Hay

When is Alfalfa Ready to Cut?

Thu, 11 May 2023 18:14:41 GMT

The stress of forage season is officially underway for farmers across the country. With alfalfa being one of the most important forage crops on the farm and feed prices on the rise, it’s critical to ensure your stand is harvested in a timely manner to maximize quality while preserving quantity. But when is alfalfa ready to cut? The Pennsylvania State University dairy extension team provides the following tips to consider:

Harvesting Established Stands

What’s Your Crop’s Life Expectancy? - The intensity of cutting management (the number of cuttings made per year) should be based on the desired quality and life expectancy of the crop. If the goal is to have a long-lived stand, then a longer cutting interval should be considered. If the crop is being grown under a short rotation (three years or less), then more cuttings may be desirable to maximize forage quality.

First Cutting - The first cutting in the spring can be made when the crop is in the bud to early-bloom stage. During the spring there is generally limited environmental stress and the alfalfa crop can normally tolerate early cutting. Harvesting at the bud stage has allowed producers to get more cuttings per year, increase their production, and improve the quality of their forage. However, in order to cut this early, there should be optimum levels of soil pH, phosphorus, and potassium, and plants should be allowed to reach the first- bloom stage at least once during the year.

Second Through Fourth Cutting - Cuttings made during the summer (second, third, and fourth cuttings) should be made when the crop is in the bud to early-bloom stage of development. Some producers are attempting to cut when the alfalfa is even less mature than recommended. A cutting interval that is consistently shorter than thirty days can be extremely stressful to the stand because energy reserves cannot be stored in the taproots and crowns. Low energy reserves lead not only to poor regrowth (which results in poor yields) but also to an actual loss of stand--sometimes in one year.

Monitor Crop Stress – Alfalfa generally maintains production during short periods of dry weather because of its deep and extensive root system. However, during extended periods of dry weather alfalfa growth is reduced and flowering may occur on short, stunted plants. Cutting during these stressful periods does not weaken alfalfa plants or cause stand reductions. If there is adequate late summer or fall growth, after the alfalfa plants have been drought stressed during the summer, an additional harvest can be made in the fall with less risk of stand loss than if the alfalfa was not drought stressed.

New Stands

First Cutting - During the year of establishment, seedlings need a high level of energy reserves to persist through the winter. For spring seedings that are made without a companion crop, two harvests can generally be made the first year, provided there are adequate rainfall and optimum levels of soil nutrients. The first harvest can be made before flowers begin to appear, but waiting for the alfalfa to flower will ensure greater energy reserves in the roots. Alfalfa will generally reach this stage of development between 60 and 70 days after emergence.

Second Cutting - The second harvest should either be made before September 1, to ensure an adequate buildup of energy reserves for winter or be delayed until after the first killing frost (24 °F) in the fall or after mid-October. Occasionally, when the second harvest is made before September and there are good fall growing conditions, a third harvest may be made, but not until there is a definite killing frost. When mid-October or later harvests are made, a high stubble (6 inches) should be left for ground cover to protect the crowns and to catch snow for added insulation.

Companion Crop Alfalfa - Spring seedings which are made with a companion crop such as oats are usually harvested for the first time based on the maturity of the companion crop. Alfalfa harvests made after the companion crop has been harvested should follow the same guidelines as for alfalfa when seeded without a companion crop.

Fall Seeded Crop - The spring harvest of a fall-seeded alfalfa crop should be based on plant development and vigor. If the alfalfa plants look vigorous and the roots are well developed, spring cutting can be made at bud to early bloom. If plants are small and poorly developed, it is best to wait until mid-bloom before harvesting.

New Holland Acquires Danish Implement Manufacturer [UPDATE]

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 02:45:13 GMT

[UPDATE] New Holland announces the completion of this acquisition on Jan. 31, 2017.

According to a company statement: “New Holland Agriculture will extend its offering to include Tillage and Hay & Forage solutions under various brands, including Kongskilde, Overum, Howard and JF. The Kongskilde brand and sales organizations, dealers and importers will continue to operate with no disruption, ensuring continuity in its customers’ support. New Holland will gradually integrate the new agricultural implements into its own product offering.”

New Holland Agriculture has announced an expansion of its implement product lines by way of its acquisition of the Grass and Soil business of Kongskilde Industries, part of the Danish Group Dansk Landbrugs Grovvareselskab. Specifically, this business develops, manufactures and sells tillage, hay and forage implements under various brand names.

New Holland’s history of hay implements started in 1940 with the introduction of the first self-tying automatic pick-up baler for U.S. farmers. Since then, officials say the company is committed to developing a full lineup of hay equipment for cutting, tedding, raking, baling and stacking. The Kongskilde acquisition will further play into those goals, according to Carlo Lambro, brand president of New Holland Agriculture.

“The acquisition of the tillage and hay and forage activities of Kongskilde adds a key product range that will further broaden New Holland Agriculture’s product offering within the agricultural machinery sector,” he says. “In the meantime, the Kongskilde dealer and importer network will remain the reference point for their customers. This agreement will provide growth opportunities and create a strong platform to develop the Kongskilde business and its brands, and we will also gradually integrate their products in the New Holland portfolio.”

The acquisition includes two plants in Europe, located in Poland and Sweden, along with other facilities in EMEA, APAC and NAFTA regions. The transaction is subject to various closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Here’s a quick look at the history of Kongskilde.

Kongskilde Denmark from Kongskilde on Vimeo .

AGCO, CNH See Increased Tractor Demand

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 05:03:01 GMT

Demand for agricultural equipment in the first quarter of 2013 proved stronger than some expected, prompting an optimistic tone from executives at CNH and AGCO during earnings calls this morning.

“It has been quite the good start,” says Richard Tobin, president and CEO, CNH . The manufacturer reported 9% growth in total industry units for tractors in North America over the same period last year. Total combine units rose 51% over last year. Total unit growth for both equipment categories is projected to be between 0% and 5% for fiscal year 2013.

Overall, AGCO is “very optimistic and very positive” about the agricultural equipment market in the years ahead, says Martin Richenhagen, CEO. While global changes related to climate and finance programs will occur, he says, the market is big enough that multiple agricultural manufacturers will have opportunities for long-term stability and growth potential. The company reported March year-to-date tractor retail units were up 13% for the industry in North America and were up 52% for combines.

(See related: AEM Releases March 2013 Flash Report)

Orders at AGCO are up from where the company was at the end of the year, with order books filling up to between three and four months, depending on the region, says Andy Beck, senior vice president and chief financial officer.

Both companies are gearing up to implement Tier 4 Final standards to meet emissions requirements that take effect in 2014. The increase in pricing on Tier 4 Final tractors at CNH is expected to resemble the increase that occurred when moving from Tier 3 to Tier 4 Interim equipment, Tobin says. However, the final emissions requirements likely will have a larger impact on the pricing of lower-horsepower tractors than on high-horsepower tractors, he says.

AGCO anticipates a 15% increase in engineering expenses this year to meet Tier 4 Final emissions requirements and develop new products. The manufacturer projects inventory levels in the $125 million range for the year to meet those requirements, Beck says.

Tier 4 Final costs and other factors are prompting CNH to move forward with cautious optimism for the full year ahead, even as its agricultural business outperformed its construction operation.

“It’s a good start, but I don’t think we’re in a position … to say that the full year is going to keep at these levels,” Tobin says.

Unknowns include the wet spring preventing much corn planting in the U.S. and resulting volatility in commodity prices. The risk of a missed hay and forage season—once in 2012 because of drought and again this year because of wet weather—also is on people’s minds, Tobin says. CNH expects some liquidation of related equipment over the coming quarters because of weakened hay and forage production.

Click here for more details about AGCO’s Q1 2013 earnings.

Click here for more details about CNH’s Q1 2013 earnings.

Resilience of Farmers on Full Display After Hurricane Ida Ravaged Louisiana Agriculture

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 17:23:05 GMT

Hurricane Ida ravaged Louisiana agriculture this fall. The hurricane brought as much as two feet of rain in some areas, as producers grappled with losses and aftermath.

“My community took a hell of a beating,” Ashly Pitre, president of LaFourche Parish Cattleman’s Association, told “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture.”

Cattle were stranded for days, and producers worked around the clock to get to their livestock and move them to safety. But even then, the Hurricane left its mark, as This Week in Louisiana Agriculture covered it first-hand this year.

“My biggest concern is the water to drink,” Pitre says. “All that grass is rotten. The grass thinks the water stinks, and I’m concerned they might get sick by drinking that nasty water.”

“I lost everything due to, the rain,” said Derrick Jarvis. “It tore the roof off my barn where I keep my feed and hay. I lost everything.”

As producers worked to wade through the aftermath after Hurricane Ida, help for those who felt helpless was on its way.

“We’re here this afternoon at the Louis Mouch Junior Multipurpose Facility in Port Allen, La., and we’re waiting on a delivery of hay for livestock recovery for Hurricane Ida,” Christine Navarre told Louisiana Farm Bureau.

With the warnings of Hurricane Ida’s arrival, she was getting calls from people in Texas saying they were there to help. The orchestrated effort of support was powerful to see.

“This is what farming is all about,” said Jason LeBlanc. “Neighbors helping neighbors. No one farmer has everything they need. They always have to rely on a neighbor to help them — no matter what it is, they always need a neighbor.”

Pencil Out the Peril of Precipitation Loss

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 19:42:25 GMT

If you depend on hay or pasture to feed livestock, now’s a good time to check out a program called the Rainfall Index (RI) Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) insurance program.

“If you make any significant business decisions based on livestock grazing practices, I would consider it,” advises Ray Massey, Extension Professor of agricultural and applied economics at University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.

The program, subsidized by the U.S. government, is a risk-management tool designed to help farmers cover replacement feed costs when they experience a loss of forage or hay due to a lack of precipitation. In essence, it’s insurance that provides financial protection for inadequate rainfall.

How It Works
You must select at least two, two-month periods when precipitation is important for forage growth on your farm. You also need to decide the amount of insurance you want.

“Do you want to insure 70%, 80%, 90% of your expected rainfall? What months do you want to cover? Normally, you would choose those months when you’re actually going to have cattle out there or hay that you’re needing to harvest,” Massey explains.

The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) then uses National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center data to determine whether you receive adequate rainfall during the two-month periods you selected. You won’t ever talk to an insurance adjuster or have one on your farm or need to consult your rain gauge.

“If you get below whatever you insured, they’re going to send you a premium,” Massey says. “If you are not below the percent you insured, then you’re not going to get a premium.”

What months you decide to insure is critical, and they may not be the ones you would initially think would be best. USDA-RMA offers this example for reference: A rancher has an operation in Virginia and has cool season grasses. July and August are normally extremely dry months when the vegetation normally becomes dormant (turns brown). Since July and August are normally dry, this may not be a good period to insure. This Virginia rancher may be better served by insuring months earlier in the spring that are important for cool season forage growth and months in the fall that would establish his cool season grasses for fall grazing.

The USDA-RMA provides some decision support tools to help you make the best decisions for months to consider for insurance purposes. In addition, here is a link to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the insurance program and USDA-RMA’s responses: https://bit.ly/3mEnFrn

Massey says farmers have until December 15 to purchase PRF insurance. “So, you’re going to be needing to make that decision here in the next month,” he says.

You can hear Massey’s complete recommendations in this AgriTalk segment, which aired on Monday:

Hay Moisture Levels: How Wet Is Too Wet?

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 16:39:34 GMT

By: Daniel Lima, Ohio State University, Extension Educator

We had a very wet June this year and baling hay has been a tough thing for most farmers in the state. Moisture levels have a direct effect on hay quality. What I have found to be a consistent number in the literature is 20% moisture maximum.

Maximum moisture levels in hay

Small squares to be 20% or less,
Large round, 18% or less and
Large squares, 16%

Hay baled at 20% moisture or higher has a high probability of developing mold, which will decrease the quality of hay by decreasing both protein and total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) AKA energy! The mold will also make the hay less palatable to livestock and could potentially be toxic, especially for horses. Even hay baled between 15%-20% moisture will experience what is known as “sweating”. Sweating, in regard to hay bales, refers to microbial respiration, which will create heat and result in dry matter (DM) loss. A good rule of thumb is that you should expect a 1% DM loss per 1% decrease of moisture after baling. As an example, hay baled at 20% moisture that is stored and dried down to 12%; will result in 8% DM loss.

Understandably, June was a double edged sword in regards to losing quality by not baling, or losing quality by baling with moisture levels that are too high. Therefore, my recommendation to ensure adequate livestock nutrition this winter is to have a forage analysis done on the hay baled this year. Once you have those results, develop a corresponding supplemental feed program, if necessary, based on the nutritional requirements of your livestock.

The short video below from Clif Little explains how to take forage samples for testing:

Weed Control in Pastures and Hayfields

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 14:19:36 GMT

Weeds can reduce the quantity and the stand life of desirable forage plants in pastures and hayfields. Weeds also impact the aesthetic value of a pasture. Therefore, producers may choose to initiate weed management strategies that reduce the impact of weeds on forage production.

The first step in effective weed control is to evaluate the pasture or hay field to determine the source of the weed problem. Soil testing to determine the current nutrient and pH status is the place to begin. After correcting fertility levels, the following things must be evaluated and corrected:

Stocking rate to eliminate overgrazing problems
Pasture rotation schedule
Need for additional grazing land
Prevent scalping and mowing-too-low
Correct the mower height in order to leave adequate stubble
Consider renovation where forage stands are very weak

First, a weed is defined as any plant growing where you don’t want it. Therefore, we must begin to think in a broader sense as to what weeds are. A weed can be Bahiagrass or Crabgrass growing in a Bermudagrass hayfield. These unwanted plants are often more aggressive than existing or desired forage species and compete for light, water, and nutrients. In latter stages of maturity, weeds can also reduce the quality and palatability of the forage available for livestock grazing. However, not all weedy plants are detrimental to pastures. In fact, some weedy plants provide nutritional value to grazing animals.

Grazing can be used as an effective weed management tool. Livestock will graze weeds when they are small. In the early vegetative stage of growth, many weeds have nutritive values equal to or greater than the desired forages. However, the forage quality of weeds decline rapidly as the plants mature.

Mowing is especially effective in reducing the amount of weed seed produced by established broadleaf weeds. The mower should cut as close to the ground as possible. Mowing may not completely eliminate weed seed production, since some seed could be produced by plants that regrow from tillers present on grasses below the height of cutting. Also, perennial weeds that spread by underground rootstocks, like thistle, are not effectively controlled by a single mowing.

Another control method includes various herbicides that are available to provide broad-spectrum weed control. When making your selection try to choose a product that will control as many weeds as possible. This reduces the use of herbicides and also minimizes cost by reducing the number of passes through the field. When applying multiple products choose products that can be mixed in the same tank and applied in one pass.

Two popular types of weed control products are pre-emerge and post-emerge herbicides. Pre-emerge herbicide must be applied before the weed seeds germinate. An example of a pre-emerge product is Prowl H2O. This herbicide is used to control Crabgrass in Bermudagrass hayfields. Post-emerge products are used to kill weeds after they have germinated. These herbicides must be used when the plant is actively growing and not simply green.

When using any herbicide, it is important to be aware of the surrounding crops. Drift from many of these herbicides are lethal to other crops like vegetables, shrubs and flowers. Pesticide spray drift is the movement of pesticide dust or droplets through the air at the time of application or soon after, to any site other than the area intended. They should choose a product that will not harm surrounding crops if drift occurs. Drift will vary with boom height, nozzle type, pressure, and wind.

Most herbicides have grazing and feeding restrictions stated on the label that limit the use of the crop for livestock feed. Producers should know and adhere to any grazing or haying restrictions. These restrictions can be anywhere from seven days to one year. Different products vary in their restriction guidelines. Many products that have no grazing restrictions for beef cattle will have grazing restrictions for dairy cattle. Most will also have a withdrawal period before slaughter.

Herbicides can be a useful tool for weed management in pastures and hayfields. They should be used where appropriate and when cost effective. A program that integrates several different control strategies is generally more successful than relying on only one method. Weeds present at the time of herbicide application may be controlled, but if the forage stand is not vigorous and actively growing, new weed seedlings will soon emerge and occupy the bare areas that remain. Thus, without proper use of mechanical control methods and good cultural practices, herbicide use will not be beneficial.

Quality Alfalfa Hinges on Details

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 20:09:14 GMT

Variety selection, precise management and optimal environment are grower’s premium

In the dead calm of a summer night, even agriculture sleeps—but not David Hinman. Minutes past midnight, the Wheatland, Wyo., producer wakes up and checks humidity levels via weather apps, slips out of bed and pulls on his boots. Outside, on ground 5,250' in elevation staring up at the Laramie Mountains, some of the country’s finest alfalfa awaits baling.

At Hardrock Farms, quality alfalfa sits on a three-legged stool of variety, precise management and optimal environment. The reputation for premium hay brings customer calls from more than 1,000 miles away.

Hinman maintains six to seven alfalfa varieties on a mix of sandy loam, clay and rocky soil. The planting window falls between May 15 and June 1, and he typically plants straight with no cover crops.

Dandelions are a major issue, so Hinman plants roughly 22 lb. of alfalfa seed per acre to choke out weeds and minimize spray applications of Raptor and Velpar. He fertilizes in cool fall or early spring weather with 200 lb. of 11-52-0 and 150 lb. of potash, as well as sulfur when needed. Fields are soil sampled annually, with periodic grid sampling. Hinman’s alfalfa is mostly grass-free, and he doesn’t face many nitrate issues.

Despite arid, dry surroundings, Hinman is blessed with abundant water resources. Hardrock is part of the biggest privately owned irrigation project in the U.S. The reservoir is fed by the Laramie River and members own the water rights. The reservoir’s board of directors bring water down starting May 10. In the hottest periods of July, he leaves center pivots pumping. Depending on Mother Nature, he irrigates until Sept. 25.

Irrigation is shut off four days prior to each of the four cuttings, which are spaced on 28-day cycles. Provided Hinman gets the first cut finished during the second week of June, he pushes for a fourth cutting before the cold sets in during October. Following the fourth cutting, he pastures the ground or leaves it alone until regrowth in the spring. A good variety will bring four to five years of growth, he says, and even more if the stand is kept clean.

Hinman’s field movements are dictated by moisture. He cuts in the afternoon when sugars are higher in the plants. The first cutting lays at least a week because of volume. The second and third cuttings lay for five days due to warming. The fourth and final cutting lays 10 days to ensure leaves are properly dried.

With humidity in his area running at 10% to 15% during the day, alfalfa hay is extremely dry and crunchy during daylight hours, nearly crumbling to the touch. However, with minimal rainfall in summer and fall, the alfalfa can stay out for days and remain green.

Each night, Hinman pulls up AccuWeather and WeatherBug apps to check humidity and wind forecasts. His farthest field is 13 miles from his house and humidity can vary even over short distances.

Once humidity reaches 50% in the early morning air, Hinman’s wife, Teri, starts raking and he follows with the baler. They work until morning, stopping when the ground becomes too wet and humidity reaches 80%.

The nighttime baling window is crucial to hay quality. When humidity levels rise as the sun goes down, the hay toughens. Normally, Hinman lets hay dry to less than 8% moisture.

High humidity and moisture equate to lower quality alfalfa hay: brown or bleached forage. “The less moisture you have on the hay, other than when you bale it, the better off you are,” he says.

When is Hay Dry Enough?

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:54:24 GMT

Freshly baled hay with more than 20% moisture will heat up and actually reduce the energy level of the hay.
By: Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia, Forage Extension Specialist

There is a great misconception that once hay is “dry” and baled it is plain and devoid of life. The truth is that hay is never completely dry, and it is full of microscopic life. If the hay is not dry enough, those microscopic life forms can cause major problems. It’s Alive! Many microorganisms (mainly fungi species like Aspergillus and Fusarium, bacteria, and others) are ever present in hay (Figure 1). They feed on available carbohydrates on the surface of the forage plants and inside the stems and leaves. This feeding results in the loss of some dry matter (DM), reduces the quality of the hay, and also generates heat. The temperature of these hay bales, stacks, and barns can get very hot. In extreme cases, it can get so hot that the bales can catch on fire, even without a spark (i.e., spontaneous combustion). Even if the temperature does not reach these extremes, these microorganisms can also form spores. It is these spores that give the hay a moldy smell.

Figure 1. Summary of heating during hay storage, including recommended actions at various hay temperatures, what is causing the temperature increase, and what is happening as a result of the heat.

Nearly all hay goes through “a sweat” during the first few days after baling when the temperature rises. Figure 2 shows two cuttings of hay in a study I conducted while at the University of Kentucky wherein the bales’ temperature was tracked over time. Notice that the summer cutting, which was put up at 16% moisture, stayed relatively cool even during higher average ambient air temperatures. However, the fall cutting was baled a little wet (20% moisture) for round bales and it spiked over 140° F within just 3 days.

Figure 2. Temperature of round bale alfalfa hay from summer (16% moisture) and fall (20% moisture) cuttings relative to the ambient air temperature during the first few days after baling.

The heat that is generated when hay goes through “a sweat” is a side effect of the microorganisms consuming the most digestible portions of the forage, such as carbohydrates like sugar and starch. Consequently, a substantial portion of the hay could be used up during this process.

Wayne Coblentz, Research Agronomist at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, has conducted several experiments on the impact that hay moisture and the resulting heating of the hay have on dry matter (DM) loss, hay quality, and heat risk. He recently found that for every 10° F increase in maximum temperature, the hay would lose up to 2% of the DM during storage.

Since these losses are coming from the most digestible forms of energy in the forage, hay heating comes at the expense of digestibility and the concentration of energy in the forage. Dr. Coblentz showed that the TDN of bermudagrass hay is decreased by more than 1 percentage point for every 10° F increase in maximum temperature over 100° F. In other words, a good bermudagrass hay crop that was just a little too wet when it was baled might have gone into the barn at 58% TDN, but it likely will come out of the barn with less than 54% TDN if it heated up to 140 °F or more.

What is “Dry Enough?”

Much of the original research suggests hay moisture content should be kept less than 20% for small rectangular bales, less than 18% for round bales, and less than 16% for large rectangular bales. These are still good “rules of thumb,” but there are exceptions. Consider, for example, the advances in bale package sizes and high-density baling systems that have occurred in the modern era. These denser bale packages enable the heat to build up to a higher degree. Other factors can also contribute to the extent of hay heating, including the amount of available carbohydrates in the forage crop, air circulation in the hay stack, relative humidity in the storage area, and the ambient temperature and humidity outside. Each producer’s situation will be somewhat different because of equipment, storage technique, and climatic differences. So, within the ranges provided in Figure 3, hay growers should allow for the effect that these factors might influence which target bale moisture is right for their farm.

Figure 3. The effect of bale moisture on the amount of damage that can be expected with different sizes and densities of hay bales, as well as other factors that affect hay heating.

Every year, I get 3-4 calls from folks who have had hay barns burn down. The calls almost always include the question, “Do you think I might not have gotten that hay dry enough?” It is truly tragic when it happens. The key is to control what you can control. For more information on hay molding and heating, visit our website at www.georgiaforages.com .

2017 Outlook: Hay Prices Rely on Basic Economics

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 00:52:46 GMT

If you’re a dairy farmer, the only thing keeping your business afloat may be the incredibly forgiving price of feed. Grains and alfalfa have been lower than average over the last several months. Barring a weather catastrophe next spring, analysts expect 2017 hay prices to remain in the same range they’ve been this year. Immense supply and lower than average demand will continue to put price pressure on hay, excluding premium alfalfa.

The June 2016 acreage report from USDA indicated 56.1 million acres of hay would be harvested this year. That jump in hay acreage, combined with near perfect growing conditions in most of the U.S., led to barns full of hay. Although this poses an upside for dairy farmers and hay tarp suppliers, it’s bad news for hay growers.

Use the slider above to see where alfalfa is grown, compared to where other types of hay are grown in the U.S.

“We have an incredible amount of hay,” says Dan Undersander with the University of Wisconsin forage team. “We had an above-average carryover, and we had tremendous yields. The supply is good.”

According to Western hay market expert Seth Hoyt of the Hoyt Report, there’s sufficient carryover in the West as well, with Idaho leading the pack. Evidence of this carryover appeared in the latest USDA hay price report, which quoted Idaho having one of the lowest prices in the seven Western states for “supreme” quality hay.

The huge gap in price between “supreme” quality hay and low quality hay, a trend that really picked up steam last year, will likely continue, according to Undersander.

“Quality hay has a good premium and that is likely to stay,” he says. “There will be opportunity to bring some hay in from the West, but of course the farther you go, the higher the transportation costs become.”

The drought the Eastern U.S. experienced this summer will help chew through the supply, but farmers in places like NY are also bringing in hay from Canada, according to Undersander. In addition, he says a long, cold winter has the potential to help reduce stocks as well.

Fortunately for livestock producers, corn prices have been down, too. However, Undersander warns that low corn prices throughout the winter won’t likely make the hay price go much lower.

“Usually when corn prices are down we put up more corn silage and that makes hay prices down,” he explains. “This year people didn’t put up as much corn silage because bunks were full of haylage.”

Undersander says the corn silage that was put up this year in the Midwest wasn’t as high quality as it should be, so farmers will feed more hay to make up for the lost nutrients.

Hay exports to China have increased compared to last year but fell sharply in September, Hoyt reports. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, hay exports to China were down 27% from August, but are still 51% higher than September a year prior. Hoyt credits the decline to the Chinese not being willing to pay exporters full price because of heavy shipments from June through August.

“According to sources, dairies in China were losing money due to low milk prices and were buying lower priced local hay,” he says.

Could the price bounce back?

“A hard winter will increase use as will the number of cows we feed through the winter,” Undersander says. “If we have an average to good growing season next year, prices will stay about where they are now.”

Barring a significant weather event next spring, demand won’t be able to outpace supply, and prices will remain relatively stagnant.

The editors at AgWeb.com are taking a look at experts’ projections for a variety of commodities in 2017 to help you succeed and be profitable in the coming year. Tune in periodically over the next six weeks as we add outlooks for corn, wheat, cotton, cattle, machinery and more. Read all the outlook pieces here.

Spring Allergies are in the Air, but Not for Some Farm Kids

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:30:00 GMT

The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, and people are sneezing everywhere. Sound like spring to you?

With the start of spring comes the start of allergy season, but not for some farm kids, researchers say. While allergists have long known that farm life helps prevent allergies in kids, research shows the benefit might even extend to adults who live near a farm, according to Health Day.

Compared to children brought up in the city, those with early life farm exposure typically had fewer cases of asthma, allergies and sinus problems, according to a Thorax journal article.

Scientists also found that women who grew up on the farm were shown to have stronger lungs than women with an urban upbringing.

Researchers remain unsure what drives the correlation between spending time on the farm and the development of allergies, but they speculate that exposure to certain microbes, air pollution and physical activity could all play a role, as reported in Time Magazine.

Too much cleanliness is an additional theory as to why children brought up in the city typically have a higher chance of allergies.

“It looks like with our modern conditions and cleanliness that we have fewer and fewer germs to fight off,” says Andy Nish, a physician with a private practice in Gainesville, Georgia, in an interview with National Public Radio. Our immune systems protect us by learning to fight off foreign invaders, whether they’re harmless or not. We can’t train our defenses if we don’t get exposed. And if you’re allergic to one thing, you’re likely allergic to a number of things.

Allowing children to grow up on a farm exposes kids to good bacteria, building up their immune systems and lessening their chances for getting sick or having allergies. However, it should be noted that if you suffer from allergies, spending more time on the farm will not cure them. Instead, seek help from a medical professional who can provide you with the proper medication that will help you endure exposure to your allergens.

For more on this, read:

Nonprofit Brings Flood-Stricken Nebraska Ranchers Hay Help

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:30:00 GMT

A farm aid nonprofit is launching an effort to deliver donated hay to ranchers in flood-stricken Nebraska, resurrecting a program first used nearly two years ago to help cattle producers facing drought conditions in the Upper Midwest.

North Dakota-based Farm Rescue is seeking volunteer drivers and donations of hay and money for what it calls “Operation Hay Lift” to help Nebraska ranchers dealing with widespread flooding after a massive late-winter storm.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those suffering from this natural disaster,” Bill Gross, founder and president of Farm Rescue, said Tuesday.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau estimates that farm and ranch losses in that state could reach $1 billion. The amount of hay needed hasn’t yet been determined, according to the Nebraska Cattlemen rancher group, which also has launched a disaster relief fund .

“Some folks are still battling floodwaters and have not been able to access their hay to determine what was lost,” spokeswoman Talia Goes said. “However, we have heard from some folks that nearly 50 to 100 percent of their hay has been ruined or taken with the raging waters. Also, many folks will battle damaged hay and pasture fields from the water and the debris.”

The first Operation Hay Lift was launched in July 2017 in the midst of devastating drought in the Upper Midwest. The program lasted 10 months, with 75 volunteer truckers hauling nearly 300 semitrailer-loads of hay to 154 ranch families in the Dakotas and Montana. More than 10,000 large, round hay bales were hauled a total of more than 200,000 miles, according to Farm Rescue spokesman Dan Erdmann.

Farm Rescue provides free physical labor for farmers and ranchers dealing with an injury, illness or a natural disaster in six Plains states — North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Montana. The nonprofit’s services include crop planting and harvesting, haying, and livestock feeding. It has helped nearly 600 farm families since starting in 2006 and relies on volunteers from around the country, donations and corporate sponsors.

Help Drought Stricken Farmers in North Dakota

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:50 GMT

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture looking for trucking donations to move hay for their hay lottery to help livestock producers in the drought stricken state.

The hay lottery was designed bring some relief to cattle producers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana, as they struggle to find feed supplies in the midst of a summer-long drought and wildfire recovery.

In order to participate, producers must be located in a D2, D3 or D4 designated county; own at least 25 animal unit equivalents of beef or dairy cattle, bison or sheep; and have a third-party verification contact person, such as a veterinarian or lending institution partner. Find the online application here.

“We have identified around 30 semi-loads of hay that have been graciously donated to the hay lottery,” North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. “We are now in need of assistance to get the donated hay to the NDSU site for distribution.”

If you have capacity to help, call the North Dakota Department of Agriculture at 701-328-4764 or 1-844-642-4752 to get information about delivery to the collection site near the NDSU campus.

Preventing an Unwanted Baler Fire

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:50 GMT

Dry conditions this year in the Northern Plains have reminded many how quickly fires can ignite causing damage, destroying equipment, future feedstuffs and hopefully NOT injuring you in the process. We need to be cognizant at all times of the potential for fires to start while baling hay or straw and take measures to minimize the potential of a fire occurring.

Baler Maintenance Checklist

Before you head out to bale take the time to do the following maintenance checks on your baler with the objective of fire prevention:

Remove any trash or plant material accumulation on the baler and take time to blow off dust, leaves, and dry stems.
Keep the baler free and clean of oil, grease or hydraulic fluid accumulation, which also attracts and holds dust while baling and is highly ignitable.
Carry an “ABC” fire extinguisher on the baler or in your tractor at all times. Make it easily accessible and check it to make sure it is still adequately charged with fire retardant and not beyond its expiration date. (An “ABC” rating on fire extinguishers means that it is rated to control “A”-Trash, Wood, Paper; “B”-Liquids; “C” – Electrical).
Carry a minimum of 4 gallons of water to use if a fire would ignite.
It is also recommended to have a shovel or spade with you to throw dirt on a fire or pat out the “hot” spots.
Take time to inspect all moving parts for wear or friction before heading out to bale.
Do not over fill the fuel tank as the overflow of fuel can have a potential to become ignited. These spills should be cleaned up immediately. Shut off the engine and electrical equipment while filling the fuel tank. The fuel nozzle should be grounded against the filler neck to avoid sparks.
Immediately repair any hydraulic or fuel leaks and clean up any spills. Hydraulic fluid is flammable.
If welding repairs are required, take care not to weld near pipes, tubes or hoses filled with flammable fluid such as gas, oil or hydraulic oil.
Do not smoke near the baler or tractor as this adds to the potential for a spark to cause a fire ignition.
Carry a charged cell phone with you to make an emergency call if necessary.
Be able to give directions to your location in an emergency situation.

Other Considerations

Lastly, make sure that you communicate with others where you will be working so that they also will know where to locate you if an emergency situation would arise. Prevention and maintenance only takes a few minutes versus trying to recover from a catastrophic loss caused by a potentially avoidable fire.

Farmland Update Iowa Land Values Lead Stabilization Trend

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:50 GMT

Farmland Update Iowa Land Values Lead Stabilization Trend

Although spotty, there are signs of stabilization underway in portions of the Corn Belt farmland market. The state’s cropland rose values 2% in the six-month period ending in September and increased nearly 3% compared to a year earlier, according to a survey conducted by the Iowa Chapter of the Realtors Land Institute. That is the first increase in three years.

Other states, meanwhile, show steady to slightly lower declines. So why the gain in farmland values in Iowa?

First, note that the run-up in farmland values began in Iowa and then spread to other states a year later. Second, the downturn in farmland values also began in Iowa and then spread a year later to other states. So stabilization in Iowa farmland values while values are steady at best and mostly weaker in other states should not be surprising.

Third, the volume of farm properties offered for sale remains tight. That has tended to support prices for quality farms brought to the market. The number of properties moving to the market will likely rise seasonally this winter. But it does not appear a burdensome wave of supply is headed to the market in 2018. If sales volume remains subdued, the market in other states might also see signs of stabilization. —Mike Walsten

Hay Production Falls 3 Million Tons Amid Alfalfa and Grass Hay Issues

U.S. hay production will be close to 132 million tons in 2017, down 3 million tons from last year, according to estimates from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and reported by the Livestock Marketing Information Center. Alfalfa hay yields per acre will be down 5% from a year ago, and production is pegged to be down 4% despite harvested area growing by 1%. All other hay production is down 1%, the center says.

Total hay supplies for the 2017/18 crop year are down almost 2% from the previous year. The decline comes amid a 2% increase in roughage-consuming animals in the U.S. Hay prices have been tracking above year-ago values since spring with less hay and more livestock.

Grass hay values were weak in August, due in part to a 25% price decline in Oklahoma, the third-largest non-alfalfa hay producing state. Grass hay prices fell 5% in Texas, the largest producer of non-alfalfa hay, according to information the center publishes. —Nate Birt

Drought Takes Toll on Crops Across Northern Plains

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:45 GMT

A punishing drought that stretches across much of the U.S. Northern Plains could cause farmers to lose 64 million bushels of wheat production this year, according to federal officials.

That dire projection comes as northeast Montana experiences the worst drought in the country, with similar dry conditions in neighboring North Dakota and South Dakota. The federal government has declared numerous counties in the three-state region to be disaster areas and authorized haying and grazing on land meant for conservation to help alleviate the conditions.

Federal agriculture officials have labeled as poor or very poor more than half of Montana’s 2017 crops of spring wheat, lentils and durum. Combined, the three crops were valued at more than $600 million in 2016.

A scant 1.2 inches of rain have been recorded since April 1 in the small town of Nashua on the edge of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Ranchers also will lose in this drought, said Ed Hinton, an auctioneer who drives down from Scobey for the weekly sale at the Glasgow Stockyards. Ranchers turn up every Thursday to sell off an animal or two, usually a heifer who didn’t get pregnant, or a belligerent steer not worth the trouble, or the hay now selling for $180 a ton.

There’s nothing like crop insurance for livestock. In times of drought, the U.S. Department of Agriculture opens up grasslands previously off limits for conservation. After that, there’s low interest loans.

The Thursday sale the week before the Fourth of July brought a thousand cattle to the stockyards, Hinton said, at a time of year when a few hundred cattle at a sale is respectable

Less Flour, More Feed as Drought Turns U.S. Wheat Into Hay

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:45 GMT

The stunted wheat plants on Robert Ferebee’s parched North Dakota farm were in the worst condition he’d seen in almost three decades. Rather than wait until late July or early August to harvest the crop, Ferebee decided last month to cut his losses and his fields.

A drought across the northern Great Plains has forced growers like Ferebee to conclude that their wheat would be more valuable as cattle feed than baker’s flour. They are collecting the crop early -- in some cases before grain kernels have fully formed -- to avoid further damage, and then bundling the tillers and leaves into hay-like bales rather than sending them through a thresher.

Smallest spring-wheat crop in 15 years may shrink even more.

© Bloomberg

While U.S. production already was expected to plunge this year because farmers planted the fewest acres in a century, the dry spell may erode output further. Prices have skyrocketed. Almost half of the country’s spring-wheat crop is grown in parts of Montana and the Dakotas that have been in severe to extreme drought for weeks, according to U.S. Drought Monitor data.

“They’re running out of options,” Ryan Buetow, a cropping systems specialist with North Dakota State University Extension in Dickinson. As many as seven of 10 farmers in the southwestern part of the state will bale at least a portion of their crops, he said. “Yields are going to be so low that it’s not worth harvesting.”

The primary risk is to spring wheat, a high-protein variety grown mostly in northern states that accounts for about a quarter of wheat output in the U.S., the world’s second-largest exporter. North Dakota is the biggest grower, and the condition of fields in the state will be the focus of participants in the annual Wheat Quality Council crop tour, which starts next week.

Random Samples

About 70 tour participants, including millers, bakers and grain traders, will take random samplings of fields across the state over three days and then make a yield estimate. Even if the weather improves, output may fall below the government’s forecast.

“We’re past the point of really dramatically increasing the yield,” said Dave Green, executive vice president at the council in Lenexa, Kansas. “A rain would certainly stabilize it and make it a little better.”

Excluding durum, spring-wheat production was expected to drop 21 percent from 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast last week. The government pegged the national yield at 40.3 bushels an acre, down from 47.2 bushels last year.

Rajesh Singla, an analyst at Societe Generale SA, says the drop may be even bigger. The crop “continues to shrink and the window of recovery is closing by the day,” Singla said in a July 7 report in which he pegged yields at 35 bushels an acre. Planalytics, a Berwyn, Pennsylvania-based crop forecaster, estimates the national average at 39 bushels and predicted North Dakota will get less than 37.

Just across the northern border, Canada produces even more spring wheat, and farms there are struggling. Crops in Saskatchewan have deteriorated over the past few weeks, and many areas are in need of significant moisture to spur development, the province’s agriculture ministry said last week.

On the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, spring wheat futures are about 60 percent higher than a year earlier, and the rally so far in 2017 is the biggest for the period in decades. On July 5, prices touched $8.685 a bushel, the highest since February 2013. Futures traded at $7.835 on Wednesday. The benchmark contract for winter wheat, the most-common variety, has risen about 20 percent in the past 12 months on the Chicago Board of Trade, touching a two-year high this month.

But those rallies are of little value to farmers like Ferebee, who said the condition of his winter wheat is the worst he’s seen since the drought of 1988. He plans to feed baled wheat to his own cattle and maybe sell some as forage to nearby ranchers, who are in “really dire shape” because the dry spell has destroyed pastures.

“These prices are great for guys who have it, but it’s at my expense,” Ferebee said by telephone from Halliday, North Dakota, where he’s been farming for 36 years. “We’ve done everything we can. Now the good Lord and Mother Nature have to take care of us.”

To be sure, most of the country’s winter wheat is grown further south, and harvest there is almost complete. In the USDA’s crop report last week, the agency boosted its outlook for production of winter varieties by more than analysts expected.

Spring-wheat futures off to biggest rally to start year in decades.

© Bloomberg

Still, farmers in North Dakota may abandon crops at a “much higher than normal” rate, with as much as 10 percent of the acreage devoted to spring-wheat, barley and oats baled, state agriculture commissioner Doug Goehring estimates. For now, the USDA has said all but 1.7 percent of the spring-wheat planted this year in North Dakota still needs to be harvested.

“In some cases, farmers have already said they aren’t seeing any berries develop,” Goehring said, referring to the kernels on wheat plants. “We need one of those two-day, 2-inch rains.”

While some farmers are relying on crop insurance to cover costs, many are either barely breaking even or losing money this season, said Bryce Knorr, a Chicago-based grains analyst at Farm Futures magazine.

Mike Day, head of the crop unit at Zurich North America, said many winter-wheat claims have been submitted in the Dakotas, with conditions ranging from marginal to total losses. Claims for spring crops are in earlier stages.

Farm Credit Services of America is also seeing insurance claims in South Dakota, though some won’t occur until the fall, said Tony Jesina, a senior vice president. About two-thirds of the company’s customers near Pierre have wheat fields that are “a trainwreck,” he said.

“For the whole state of South Dakota, it’s been a tough year,” Jesina said. “Net income will be impacted.”

Founder Re-Launches Midwest Seed Genetics

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:45 GMT

Formerly merged into Channel Bio Corp (owned by Monsanto) Midwest Seed Genetics will be relaunched in the Corn Belt for the 2017/2018 season. Founders say this comes at a time that farmers are asking for more options.

“We saw an opportunity under a brand people knew and trust to bring high quality products that provide a new choice and place for farmers to do business,” says Don Funk, founder of Midwest Seed Genetics.

The company is still working out details as far as where they will license biotech traits, genetics and seed treatments—which will be announced prior to releasing their seed guides.

“We’ve had a lot of products in development over the past several years,” Funk says. “We’re bringing performance to the table this year with unique corn, soybean, alfalfa and grain sorghum varieties.”

Midwest will follow the same strategy the group used when founding their original company—component technology, or accessing germplasm and technology that serves customers best regardless of where they’re sourced.

The company is hiring sales staff right now and plans to serve farmers from the Dakotas and Nebraska to Illinois. “We’re focusing on direct sales to farmers and we’ll be represented by people who have experience and knowledge across the Corn Belt,” Funk says.

Drought Spreads and Intensifies Across U.S. Northern Plains

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:45 GMT

The drought plaguing eastern Montana and much of North and South Dakota came on quickly and is intensifying, leading ranchers to sell their cattle and farmers to harvest early whatever crops that have grown so far this summer.

Just three months ago, no areas of moderate drought were recorded in the Northern Plains region by the U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. But July’s soaring temperatures and lack of rain quickly parched the soil and dried up waterways, creating what climatologists call a “flash drought.”

Now, 62 percent of North Dakota, more than half of South Dakota and 40 percent of Montana are in severe, extreme or exceptional drought, according to the drought monitor’s weekly report released Thursday. There are also pockets of drought in the Southern Plain states of Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.

In Montana, 12 percent of the state’s land is experiencing “exceptional drought,” meaning widespread crop and pasture losses and water-shortage emergencies, mainly in the northeastern part of the state.

“We would expect to see conditions that bad once or twice in 100 years,” said Deborah Bathke, a climatologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s National Drought Mitigation Center and a co-author of the drought monitor.

The effect has been devastating on farmers and ranchers. Farmers are harvesting beans, peas and lentils two or three weeks earlier than normal, with a yield of about half of what they see in a normal year, said Lola Raska of the Montana Grain Growers Association.

Wheat crop yields are even worse, coming in at about a third of normal, she said.

“A lot of wheat prices are still very low,” Raska said. “That, in addition to low yields, is going to have a ripple effect throughout the entire economy.”

Jay Bodner of the Montana Stockgrowers Association said the extreme drought means ranchers are running out of pasture and water. They are reducing their herds by selling older cows and weaning and shipping young calves early.

It could take years for ranchers to build their herds back up, meaning extended economic losses, Bodner said.

“These high temperatures in July deteriorated things really quickly,” he said. “We typically don’t see those severe conditions.”

The region saw more than 20 days in July with temperatures exceeded 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall for the month ranged from trace amounts in eastern Montana’s Miles City to 1.68 inches (4.27 centimeters) in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Half of Montana’s 1.5 million head of cattle are in drought areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. government officials have opened more federal land to grazing and water is being trucked in, but those are temporary fixes, Bodner said.

The drought also made the land more vulnerable to wildfires. Montana’s largest fire devastated more than 420 square miles of farm and ranchland in eastern Montana, compounding the problems for growers in the region.

The outlook is grim with the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s predicting the drought will last into the fall, with higher-than-normal temperatures and low precipitation expected.

That could force farmers to delay fall planting and ranchers to make more cattle reductions.

“If these conditions persist well into the fall, it will have ramifications of some more magnitude,” Bodner said.

Hay Production Down Slightly from Last Year

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:45 GMT

By: Livestock Marketing Information Center

USDA-NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) estimated this year’s hay harvest at 132.6 million tons based on crop conditions as of August 1, down 2% from last year. The estimate of area harvested was unchanged from the figure shown in their June acreage report and only up a fraction of a percent from last year. Alfalfa hay harvest volume is down 3.6% from last year, even though area harvested expanded 1.3%. All other hay production is close to unchanged from last year. Both area and average yield of other hay were changed by less than a percent from last year.

Drought in the Dakotas and Montana pulled down non-Alfalfa hay production. Average per-acre hay yields in North Dakota dropped 24% for Alfalfa hay and 37% for other types of hay. North Dakota hay production is pegged to be down 28% from last year. South Dakota hay production is expected to be down 8% from last year. The big difference between North Dakota and South Dakota hay crops is the 14% increase in harvested area of other hays than Alfalfa. The increase in area harvested offset the average harvest per acre. Between these two states, Alfalfa area harvested was unchanged from 2016 to 2017. Average Alfalfa harvest yield in South Dakota was down 10% from 2016, a much more modest decline than in North Dakota. Hay production in Montana is down 13% this year.

Hay production was up in some regions, in order to counter-balance the declines in the Northern Plains. Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina are all seeing hay production volume up by a doubledigit percent this year. Colorado Alfalfa hay production is up 15%. Iowa Alfalfa production is up by a similar amount, percent and volume-wise. Interestingly, two states contiguous to Colorado and Iowa are showing big declines in Alfalfa production. The Kansas harvest is down 14% and Minnesota Alfalfa output is down 21%. Lastly, production on non-Alfalfa type hay in Oklahoma is down 16%, for the most part due to less harvested area. Alfalfa hay production in Oklahoma is picking up some of the slack, offsetting about half the decline in other types of hay.

Machinery Pete: Good Time to Make Hay With Used Machinery

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:45 GMT

International demand from China is changing the game for U.S. hay production.

Last week, Rabobank released a report showing global demand for U.S. hay is easing the oversupply producers faced in 2015 and 2016. As demand continues to climb, Rabobank thinks hay prices will find further support.

This is also reflected in used hay equipment values.

Machinery Pete discusses some sales that have caught his eye.

Watch Machinery Pete every Monday on AgDay .

Weekly Report Shows North Dakota Crops, Pastures Suffering

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:45 GMT

Crops and pastures continue to suffer in North Dakota as drought persists.

The weekly crop report from the federal Agriculture Department says some farmers have started haying small grains crops that aren’t worth harvesting.

Forty percent of North Dakota’s staple spring wheat crop is rated poor or very poor. Many other crops are in the same situation.

Topsoil moisture supplies statewide are rated 65 percent short or very short. Subsoil moisture is 58 percent in those categories.

In the ranching community, pasture and range conditions are rated 74 percent poor or very poor. Stock water supplies are 56 percent in those categories.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows nearly three-fourths of North Dakota in some stage of drought.

Harvesting and Handling High-quality Baleage

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:40 GMT

In order to achieve this, many growers are now harvesting and storing alfalfa or grass silage as baleage (50 - 60 percent moisture baled hay). Some advantages include: less drying timing, smaller investment in machinery and storage and in many cases the same baler can be used for both dry and high moisture forage. Depending on quality, baleage can be stored and fed.

However, careful and timely management is required to produce a high-quality baled silage from field-to-feed-bunk. Field operations need to be coordinated in such a way that the wrapped bales contain a consistent forage moisture. Variation in forage yield and species mixture, as well as field topography, are just a few of the things that can cause moisture variation during harvest. When more hay has been cut than can be baled and wrapped in the 50 - 60 percent moisture window - inconsistent feed intake, fluctuations in daily milk yield and a range of health problems can occur.

Baling when forage moisture is too high can lead to low quality silage, often as a result of clostridia fermentation. Baling when the forage is too dry makes it very difficult to exclude oxygen and results in a lower quality crop that has delayed fermentation, a higher pH and lower lactic acid production.

New research on best management practices for producing baled silage will be presented at the upcoming Michigan State University Agriculture Innovation Day, Aug. 24, 2017, at the Lake City Research Center, where participants will be able to see up close how moisture levels affect the forage quality.

Read more from Drovers.

Thune, Rounds Urge USDA to Provide Timely Drought Assistance, Open CRP

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:40 GMT

Extreme drought conditions throughout the Northern Plains have led to a shortage of hay and pasture

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Sonny Perdue to provide timely assistance to counties currently facing extreme drought conditions, and if drought conditions worsen, as expected, to be ready to provide expedited assistance to counties that will likely soon be in extreme drought conditions and eligible for assistance from the Livestock Forage Program (LFP). In their letter to Perdue, Thune and Rounds also requested that Conservation Reserve Program acres be made available for emergency haying and grazing as soon as possible due to the substantial loss of grazing and forage for feed.

“Timely assistance is needed in order to preserve foundation grazing livestock herds in the drought-stricken areas of our state from further downsizing due to lack of feed and forage ... Accordingly, we request that you mobilize applicable county, state, and headquarters staff to be prepared to take LFP applications and issue payments as soon as practicable after the D3 category is realized by any county,” the senators wrote.

“In addition, we request that as counties are triggered for emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres, that you make as many of the 977,555 CRP-enrolled acres in South Dakota available for haying and grazing due to the already realized substantial loss of grazing and forage for feed as soon as reasonably possible.”

Counties are determined eligible for immediate assistance under the LFP as soon as any part of a county is at a D3 (extreme drought) category rating by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Several counties in South Dakota are currently rated D2 and are expected to be rated D3 in the near future.

More than 484,000 CRP-enrolled acres in South Dakota are considered “environmentally sensitive” by USDA, which does not normally allow these acres to be hayed or grazed under emergency conditions. Thune and Rounds are requesting that the environmentally sensitive acres be opened for haying and grazing, as they were in 2012, and that haying and grazing be allowed in eligible counties beginning no later than July 15.

Read the full text of the letter .

NAICC: A Slow Start to the 2017 Crop

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:40 GMT

By: Steve Hoffman

The 2017 planting season was an ongoing challenge for much of the U.S.

Wisconsin was no exception. After a wet fall in 2016, we had a very mild and wet winter followed by a long, cold spring. These conditions resulted in the loss of between 30% and 80% of our alfalfa stands depending on the location and soil texture.

One of the contributing factors to our alfalfa stand losses is a root rot called Aphanomyces race 2. The prolonged wet conditions allowed this root disease to finish off already-weakened alfalfa crowns.

Significant levels of plant resistance to this disease has lagged behind the need in the field. This is due to multiple races of the fungal pathogen that have become more widespread. There is evidence of a race 3 disease infecting fields.

It surely must be a challenge for alfalfa breeders to introduce new traits such as low-lignin into existing alfalfa lines, only to discover that a new strain of disease has caused the new variety to become nearly obsolete for some farms.

A Yield-Robber Re-emerges

An old disease has re-emerged in Wisconsin corn during the past couple of years. Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) has been effectively controlled through plant resistance for decades until a new race of the fungal disease emerged a few years ago. A minority of current hybrids have a high level of resistance to the new strain of NCLB.

This disease quickly blows up during prolonged wet periods. In Wisconsin, we commonly get a heavy dew overnight starting in mid-August. This condition is ideal for NCLB. Late-planted corn acreage will be more likely to be affected by NCLB and other fungal diseases this year. Fortunately, we now have decent options for applying fungicides onto tasseled corn.

Our late-planted corn is also at higher risk of damage from corn earworms and western bean cutworms.

Nitrogen In Focus

The prolonged periods of soil saturation we experienced from November 2016 until June 2017 likely resulted in loss of available nitrogen from fall-applied manure. As I write this column, we are preparing to pull pre-sidedress nitrogen samples to determine the scope of the problem. Wisconsin farmers have been investing in sidedress equipment options to increase nitrogen efficiency. One of our clients is planning to try sidedressing manure on corn this year.

One-Two Punch Against Wheat

Our winter wheat acreage is down significantly due to poor planting conditions during the wet fall of 2016. Winter wheat is showing increased leaf disease pressure from powdery mildew and stripe rust due to delayed maturity and the cool, moist conditions experienced to date.

Soggy Spring

The compaction that we created in the fall of 2016 was not ameliorated by frost during our mild winter. Our soil conditions during planting this spring were almost always on the wet side. This set of conditions increases our risk for sudden death syndrome in soybeans. I also expect to see some compaction symptoms in corn and hatchet growth of corn roots for the remainder of the season.

Moving Forward

Every year brings its own set of challenges. These challenges are learning opportunities that I don’t prefer to have.

I prefer to learn how to deal with new crop problems from my peers in the NAICC. There are always several members at the annual meeting who are already experienced in handling crop problems that are just barely on the horizon for my clients.

The educational sessions consist of recognized experts giving presentations on emerging issues, and plenty of time is available for questions to be answered. Conversations in the hallways between presentations are also invaluable to me as an agronomist.

It is great to know that I have a network of excellent agronomists across the U.S. (and a growing list of other countries) to tap into when I have a question that falls out of my area of expertise.

I invite you to join this network by attending the NAICC Annual Meeting, scheduled for Jan. 18-20, 2018, at the Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson, Ariz.

North Dakota Drought Worrying Crop and Livestock Producers

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:40 GMT

A severe drought plaguing nearly a third of North Dakota is creating concerns for the state’s agriculture industry.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture Drought Monitor graphic map released June 15 shows that 15 counties coming from both sides of the Missouri River are designated as being in a severe drought, with all but a few others statewide showed as being in a moderate drought.

National Weather Service Hydrologist Allen Schlag told The Bismarck Tribune that there’s no relief in the near future. He said temperatures will fall below average until the Fourth of July and there’s no moisture pattern in sight.

“It’ll be a little bit cool and nothing big for moisture,” Schlag said.

The situation is considered severe because of the near absence of rain since April, when crops went into the ground and alfalfa and grasses began reaching for moisture to continue growing. Schlag said Bismarck recorded the fourth driest May in more than a century.

“In my career, this is the driest I’ve seen — the longest time without rain in a growing season,” said Chad Weckerly, a crop producer. “Until a few days ago, we only had one-fourth inch of rain during the growing season. It’s so dry, the weeds won’t grow.”

Crop producer Stan Blickensderfer said he’s selling his winter wheat for livestock feed, and a pair of cattle producers said they’re glad to get it because their pastures don’t look like they’ll end up supporting grazing into fall.

“It’s deteriorating fast. This is definitely a disaster,” Blickensderfer said of the winter wheat. “In a few weeks without rain, there’ll be no harvest, and we’ll be dependent on crop insurance.”

North Dakota Gov. Order Aims to Help Drought-stricken Producers

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:29:40 GMT

Gov. Doug Burgum has further relaxed commercial driving restrictions to help drought-stricken North Dakota farmers and ranchers.

His executive order Wednesday allows producers to drive farm vehicles farther than 150 miles without a commercial driver’s license. That means they can travel longer distances to transport livestock, hay and water.

Burgum earlier waived driving hour restrictions on commercial haulers of hay, water and livestock, and eased weight limits for those trucks.

The state also is putting more money into its Drought Disaster Livestock Water Supply cost-share program.

Eight National Guard helicopters stand ready to help fight wildfires.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows nearly all of western North Dakota in either severe or extreme drought, and most of the rest of the state in either moderate drought or abnormally dry.