at www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html.
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 NK Brand Alfalfas deliver
more quality AND more yield. Our premium alfalfas, like Genoa,
Expedition and Boulder, combine high nutritional values with high
yields, plus outstanding agronomics and persistence for longer,
healthier stands. The result? More profit from your alfalfa acres -
whether you feed it or sell it. www.nk-us.com
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Buy Fall Seed Now
With seed supplies for improved grass and legume
varieties tight this year, now is the time to build inventory for fall
seeding, says Garry Lacefield, University of Kentucky extension forage
specialist. “Prices have increased for many species like clovers,”
he says. “But with high demand for N-fixing legumes, there is little
chance that prices will drop.” Lacefield notes orchardgrass seed
prices will continue to remain high due to production problems in the
Northwest. Prices for improved fescue varieties are a bright spot.
“There should be ample supplies and competitive prices,” he says.
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Head To The Net For Hay Pricing
Strategies
Stuck for ideas on how to reasonably price hay in a
volatile marketplace? Recent postings on two university Web sites offer
suggestions for constructing pricing strategies. Start by checking out
“Pricing Standing Hay: Consider Plant Nutrient Value,” available at
the University of Wisconsin’s Team Forage site. Authors Mark Kopecky,
Carrie Laboski and Dan Undersander make a case for the notion that one
way of establishing a fair “basement level” price for standing hay
is to set aside all the variables affecting only one party or the other.
These variables include property taxes, ownership costs, feed value,
harvesting costs, etc. A better, fairer approach, the authors contend,
is to establish a price based on a calculation of the value of nutrients
removed from the field when the crop is harvested. For the complete
discussion, go to www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/uwforage/PricingstandinghayNutrient.pdf.
Ohio State University extension educator Roy Lewandowski takes a
similar approach in “Determining the Cost of Hay” in the July 2008
online edition of Ohio Ag Manager. Like his Wisconsin counterparts,
Lewandowski builds his strategy recommendation on calculating the value
of nutrients removed during harvest. But he also factors in equipment
costs. To read the full article, go to ohioagmanager.osu.edu/news/7-08.php.
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Idaho Directory Available
The 2008-2009 Idaho Hay and Forage Directory is
available from the Idaho Hay and Forage Association (IHFA). Along with a
listing of hay and forage available from Idaho farmers and ranchers by
districts, the free directory also lists product, seed and service
providers. The directory can be obtained by calling 208-888-0988 or by
e-mailing a request to dls@spro.net
An online listing of Idaho hay and forage producers can be found on the
IHFA Web site at www.idahohay.com.
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Harvest more profit from your alfalfa hay sales
Get top dollar for quality alfalfa hay with less hassle. If you are
within 250 miles of either Lincoln, NE or Rapid City, SD, we haul with
our trucks. Prices based on farm pickup. Go to www.seranch.com for all the details
and contact us. We are buying now and will pickup in the field.
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Arkansas
After hearing so many stories about hay growers in
other parts of the country struggling with weather extremes through much
of June, Don and Glynelle Pool of P and P Hay Farm, Danville, AR,
consider themselves fortunate. Make that extremely fortunate.
“We’ve had almost perfect growing weather so far this season,”
says Don Pool. “We had heavy rain through the winter and more than
adequate moisture this spring. Our first crop was very nice. It was just
an excellent start to the season.”
In a typical year, the Pools put up 4,000-5,000 4 x 5’ round bales of
bermudagrass and bermuda-dallas grass-fescue hay. They take one cutting
of early ryegrass in mid-May and two to three cuttings of bermuda
throughout the season. Their target markets are cattle and horse owners
in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. “With the drought during the last two
years, we’ve been shipping a fair amount of hay east to Tennessee,
Kentucky, Virginia and even North Carolina,” says Pool. “We can make
arrangements on transportation. But with fuel costs going up the way
they have been, it’s getting tougher.”
To contact the Pools, phone 479-774-4113.
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New Mexico
Hot, dry conditions crimped New Mexico alfalfa yields
early in the season. But a recent turn in the weather has put some
growers back on track, at least for the time being, reports Mark
Marsalis, New Mexico State University extension agronomist. “The first
two cuttings in many areas were a little light on yield,” says
Marsalis, who points out most of the state’s growers typically take
four to six cuttings annually on their irrigated fields. “Early on,
furnace-like weather created stressful growing conditions and yields
suffered. But we started getting some rains and cooler temperatures
about two or three weeks ago and that’s definitely helped.”
Marsalis notes large dairies in southeastern New Mexico are the primary
target market for the region’s alfalfa growers. To date, prices are
holding fairly steady. As of late June, large bale, premium dairy hay
was selling in a range of $175-225/ton. “That’s off just a little
bit from the extremely high prices we saw at the end of last year when
supplies were really tight,” he says.
Potential weather twists and turns remain the big question mark for the
remainder of the growing season. “We’ll see what happens now that
we’ve had the rain,” says Marsalis. “The weather could turn
extremely hot and dry again just like it was early in the growing
season. Also, the rains we did have were spotty and the benefits could
be short-lived, especially in areas where soil profiles were not full at
the start of the season due to a lack of winter moisture.”
Changing transportation economics could also come into play.
“Traditionally, we ship a lot of hay into the state out of southern
Colorado,” says Marsalis. “If fuel prices continue to increase,
though, those shipments could drop off a bit. If that happens, supply
will likely stay tight and prices will remain strong.”
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Integrated Weed Control Is Virginia
Topic
Taking an integrated approach to controlling weeds in
pastures and hayfields will be the subject of a conference held at two
Virginia locations later this month. The Days Inn, Raphine, will be the
site of the conference on Wednesday, July 30. On Thursday, July 31, it
will be repeated at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and
Extension Center in Blackstone.
Along with a session on identifying common pasture weeds, there will be
presentations on the life cycles of various weeds, how to best time
herbicide applications and clipping, the impact soil fertility and
grazing management can have on weed infestations, and using
mixed-species grazing to control problem weeds and increase whole-farm
production. The conference will also include a pasture walk with a weed
identification quiz, herbicide applicator demonstrations and a
question-and-answer session. Registration fee for the conference,
sponsored by Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Forage and
Grassland Council, is $10. For more information or to register, contact
Margaret Kenny at 434-292-5331.
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Georgia Grazing School Slated For Aug.
20-21
University of Georgia Extension’s Georgia Grazing
School will be held Aug. 20-21 at the Bulloch County Center for
Agriculture in Statesboro. Participants will learn how forage
production, quality and grazing behavior can be optimized in managed
grazing. Training will take place in both classroom and field settings.
This year, a special emphasis is being placed on the management issues
relevant to grass-fed or grain-on-grass beef operations and
management-intensive grazing dairy operations. Multiple classroom
lectures addressing plant and grazing management will be combined with
local farm visits to pasture-based beef and dairy operations.
The cost is $150 and includes lunches, a grazing school handbook and
other handouts. Participants are responsible for lodging. Registration
is limited to 35 participants accepted on a first-come, first-served
basis. For more information, visit www.georgiaforages.com.
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Calendar
July 22 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Fond du
Lac. Call 715-425-3345.
Aug. 5 -- Manitowoc County (WI) Forage Council Field Day,
Reedsville. Contact Scott Gunderson, University of Wisconsin-Extension,
at 715-683-4168.
Aug. 19-20 -- Wisconsin Grazing School, Richland Center. Call
715-425-3345.
Aug. 19-21---Pennsylvania Ag Progress Days, Russell E. Larson
Agricultural Research Center, Rock Springs, PA Visit apd.psu.edu/ for details.
Aug. 28--- Hay & Farm Field Day, WW Ranch, Jacksonville, FL. For
more information, phone 386-362-6447
Sept. 4 -- Kentucky Forage & Grassland Council Field Day,
Christian County. Learn more at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/.
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.
Jan. 15-16, 2009 -- Southwest Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso,
NM. Contact Gina Sterrett at 575-626-5677 or Justin Boswell at
575-840-9908.
Jan. 21-22, 2009 – Heart of America Grazing Conference,
Columbus, IN. Contact Jason Tower at 812-678-4427 or towerj@purdue.edu.
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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