To broaden the custom chopping business that sprang up out of his family’s dairy farm, Brian Henrichs has formed several partnerships with other farmers in his home state of Illinois and across state lines.
Bermudagrass roadblocks
Stem maggot damage, slow green up, limited sprigging resources, and questionable cold tolerance threaten bermudagrass production.
Take a closer look at forage seed tags to determine if a variety meets your standards.
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Lee Hanberg makes another pass around a pivot-irrigated alfalfa field shortly after sunrise in Randlett, Utah. He and his father, Steve, are used to waking up to brutally early morning alarms throughout the summer to bale hay in the northeast corner of the Beehive State. Read more about the father-son duo and their 1,500-acre operation on page 18.
Photo by Amber Friedrichsen
Amber Friedrichen Managing Editor
HAVE A SEAT
IN MANY ways, the kitchen table is the heart of the home. It’s a place for families to gather for dinner, a desk for middle school math homework, and a spot to sit with neighbors who stop by to visit. It doubles as a site for fine dining on special occasions as well as the collection point for mail, bills, and clutter.
The kitchen table and chairs in my childhood home are full of nicks and scratches that my dad refuses to refinish. He says the imperfections give the furniture character and elicit old memories — some more sentimental than others. For instance, the noticeably worn place setting at the head of the table shows where my siblings and I took turns sitting for breakfast every morning during different segments of our respective before-school routines. And then there’s the mark where I stripped the stain off the wood when I spilled nail polish remover as a teenager.
Important conversations are had around the kitchen table, including those with financial planners, insurance agents, tax preparers, and about farm succession. Later this month, many of us will sit down in the dining room with family and friends to give thanks for another year — and another harvest season — and to reflect on life’s ups and downs. Important conversations don’t have to be had around the kitchen table, though, or any kind of table, for that matter.
“Having a seat at the table” is a popular selling point for various organizations encouraging current and prospective members to be active participants in their cause. In fact, bringing farmers to the table is one of the noted benefits the National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance (NAFA) highlights of the recently relaunched U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Initiative — better known as the Alfalfa Checkoff Program. So, what time is dinner? And what are we having?
The Alfalfa Checkoff Program was relaunched October 1 after hitting pause to reconfigure certain aspects of the alfalfa marketing scene. The program is set to operate like it did before, with participating seed marketers collecting $1.50 per bag of alfalfa seed sold to be put toward NAFA-administered research and promotion about alfalfa’s value as a livestock feed, the ultimate regenerative crop, and a profitable commodity.
That $1.50 per bag of seed is an alfalfa grower’s meal ticket to the larger discussion of challenges and opportunities that span production systems and the supply chain. It should be viewed as an
investment from farmers — an investment that has helped generate over $3 million for nearly 70 public research projects since the checkoff’s inception in 2017.
By leveraging that $3 million, NAFA’s advocacy efforts have also secured nearly $80 million in federal funding for alfalfa research. These funds have subsequently helped fill forage-related positions at many universities — growing the menu of applicable research from a steak dinner to a community potluck with a wider array of relevant data.
Getting back to the meat and potatoes of it all, alfalfa growers fund the checkoff program, not seed companies; however, farmers can’t sit down at the table unless their seat is pulled out for them. As of this writing, that invitation is currently being offered by Alforex Seeds by DLF, America’s Alfalfa, Croplan, Forage First by DLF, Innvictis Seed Solutions, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, Legacy Seeds, Nexgrow, S&W Seed Company, and W-L Alfalfas. Investing an extra buck-and-a-half per bag of alfalfa seed from these brands makes the difference between a standstill industry and one that is full of innovation and resiliency.
Admittedly, my family didn’t prioritize eating supper together at the kitchen table on a regular basis. Between fieldwork, feeding cattle, and jetting off to various extra-curricular activities, there were seldom nights the five of us were all home at the same time.
In hindsight, those shared meals might have been missed opportunities to practice more intentional communication or simply touch base with one another more often. Luckily, we have grown stronger as a family unit in different ways. But I’m glad similar opportunities will not be missed in the forage world thanks to the Alfalfa Checkoff Program’s efforts to guide the industry along a shared path toward common goals.
The table is set, and dinner is ready. With the checkoff back in action, it’s time for alfalfa growers to have a seat and get a taste for the ways in which NAFA is using their dollars to work in their favor. I, for one, am hungry for more research, development, and recognition for the nation’s fourth-most valuable field crop. Now, let’s eat. •
PARTNERS GREW THIS CUSTOM CHOPPING BUSINESS
Bryan Henrichs (left) and Gary Arentsen are two of the partners that comprise Midwest Custom Chopping.
by Mike Rankin, Senior Editor
IT WOULD be reasonable to surmise the largest dairy county in Illinois might be situated on the state’s northern Wisconsin border. Such was the case 10 years ago, but these days, you’ll find the most Land of Lincoln dairy farms in Clinton County, which is located about 270 miles south of Wisconsin and just east of the St. Louis metro area.
One of the 50 or so Clinton County dairy farms is operated by Bryan Henrichs and his brother Rodney. Their grandfather started the dairy in 1938 after his father bought each of his sons their own farm. Bryan and Rodney’s father, who passed away last year, took over the dairy in the mid-1960s and expanded the herd. Currently, the farm milks 300 cows with mostly family labor and a plan to further expand in the next few years.
In addition to his daily dairy duties, Bryan Henrichs is the majority owner of a unique five-chopper custom forage harvesting business that originally grew out of their dairy’s farming operation.
“In the mid-1990s, we had one of the first 15-foot no-till drills, and some of the neighbors were asking us to custom-plant their soybeans after a wheat harvest,” Henrichs explained of how his custom business started. “That seeding business grew, and a few of our customers also asked us to help them chop corn silage. Of course, back then, we only had a pull-type chopper. The requests just kept coming, so around 2000 we bought a new New Holland FX28 self-propelled chopper from a nearby dealer. Dad told me to learn everything I could about that machine so we wouldn’t have to pay someone to come out and fix every little thing. He also assigned me to running the chopper,” he added.
With the new chopper, Henrichs picked up a lot more acres, including opening up fields for other farms that had pull-type machines. Henrichs continued, “We kept getting more requests to chop, and in 2006, we traded that chopper in for an FX40. A couple of years later we had the remnants of a hurricane come through the area and flatten all of the corn. Our six-row head was the only unit in the area that was able to pick up the corn, and we ended up chopping everybody’s corn in 2008. All of that dirt we picked up getting the lodged corn harvested wore out that chopper, so we traded it in for an FX50.” Over time, the custom work had
become so time consuming that the Henrichs’s own forage wasn’t getting harvested in a timely manner. So, in 2010, Henrichs bought his own equipment and started a separate custom harvesting business. “I bought a new chopper that came from a dealer in Eden, Wis.,” Henrichs said. “Business kept growing, and then in 2012, we had a severe drought. There was a lot of ‘zeroed-out’ corn in the area, and the local dairies were buying up corn from the grain farmers to chop. With my sixrow head, I ended up chopping about 4,000 acres of corn that year.”
A new business model
It was another crop disaster that brought about a significant and beneficial change to Henrichs’s custom harvesting business.
In 2013, he bought a new FR-model chopper. Three years later, a southern rust outbreak hit the area and the corn seemingly died within days. “By then, I had two choppers plus our farm’s chopper, so we were able to cover a lot of acres that year,” Henrichs recalled. “We also ended up helping another custom harvester, Tyler Henry, in southern Illinois because they were behind. Through helping him that year,
we ended up forming a partnership. This allowed us both to save money on equipment, and it worked well because his customers had corn ready to chop before ours did.”
Henry, based in Red Bud, Ill., also has a large grain farm and chops silage as a side business. His customer base stretches down the I-55 corridor into Missouri. Currently, Midwest Custom Chopping, as the partnership is now known, goes as far south as Cape Girardeau, Mo., and as far north as Nokomis, Ill. This year, the chopping business also harvested industrial hemp near Sikeston, Mo.
Henry does a lot of the billing and paperwork for the business. This is usually accomplished in the morning before he starts combining corn or soybeans. An accounting program is used that breaks down all of the annual costs.
These days, Midwest Custom Chopping has about 75 clients, with 75% of them being dairy farms and beef operations making up the remainder. Most of the dairies are 200 to 300 cows with the largest client milking 800 cows. Henrichs’s customer base is pretty consistent from year to year. “If we wanted to grow anymore, we’d have to go farther out of the region,” he asserted. “I want to stay reasonably close to our dairy, so that’s where having partners has helped. Even so, I will help out down South, and I usually harvest for Purina’s farm in Gray Summit, Mo., which is about an hour-and-15-minute drive. I
One of five choppers in Midwest Custom Chopping’s fleet harvests corn near Breese, Ill., this past fall.
have to skip out of milking a little early on those days.”
The partnership runs four New Holland choppers and one John Deere. Only corn silage, wheat, and some first-cut alfalfa (300 to 400 acres) is harvested. Most of the subsequent alfalfa cuttings in the area are baled. Annually, about 7,000 to 8,000 acres of corn silage is chopped in Missouri and Illinois by the partnership. One chopper is permanently set up for alfalfa, even during the corn silage season, just in case a request is made to chop a fall cutting. The silage choppers are all equipped with Scherer kernel conditioning rolls. Henrichs said they also harvest about 400 to 500 acres of earlage each fall. Trucking forage is hired from a third party, and they also hire trucking to move equipment if the job is more than an hour drive away.
In addition to chopping corn and alfalfa, Henrichs does some custom planting, baling (4,000 bales of hay and straw), and combining with his own farm’s equipment. This helps make owning the equipment more cost effective for the dairy operation.
Midwest Custom Chopping buys all of their equipment. Choppers are traded in depending on their operating hours and how trouble-free a machine has been. Henrichs said that they do a lot of the maintenance and repair work themselves and keep an extensive parts inventory, especially for those items that have a history of wearing or breaking.
Another partner
Several years after forming a partnership with Henry, the duo was approached by Gary Arentsen, who has
a silage-bagging business as a part of his local farm supply and equipment business. He wanted to become involved in the partnership so he could have a chopper at his disposal when his bagging customers needed to harvest. Arentsen rents out seven baggers in the area and has 15 employees.
“We were having trouble keeping our large dump bagger married to a chopper,” Arentsen explained. “So, about four years ago, we bought into the chopping business to ensure there would be a harvester to run with the bagger, if it’s needed.”
Now, as the Midwest Custom Chopping partnership is currently set up, Henrichs remains the majority owner at 50%. Henry and his farm operation, Marigold Farms, owns 25%, and Arentsen owns 25%.
Machine sharing
As it turned out, Arentsen wouldn’t be the last person to be involved with Mid-
west Custom Chopping. Henrichs said in 2015 they had bought some Capello direct-cut heads for their choppers. He explained, “We were harvesting a lot of mature wheat that was being cut after heading; it was being fed to dry cows and heifers. If it was cut and left to lie in a windrow, it would get too dry and the grain loss was substantial. The direct-cut heads allowed us to minimize those losses and get the crop in at the correct dry matter. Ideally, we like to harvest it at about 60% moisture. Now, a lot of beef farms are using it as a roughage source. Currently, we chop 1,200 to 1,500 acres of direct-cut wheat with two heads.”
Henrichs continued, “I got into a Facebook discussion with Willie DeGrave, a northeast Wisconsin custom chopper who was interested in using a direct-cut head for cereal rye. He ended up renting one of our heads because their season was about a month later than ours. That led to sharing more equipment. In 2019, we had a wet spring and a narrow planting window. All of the crop was ready to chop at the same time, so I had DeGrave come down with his crew and help harvest. After that, we kept working together, and last year we purchased a John Deere 9900 chopper together, which is used at both locations every year but only for corn silage. Moving forward, I could see us sharing another forage harvester together; it just makes economic sense.”
DeGrave, who harvests nearly 20,000 acres of alfalfa and over 6,000 acres of corn silage in the Badger State, also sees benefits to the arrangement. “It’s really been working out well with this first chopper,” he said. “These new
Midwest Custom Chopping shares this John Deere 9900 forage harvester with Willie DeGrave, who runs his own custom chopping business in northeast Wisconsin.
Bryan Henrichs is a dairy farmer and majority owner of Midwest Custom Chopping. He is quick to emphasize the importance of networking with people who are knowledgeable about the equipment they operate.
forage harvesters are over a million dollars, and it’s hard to justify that amount of money unless you can put 500 hours on them in a year. Brian usually gets done with corn about a week or two before we start. I can definitely see us purchasing another chopper together. The important thing with this type of arrangement is that you have to have a good friendship and be trusting of the person you’re working with. Brian and I have that.”
Economic efficiency wasn’t the only advantage Henrichs cited for sharing high-priced equipment with DeGrave. He noted that there isn’t much of a market for used choppers in southern Illinois, so his local dealer struggles on selling the trade-ins.
“Our partnership with Willie enables us to utilize the Wisconsin market where there’s more demand.” Henrichs said. “We still use a local dealer for our New Holland choppers, but our mechanic, who comes down every spring to go over the equipment, is based in Wisconsin. In this business
Gary Arentsen, a 25% partner in Midwest Custom Chopping, also owns a silage-bagging and farm equipment business.
you have to network with people who know the equipment. Our John Deere mechanic is in Wisconsin, too.”
Moving forward
Even though the custom chopping business has become a major enterprise, Henrichs remains committed to staying involved in the dairy business. He still helps milk cows every day and serves as vice president on the board of directors for Prairie Farms milk cooperative, chairing their strategic
planning committee. Henrichs also serves on the board for the Illinois Milk Producers Association and the American Dairy Coalition, which is based in Wisconsin and focuses on federal dairy policy. In recent years, he has committed himself to learning about our complex milk pricing system and has testified at the Federal Milk Marketing Order hearings to help bring about needed changes to pricing policy.
Henrichs’s cows, although important, aren’t the most cherished females in his life. He and his wife, Emily, who works at the Children’s Hospital in St. Louis as a dialysis nurse, have five daughters, ages 8 to 16 years old.
As Henrichs looks to the future for his custom chopping business, he said the long game is to provide a cost-competitive service by continuing to have partners and associates from other regions. “Locally, there’s not much opportunity for our business to grow in this area, but there are always ways to cut costs and become more efficient,” the entrepreneur asserted. •
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What particularly sets the ULTRA-FLEX apart is the capacity it can handle. This merger is designed to handle extreme conditions. It’s ideal for the custom operator or large dairy farm making 35′ triplemower cuts in extreme terrain that needs to move a lot of material in a short amount of time.
Kernel processing score continues to climb
IN THE Field to Feedbunk column of the September 10, 2024, issue of Hoard’s Dairyman, Ev Thomas correctly pointed out that management is as important — if not more important — as forage variety in affecting forage quality. I’ve echoed similar comments when speaking about the interactions between seed genetics, management, and the growing environment.
Stepping out even further, I contend we can combine average seed genetics with excellent management to make above-average corn silage. Alternatively, if we take excellent seed genetics and couple that with substandard management, we’ll end up with suboptimal corn silage.
Soil fertility, agronomic practices, and harvest management — including kernel processing — are major control points under our influence. The energy value of corn silage is largely driven by the grain. In turn, processing corn grain is essential to ensure corn silage energy potential is fully utilized by high-performing dairy or beef cattle. We know that kernel processing score (KPS) is related to dairy or beef performance, and this drives interest in KPS.
Performance impacts
Beyond the interest in feed value, we continue to assess KPS because the topic resonates a bit differently than other feed analysis measures for a couple reasons. First, KPS is a physical measure characterizing the grain in silage particle size, and the physical nature of the analysis has different applications within the dairy and beef industries. The score equates to the percentage of starch passing through a 4.75-millimeter screen after the sample has been dried and sieved. To better grasp what this means, a 4.75-millimeter opening is roughly that of a 0.22 caliber projectile. Kernels need to be broken up into small pieces to fall through this sieve opening.
The second reason I believe KPS resonates so strongly is due to the wider
ranging audience that is affected by the results. Typically, a feeder and their nutritionist will be interested in feed analysis results. However, the KPS is also influenced by the harvesting crew and their kernel processor.
Whether kernel processing is performed by a farm-owned harvester or a custom harvesting crew, this branch represents a third party that is involved. Hence, I find that KPS discussions continue to be livelier and capture greater interest than many of the other
ing that the top 15% of results fall into this category either way.
For lignin or undigestible neutral detergent fiber (uNDF) 240, the bottom 15th percentile would be optimal, whereas for KPS, we want to be at the 85th percentile to be considered among the best. Over the past year, the best seems to continue to get better and I’m not sure where we’ll top out. This is excellent to see, especially as dairy and beef producer margins are historically thin and we continuously seek feed conversion efficiency gains.
Year after year, the entire KPS database shifts upward as well. The low end of the bell curve has risen quite a bit, with the bottom 15% now hovering around 60% KPS. This is also great to see, as a 60% KPS was the average a decade ago.
nutrition topics we’ve covered over the past decade. Now, let’s pivot and take a look at how we’ve advanced as dairy and beef forage producers over the past 10 years.
Elevated averages
The western U.S. continues to slightly outpace Midwestern and Eastern growers in regard to KPS scores; however, as a whole, we’ve dramatically improved, as highlighted in the figure. This figure showcases annual KPS benchmarks from 2013 to 2024.
I tend to benchmark feed analysis results by breaking up data into the 15th, 50th, and 85th percentiles. For example, the 15th percentile corresponds to the lower 15% of the laboratory data. Then, I consider the 15th or the 85th percentile the goal, recogniz-
Drawing attention back to Thomas’ article in September, harvest management greatly influences the forage quality outcome. Building on those comments, we now have a decade of KPS measures showcasing just how far our corn silage management has evolved over the last 10 years. Keep up the great work and continue to push your management efforts forward for the next decade. •
JOHN GOESER
The author is the director of nutrition research and innovation with Rock River Lab Inc., and adjunct assistant professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Dairy Science Department.
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Overgrazing versus overstocking
IHEAR people talk about overgrazing in a lot of different settings. They see a pasture that has been grazed shorter than what they believe is appropriate, and they are quick to label it as overgrazing. More often than not, what they are seeing is severe grazing. Other times I hear people talk about a pasture being overstocked. Are they the same thing? No, they are not.
Overstocking is having more livestock or grazing pressure than the pasture can support. This is a problem of having too many animals. Does overgrazing occur when a pasture is overstocked? Yes, it does, and the only way to cost-effectively address the problem is by reducing stock numbers.
Sometimes a livestock producer will try to address overstocking by buying additional feed. That will only work when feed prices are low and cattle prices are high. That doesn’t happen frequently, so we usually need to address overstocking by reducing the number of livestock on the pasture.
Can overgrazing occur on an understocked or even an appropriately stocked farm or ranch? Yes, it can. That is because overgrazing is a failure of effective time management and is not necessarily related to having too many head of livestock on the land.
Overstocking is a ranch-wide problem that can only be addressed through reducing stock numbers or expanding the land base. Overgrazing, on the
other hand, happens one plant at a time and needs to be addressed by changing time management.
More than one way
Overgrazing results in a plant being put into a state of negative carbohydrate balance. In this condition, a plant requires more energy than active photosynthesis can provide and forces it to draw on stored energy reserves.
There are two avenues to overgrazing. The first is when animals remain too long on a pasture and they are grazing off regrowth being fueled by stored energy. This grazing practice will deplete the stored energy of the plant and can weaken the plant to the point that it will die. This type of overgrazing often occurs to the most desirable plants and frequently is the result of grazing at a low stock density, which allows for a high degree of selective grazing.
The second avenue is when we remove livestock from a pasture and allow it to “rest.” Then we come back to the pasture before it has had a chance to fully restore energy reserves. This may lead to the most desirable plants in the pasture being overgrazed.
Note that both types of overgrazing are time functions. It is either staying too long or coming back too soon. This is why overgrazing in the absence of overstocking can only be cured with a change in time management. Typically, that means shortening the grazing period and/or
extending the recovery period.
Let’s take a deeper look at what determines if a plant is in a negative or positive carbohydrate balance. People frequently ask me how tall a pasture should be before allowing livestock to graze it. My response is usually that height really doesn’t matter. What matters is how many leaves are on each tiller. Since the amount of energy available from photosynthesis is the determining factor, it is really the amount of leaf area that dictates the carbohydrate status of the plant.
For most cool-season grasses, we generally consider the transition from negative to positive carbohydrate balance to occur when there are three new leaves per tiller. This also coincides with the transition from Phase 1 growth to Phase 2 growth. When we draw out that classic Phase 1 through Phase 3 growth curve, what we are really depicting is the change in solar energy capture.
Note that three is the minimum number of leaves required to have a positive carbohydrate balance. While we can say the grass plant is recovered with just three leaves, repeatedly grazing the plant at this stage will diminish plant vigor and reduce overall seasonal forage production. My preference is to generally wait until tillers reach the 4to 5-leaf stage for cool-season grasses. For native warm-season prairie grasses, the 4- to 5-leaf stage is more likely the stage where they are in a positive carbohydrate balance, and my preference is to graze tall prairie grasses at the 6- to 8-leaf stage. It is really difficult to describe introduced subtropical grasses like bermudagrass by leaf stage due to their tiller structure, so we fall back upon a height-based recommendation.
If you really want to more effectively manage your pastures for full plant recovery, forget about height and start counting leaves. Pluck 10 tillers at ground level and count the total number of leaves. Next, divide by 10 and you have the average leaf stage. •
JIM GERRISH
The author is a rancher, author, speaker, and consultant with over 40 years of experience in grazing management research, outreach, and practice. He has lived and grazed livestock in hot, humid Missouri and cold, dry Idaho.
Mike Rankin
Organic matter is no small matter
WHEN evaluating the quality of land for farming, one of the key features of interest will be its organic matter content.
Soil organic matter may be 1% to 4%, so it might be considered a small and inconsequential portion of soil. This dismissal may be understandable when you know that soil clay content can vary from near nothing to upward of 30% and has a large bearing on the trafficability of land or the extent of mud that develops during rainy periods. But what is soil organic matter, really? How much difference can a few percentage points mean to the fertility of soil? Let’s dig in a bit deeper to reveal some unique characteristics of this relatively small, yet very important, part of soil.
Composition,
transformation
Soil organic matter is mostly composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Various other minor elements are also associated in a complex arrangement of what seems to be a random assembly of molecules throughout the soil matrix.
Soil organic matter has an ill-defined biochemical structure because it is constantly in varying states of accumulation and decomposition. Unique environmental conditions in and among fields ultimately determine soil organic matter structure and the balance of its constituents.
All soil organic matter was once either plant or animal tissues that have since partially decomposed. Through decomposition, it becomes a dark material that takes on its own nature. Soil organic matter can also be thought of as the breakdown products and residues of various soil microorganisms that live and die as a part of the decomposition process. In fact, much of the denser soil organic matter material may be comprised of dead cells of various bacteria and fungi — some of the smallest organisms that require a microscope to be seen.
Microorganism impacts
Soil organic matter is a reactive substance that serves many purposes, allowing soil to function more effectively. A key function of it is nutrient
Although
supply and storage within the context of natural soil fertility. Plant and animal remains may be initially consumed by voles, earthworms, and a variety of insects like beetles, flies, and springtails. Those masticated particles are then more dominantly consumed by bacteria and fungi, and these microorganisms utilize the energy in these organic materials to grow.
Growth and decay of bacteria and fungi leave behind nutrients that plants can utilize once again. The cycling of nutrients from those elements that are initially obtained in soil water by plant roots are translocated into the stems of plants and transformed into proteins and carbohydrates in leaves. This is the plant uptake part of the cycle that embodies soil fertility.
The feeding of plant materials to animals, either those you manage on pastures or wildlife and insects that also consume their share, begins the return of nutrients back to the soil through feces and damaged plant materials that are then consumed by the large variety of primary decomposers in soil. This is the decomposition part of nutrient cycling.
Surface concentration
Soil organic matter is typically concentrated near the soil surface, and
its concentration declines with depth in the soil profile. This general feature of soils is controlled by plant inputs. Plant leaves, stems, and roots provide the carbon backbone of organic matter inputs. Fewer carbon inputs deeper in the soil limit how much organic matter can accumulate.
Soil microorganisms consume these carbon inputs, and their activity is also concentrated near the soil surface. This is partly because they require carbon inputs to feed their activities, but they also need warm temperatures, moist soil, and abundant oxygen to optimize their activity.
Soil organic matter accumulates near the soil surface when organic matter inputs exceed the decomposition potential of microorganisms. This can occur when temperature, moisture, and oxygen are limited. These environmental conditions can also limit plant growth, so the balance is essential. Robust plant density can shade the soil surface, keeping it cool; however, abundant plant growth can rapidly dry soil keeping soil microorganisms at a disadvantage over time.
Nitrogen content
Organic matter in agricultural soils contains 10 to 15 parts of carbon for every part of nitrogen. This natural balance is typified with 58% of soil organic
a small percentage of soil analysis, organic matter has a part in many important functions of natural soil fertility.
matter as carbon and 5% of soil organic matter as nitrogen. The ratio of carbon to nitrogen is then typically 11.6. The quantity of nitrogen stored in soil organic matter can be exemplified from a recent evaluation of 31 farms in central and western Virginia. In the top 4 inches, soil contained 1,628 pounds of nitrogen per acre at the low end and
3,399 pounds of nitrogen per acre at the high end (10th and 90th distribution limits, respectively).
In the 4-to-8-inch depth, total nitrogen was 1,021 and 1,851 pounds per acre at low and high ends. In the 8-to-12-inch depth, total nitrogen was 593 and 1,259 pounds per acre at low and high ends.
Summed within the surface foot of soil, there were 3,241 and 6,509 pounds of nitrogen per acre at low and high ends. That’s a lot of nitrogen! In this example, soil organic matter levels at a 0-to-6-inch depth were 2.3% and 4.7%, respectively, for these two extremes of soil condition.
Not all of the nitrogen stored in soil organic matter is readily available for plant uptake, though. Nitrogen in soil organic matter must be decomposed by soil microorganisms. This is the process of nitrogen mineralization, which will be discussed in more detail in an upcoming issue. •
ALAN FRANZLUEBBERS
The author is a soil scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh, N.C.
Figure 1. Example of root-zone enrichment of
Web tools help predict alfalfa yield and quality
Hay & Forage Grower is featuring results of research projects funded through the Alfalfa Checkoff, officially named the U.S. Alfalfa Farmer Research Initiative, administered by National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA). The checkoff program facilitates farmer-funded research.
Funding: $24,686
O OPTIMIZE profitability in today’s era of small margins, preharvest insight into yield and quality factors can enable real-time management responses to fluctuating market conditions or feed needs. Until now, however, the acquisition of timely information at the field scale was limited to using traditional measurements such as destructive sampling and assessment of plant maturity. Although on-harvester yield mapping systems exist, the state of this technology with alfalfa results in yield maps that are generated postharvest. Measuring the quality of dry hay production is expensive in terms of the
time it takes to obtain samples and laboratory fees. Consequently, producers are not able to use this data to make timely management decisions. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop an efficient and cost-effective tool to estimate alfalfa yield and quality at the field-scale. This was the primary driver for Zhou Zhang of the University of Wisconsin-Madison to research and develop an open-source, web-based tool to predict alfalfa yield and quality.
“Timely estimation of alfalfa yield and quality within the growing season is crucial, as it can inform precision management decisions, reducing potential production loss and optimizing harvest timing to enhance forage quality and production,” said Zhang. “Remote sensing techniques offer a nondestructive, efficient way to monitor
DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLE SITES
crop growth, utilizing various types of publicly available satellite imagery. Machine-learning models can develop empirical predictive algorithms using historical ground truth records to forecast future outcomes.”
The study focus was to develop interpretable machine-learning models to predict alfalfa yield and quality using publicly available remotely sensed imagery and environmental information. Additionally, they sought to create an open-source tool for end users to interactively access and visualize yield estimations.
“The biggest challenge we had was selecting the right features from the remote sensing data and environmental information that accurately estimate yield and quality,” Zhang notes.
“While the Sentinel-1 satellite provides stable, high-resolution all-sky SAR images, the information alone was insufficient so, we included environmental data, which is continuous and closely related to crop growth conditions to improve prediction accuracy.”
Zhang’s take-home message is farmers should know publicly available remote sensing imagery and
PROJECT RESULTS
• Four machine learning models were established to estimate alfalfa traits using radar backscattering coefficients. Among all the traits, crude protein was estimated with the highest accuracy while the estimates for three fiber indicators had lower accuracies.
• The publicly accessible website address is https://alfalfabse.pythonanywhere. com/. Aside from merely viewing the yield prediction map for the study area, users have the option to customize the area-ofinterest (AOI) and date. The website has the capability to search for data, execute the prediction algorithm, and subsequently display the yield prediction map.
ZHOU ZHANG
environmental data can be utilized to estimate yield and quality of alfalfa before harvest. “Integrating these resources into an online tool enables quick and efficient monitoring of field conditions, providing valuable insights for subsequent management decisions,” she added.
One thing that did surprise Zhang, however, was the significant impact of environmental factors. “Incorporating
factors such as daylight duration, precipitation, incident shortwave radiation flux density, vapor pressure, and growing degree days greatly improved prediction accuracy.”
Farmers can utilize the data by reading the full report and trying the web tool to generate yield maps for their fields. The tool not only presents uploaded yield maps but also supports the generation of yield maps for custom-
ized areas defined by users, allowing farmers to set the interested field boundaries and dates.
Zhang’s future research will integrate more diverse data sources. While this study uses mainstream machine-learning methods, she plans to explore and apply more advanced, cutting-edge techniques for predictions in the near future.
A full copy of the final report can be found at https://alfalfa.org. •
MAKING HAY BEFORE THE SUN SHINES
by Amber Friedrichsen, Managing Editor
PERFECT” isn’t typically part of a hay producer’s vocabulary. Perfect harvest conditions are as rare as hen’s teeth, and perfect baling days are few and far between. But that was the word Steve Hanberg used to describe his second cutting of alfalfa that fell around the Fourth of July in eastern Utah. Plant maturity was on-par, moisture levels were just right, and machinery was running smoothly.
Hanberg and his son, Lee, own and operate a commercial hay business near Randlett, Utah. The veteran hay producer grew up on a dairy in the nearby town of Bridgeland, but as a young adult, he got the itch to leave the farm and gain experience in another field. For the next several years, Hanberg worked on oil rigs in Wyoming before the farming lifestyle eventually called him back home.
He and his wife, Marcia, purchased their first plot of land in 1985 and established the main farm on another section about eight years later. It’s
where they built their house, machine sheds, and hay barns to store the high-quality alfalfa bales his business revolves around.
Nearly 40 years later, Hanberg can confirm that not every harvest is perfect. In fact, not even close. But over time, he has become more comfortable taking the good with the bad because he believes the highs and lows balance out. The professional baler’s farming philosophy is that every decade in the hay business contains three good years, three bad years, and three years that are somewhere in between. The 10th
year is a wild card.
“You have to play the hand you’re dealt,” Hanberg said. “When things are good and you’re baling green hay, you have good leaf retention, and your buyers love it, that just makes you happy. The rest of the time, you do the best you can.”
Water woes
The home farm sits roughly 4,900 feet above sea level along the eastern border of the Beehive State. At this elevation, early-season frost dates extend into mid-June, but temperatures can easily reach triple digits during July and August afternoons. The semi-arid climate also only offers an average of 7 inches of rainfall per year.
Irrigation in the area traces its history back to the late 1800s when settlers built reservoirs to hold water from mountain snowpack. The reservoirs fed into open ditches and canals that ran down the rocky slopes, and water was
Sunrise is go time for these hay farmers in eastern Utah.
distributed to farmland throughout the basin via flood irrigation. Within the past half century, though, most canals have been converted to pipelines, and flood systems have been replaced with sprinkler irrigation.
In addition to better water-use efficiency, sprinkler systems like the pivots in Hanberg’s fields have precision capabilities. He pairs this technology with nozzles designed to distribute larger drops of water to minimize wind drift and evaporation while expanding the application area. Taking these strides to foster a more effective system has improved Hanberg’s average alfalfa yields to roughly 7 tons per acre; however, it’s hard to overlook the extra costs of equipment upgrades, new technology, and more extensive labor.
“We’ve worked hard to get maximum return for every drop of water that we use, but it’s a constant battle,” Hanberg lamented. “These irrigations systems are wonderful, but they require a lot of maintenance and upkeep. That’s a big part of our labor during the summer — taking care of our irrigation equipment.”
He is privy to the pressure to optimize irrigation as a haymaker himself, but also because of his active involvement in the industry. Hanberg served as the Uintah County Farm Bureau President for over a decade and currently represents District 5 on the state board, where he amplifies the efforts of progressive producers and stands firm in his fight to improve public policy for farmers.
“Water has become so precious and so scarce. We value every drop and take care not to waste it,” Hanberg said. He anticipates government-funded programs that compensate alfalfa growers for fallowing fields and implementing deficit irrigation will gain popularity in future years. However, Hanberg is less supportive of growing more annual crops with better water-use efficiency as a solution to saving water, and he is wary of the weakening understanding citizens seem to have about the relationship between crop and livestock production.
“Alfalfa has been portrayed as this water-hogging plant that isn’t efficient,” he said. “People ask, ‘Why are we growing alfalfa if nobody eats alfalfa?’ They may not realize that even though they don’t eat alfalfa, everything they eat eats alfalfa. It’s an important crop.”
The alfalfa enterprise
An important crop to the agricultural industry and to his operation, alfalfa
comprises about half of the 1,500 acres Hanberg owns and rents in a given year. Corn takes up about the same amount of real estate, and he plants wheat and a three-way mix of small cereal grains on the remaining 100 to 150 acres. He bales these annual forages in mid-August and sells the hay to local beef farmers, following up the harvest with a late-summer seeding of alfalfa soon after.
Alfalfa stands stay in production for four years before Hanberg rotates them to corn for the same duration. Nitrogen credits from the perennial legume are a significant benefit to first-year corn from an agronomic and an economic
perspective, especially since Hanberg contends that steep input costs are a significant struggle for his business.
“When we come out of alfalfa, we’ve got enough nitrogen to carry the first corn crop through the season without adding any fertilizer,” he stated. “That’s healthier for the soil, it saves us money, and that first-year corn crop after alfalfa is awesome.”
Hanberg aims to take first cutting the week after Memorial Day and then follows a four-cut schedule, harvesting alfalfa every 30 to 35 days. Achieving optimum yield and quality before alfalfa gets too mature can be a difficult dance, but Hanberg has committed the choreography to memory as a player in the premium alfalfa market.
“We will cut hay before we see any signs of bloom, or it will just be going to bloom when we cut it down,” he explained. “A lot of our hay goes to big dairies, and some of it is sold to horse owners. They want the hay to be green — clean and green — and have good leaf retention.”
He considers average yields and calculates nutrient removal rates to determine fertilizer applications every
Cut alfalfa takes three to five days to dry before it's ready for baling.
year. Phosphorus and potassium are surface applied in the fall, and Hanberg adds sulfur to the mix to promote forage growth on the alkaline soils. The meticulous hay producer believes a proactive soil fertility plan improves plant health, and thus strengthens stands, which reduces the amount of insecticide and herbicide he needs to spray to control pests and weeds.
Harvest targets
In addition to Hanberg and Lee, Richard Jessop is a full-time employee. Together, the trio runs a John Deere swather, Darf rakes, and two Krone 1290 Big Pack balers.
Alfalfa lies in windrows for three to five days after it is cut to dry down to 12% to 13% moisture. Then, two windrows are raked together the day before forage is baled. Hanberg will get to the field ahead of the first sliver of sunlight and begin baling right at dawn to capture the morning dew that enhances leaf retention in the dry environment. If the dew is too dense, he will let it dissipate throughout the day and wait to bale late at night when temperatures and ambient moisture return to more favorable levels.
Because of his customer base, Hanberg aims for hay with a relative feed value (RFV) of 180 or above. First cutting is often within a few points of his target, whereas fourth cutting typically tops the charts. Second and third cutting tend to fall short of the goal as warmer weather expedites plant growth and reduces the leaf-to-stem ratio.
Hanberg and Lee transport hay to Utah dairies and horse farms themselves, whereas interstate deliveries are
shipped on commercial trucks. Bales are usually moved as soon as they are stacked along the edge of the field, or they are stored short term in one of their covered barns. In 2024, though, Hanberg tarped a greater portion of his hay because a softer demand from local dairies delayed some of his sales.
“Hay is a perishable commodity. The quicker you move it, the better off you are,” he asserted. “We focus on marketing and selling hay and getting it off our farm and onto someone else’s as fast as possible, but this year, hay has been moving pretty slow.”
Another reason for a depression in demand was the relatively wet winter that bolstered hay stocks and curtailed the number of bales livestock owners needed to buy. The above average precipitation and abundant snowpack
afforded area farmers with better forage production and more available irrigation water. It was a change of pace from the long-term drought that has drawn attention to on-farm water use in the Colorado River Basin. Despite negative opinions of irrigation and inevitable market swings, the Hanbergs still take heart in making hay. Steve is especially grateful to have Lee back on the farm and feels lucky to work alongside his son and pass down the operation to the next generation. Hay production will always have its pitfalls, and farming will never be a flawless occupation. But navigating challenging harvests and enduring rough growing seasons has taught the father-son duo to delight in the perfect — or almost perfect — hay days. •
(L to R) Lee and Steve Hanberg and Richard Jessop make up the three-man workforce on the farm.
A look at 2025 seed supplies
by Dan Foor
FORAGE seed supplies for spring plantings look to be in generally good shape.
Lower production levels will cause conventional alfalfa to have tighter availability across the spectrum of fall dormancies, but seed prices are expected to be stable to slightly higher. With Corteva’s exit from the alfalfa market this year, certain varieties of the brands previously offered through them will likely have much tighter than normal supply. In addition, the availability of traited varieties, especially HarvXtra products, will be challenged. Producers are encouraged to secure their alfalfa seed needs early.
Improved sorghum picture
After a year of incredibly tight supply for red clover and white clover, supplies of common types will be more in line with demand and prices generally softer; however, improved varieties will still be tight. Forage sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass hybrid seed supplies should also be more normal
after a challenging 2024 crop.
Similar to the format shared in previous outlooks, the table to the right outlines the supply picture for most popular forage species. Common (C) and improved (I) varietal differences are noted in parenthesis, and maturities are separated if there are differences in the outlook for the species. If there is no designation, the supply rating applies to both common and improved options as well as all maturities for that species. Those species listed as “Extremely tight” indicates that their seed will likely sell out at some point in the season.
As always, check with your local seed supplier for specific variety availability. •
DAN FOOR
The author is
AVERAGE SUPPLY
Annual ryegrass
Bermudagrass
Clover, Red (C)
Clover, White
Festulolium
Meadow fescue
Millets, Hay
Orchardgrass, Early (C)
Orchardgrass, Early (I)
Orchardgrass, Mid
Perennial ryegrass, Tetraploid
Ryegrass, Italian
Tall fescue
Tall fescue, Novel endophyte
Teffgrass
Timothy (C)
TIGHT SUPPLY
Alfalfa
Bromegrass, Meadow
Bromegrass, Smooth
Clover, Alsike
Clover, Berseem
Clover, Ladino (C)
Clover, Yellow blossom
Forage sorghum
Millets, Pearl
Orchardgrass, Late
Peas, Forage
Perennial ryegrass, Diploid
Sorghum-sudangrass
Sudangrass
Timothy (I)
EXTREMELY TIGHT SUPPLY
Clover, Ladino (I)
Clover, Red (I)
Reed canarygrass
Trefoil
a former senior vice president of distribution for DLF North America.
BERMUDAGRASS ROADBLOCKS
by Lisa Baxter
BERMUDAGRASS is one of the primary perennial forages produced in the Southeast, covering approximately 3 million acres in Georgia alone. Although bermudagrass is used for livestock around the world, intensive management in hayfields and pastures is largely exclusive to the United States. Much of the scientific breeding of bermudagrass has historically occurred in Tifton, Ga., and the surrounding region.
There have been extensive improvements to bermudagrass genetics since the 1930s, including higher production, leaf spot resistance, and better digestibility. Overall, newer hybrid cultivars are recognized for their superior yield and nutritive value compared to common ecotypes and older hybrids.
Despite these improvements, though, there are many challenges that continue to impact the future of bermudagrass. The following are challenges with regard to emerging research and possible solutions to ensure bermudagrass production continues to prosper in the Southeast.
Stem maggots, slow growth
The bermudagrass stem maggot (BSM) has severely damaged stands since it was discovered in the Southeast in 2010. Larval feeding extending outward from the terminal node of the plant can kill the top two to three leaves on the stem, stopping growth of the damaged tillers and potentially reducing the number of tillers on the plant. Damage is most severe in late July to September when the region observes its warmest temperatures of the year.
Strategically timed pyrethroid applications can minimize adult BSM populations; however, a long-term solution would require the development and release of BSM-tolerant bermudagrass genotypes. Previous research has shown that varieties like Tifton 85 and Coastcross II have up to 50% less BSM
damage than finer-textured varieties. Modern breeding efforts are focusing on the selection of more BSM-tolerant genotypes, but renovating fields to establish an improved bermudagrass cultivar can be expensive and time consuming. With that said, it is hypothesized that despite the renovation costs, new cultivars will be more cost-effective over time because of lower chemical and application costs associated with the BSM.
In addition to BSM, a rising number of bermudagrass producers note challenges with green up following winter dormancy. This may be attributed to plant disease, unbalanced soil fertility, and encroaching weeds. It is likely that these factors are interacting over time to cause compounding challenges and leading to stand decline.
The number of reports has steadily increased since 2020, which was an above-average rainfall year for much of the Southeast. Excess rain delayed harvests throughout the season and wet conditions increased the presence of the pathogen that causes leaf spot. Extensive damage occurred in many fields when the pathogen attacked the stolons and rhizomes, causing fields to brown and begin thinning out. Certain cultivars, such as Alicia, were more prone to disease than others.
As fertilizer prices continued to climb in 2021 and 2022, many producers removed one or more nutrients from their annual fertilizer plan and applied only nitrogen to bermudagrass pastures or hayfields. While nitrogen fertilization is important for improving
forage yields, potassium is critical for disease resistance, root development, cold stress, and overall plant health.
Potassium-stressed bermudagrass is vulnerable to early yield decline because of the thinning canopy cover. Thinning may be exacerbated by unseasonably warm winters followed by late freezes. Therefore, fall applications of potassium are crucial for successful overwintering of the stands.
When poor stand persistence is coupled with BSM damage, it is not surprising that many producers are seeing invasive weed species move into their bermudagrass pastures and hayfields. The most prevalent species are perennial grass weeds like smutgrass, vaseygrass, knotroot foxtail, and herbicide-resistant annual ryegrass.
There are no affordable and effective options for postemergent control of these perennial grass weeds in established bermudagrass within a single season. Current research shows multiple herbicide applications may be required for each of these weeds across multiple seasons. Herbicide-resistant annual ryegrass is also spreading in the region and is difficult to control with postemergent herbicides alone. Previously, pre-emergent options have been ineffective, but new products like indaziflam are showing promise.
The impact of slow bermudagrass green up on forage yield has not been directly addressed. Even so, factors including a timely harvest, sufficient stubble height, balanced fertilization, near-neutral soil pH, and insect and
weed control are critical to protecting the longevity and production of a bermudagrass stand.
Sprigs and cold tolerance
Perhaps one of the most limiting factors affecting the expansion of improved bermudagrass, especially newly released varieties, is the deficit of sprigs and lack of trained personnel to plant them. Most sprigging involves planting vegetative propagules that contain tillers, rhizomes, stolons, and root portions; however, some cultivars may be established via stem cuttings or tops.
Dissemination of public releases of vegetatively propagated forages is mainly done through cooperative extension services and direct connections with stakeholders. However, breeding stock is extremely limited, and stakeholders may only receive limited planting material to start a small nursery on their own operation.
The viability of the vegetative planting material is the most important factor in establishment success of bermudagrass, and research is underway to address these concerns. Establishing new bermudagrass cultivars from tops will eliminate the need for specialized harvesting equipment as tops can be harvested with common machinery. This enhances establishment opportunities for producers, which will aid in dissemination of the new cultivars. Furthermore, it will benefit availability since harvesting tops does not disrupt the rhizomes or soil, so the nursery plants need less time to regrow before the next harvest event.
Climatologists have documented notable changes in temperature and precipitation patterns in the Southeast that have contributed to an expansion of warm-season species in its Northern region. In the transition zones between warm-season and cool-season perennial grass-dominated regions of North America, warm-season grasses can maintain productivity at higher temperatures while cool-season grasses put on minimal vegetative growth during summer. For this reason, warm-season grasses could replace a portion of the grasslands in areas at greater than 35° latitude. Unfortunately, some bermudagrass pedigrees are less tolerant of cold temperatures and may not survive Northern environments. Ongoing research is identifying germplasm that meets the needs of farmers transitioning to warm-season
production systems.
Despite the many challenges facing bermudagrass production in the Southeast, area researchers are working to ensure its persistence, productivity, and availability for the future. Development of improved cultivars and refined management is crucial to the continued success of bermudagrass in this region and beyond. These improvements are possible with the continued collaboration
among bermudagrass breeding programs and forage agronomists. For more information, visit bit.ly/HFG-CIB. •
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LISA BAXTER
The author is an extension forage specialist with the University of Georgia who is based in Tifton.
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FAT CATS, VACATIONS, AND DRY COWS
by Paul Dyk
OUR family’s cat is named Larry, and he is loved by all, including my wife, who hates all other cats. Larry came to us at no cost and spends his days roaming the outdoors; catching birds by the bird feeder, which is faithfully filled with seed by my bird-loving wife; blocking the driveway; flaunting his freedom as he walks slowly past the dogs in the kennel; and waiting to be carried around like the prince that he is.
Dry cows on a dairy farm remind me of Larry. They have no real obligations in life except to eat, drink, and take a nap. They are on a vacation from their normal vocation. But this vacation is not free for the farmer — the buffet is always open, and they eat a lot while generating no income to show for it.
A far-off dry cow eats 25 to 30 pounds of forage dry matter per day, which is about 80% of what a milking cow eats if consuming a 60% forage ration. A close-up dry cow eats about 60% of the forage of a milking cow ration. Close-up rations are fairly rigid with
most nutritionists. Depending on the calcium strategy, clean, well-processed straw is the base. Corn silage, maybe some haylage, and a protein supplement round out the ration. There’s not a lot of flexibility on the ingredients here.
Straw is a challenge
The key to success in these rations is usually straw, and maintaining a consistent source of straw is a major challenge for larger dairies. Processing the straw can also prove to be difficult. This is because processing straw through a mixer is inefficient and usually ineffective, while processing with a tub grinder is time consuming. If you have the option to hire an outside vendor with a commercial processor, that is often a good option.
Finding forages for the far-off dry cow is not as easy as it used to be. In the past, most dairies raised heifers on-farm, and there was always the need to put up some “heifer feed,” which usually ended up being a rained-on cutting of alfalfa and some corn silage. Most of my clients no longer have heifers on their dairy. They are at a boarding school in the High
Plains, waiting to come back 60 days before their first calf arrives.
The emphasis on most dairies has been to harvest high-quality alfalfa or grass haylage, along with a lot of corn silage. Most good dairies don’t have a lot of cuttings get away from them, resulting in limited amounts of low-quality heifer and dry cow feed, although 2024 has proven to be the exception to the rule in the Upper Midwest.
Other options exist
Aside from a delayed hay cutting, dairy nutritionists are finding different ways to successfully feed dry cows. These are listed below and shown in the accompanying table.
1. Feed your high-quality haylage, maybe a bit of corn silage (it’s cheaper), and some filler such as straw, oat hulls, or grass hay. On many farms, straw is the go-to filler, but it is often underestimated for cost. Yes, it may be $100 to $150 off the field or off the truck, but the cost of processing and storage must also be considered. I use $200 to cover all the costs. Argue if you wish, but there is a real cost for storage and processing. I’m pegging this approach at $3.20 per cow per day with 30 pounds of intake.
2. Grow some high-volume rye or sorghum, chop it at 9% crude protein, and incorporate it into the ration. At some point, this strategy can lead to a forage that is a half-step above straw, and you end up putting in other forages to supply enough energy and protein. Yes, you can supplement corn, other by-products, and so forth, but it probably also adds cost. The other problem with this strategy is that how much is fed may be limited by the forage’s higher quality. If so, will you be able to keep the face of the pile or bunker silo fresh for this forage with a feeding rate of only 8 to 10 pounds per day? I’m estimating $2.70 per cow for this alternative.
3. Think about growing a forage specifically for your dry cows that will be fed in a high volume such as early-cut rye or triticale. Here, I’m referring to rye or triticale that is about 15% to 16% crude protein. At 25 pounds per head per day, it adds up nicely for tons fed. From an agronomy standpoint, it can be double cropped but carries the challenge of interfering with corn planting. Sit down with your agronomist and nutritionist and plan a strategy that works in your geography. I’ve calculated $2.53 per cow per day for this option.
Mike Rankin
4. This one is not shown in the table. Use your imagination . . . I’ve seen a lot of combinations. These might include using milking cow ration refusals, which is done on many farms. You are using a feed that is worth 13.5 cents a pound to replace a total mixed ration that could be 9 cents a pound. The benefits can add up quickly.
Another option is to buy a neighbor’s forage just for your dry cows. I like this one, if the situation is right, but
it might not be a long-term strategy in many cases.
Letting one cutting of haylage mature longer and using it for dry cow forage can work, but this may mean having a field or two out of sync with the others.
Think it through
Do you need straw in your far-off dry cow ration? Are those costs I’ve presented correct for rye, triticale, and sorghum? Now you’re asking the
right questions.
Not everyone will agree about using straw in the far-off dry cow ration. I like it for heifers that will often see a heavy straw ration in the close-up period. The prices for the cereal forages and sorghum are more difficult to estimate; we need hard numbers on production costs and realistic yield projections. Yields for rye and triticale can vary much more than alfalfa.
Does all of this matter? A 1,000-cow dairy might have 100 to 120 cows in their far-off pen. A 75-cent difference in feed cost, which is common, adds to about $28,000 per year. Maybe that’s not a life changer, but it is probably enough to take a nice vacation yourself. •
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The author is a dairy nutrition consultant with GPS Dairy Consulting LLC and based in Malone, Wis.
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Current trends in forage research
FORAGES are a key part of dairy diets with implications for dairy farm productivity and sustainability. The objective of this article is to describe and discuss some of the forage research presented at the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) annual meeting held in West Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this year. These studies were hand-picked to represent different areas within forage research; however, they represent a small portion of the many research trials presented. Chop length has implications on cattle and storage: Forage particle size is one of the many factors that can be controlled during harvest and will have a significant impact on silage quality, diet formulation, and animal performance. Forage with long, coarse particles makes packing more difficult, requiring longer packing times and leaving more oxygen left in the silo after sealing. On the other hand, finer particles are less effective in stimulating rumination and maintaining rumen health than coarser particles.
A study from Texas evaluated the effect of chop length on effluent production of male-sterile sorghum silage. In this study, sorghum silage had about 23% dry matter at harvest and was processed with a chop length of 6 or 20 millimeters. Fine chopping enhanced effluent production, which not only weakened the nutritive value of the sorghum silage but is also a contaminant of groundwater and surface water.
What do cows think about forage particle size? We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate how the proportion of different size particles in lactating cow diets affected animal performance and feeding behavior. Feeding diets with a high proportion of coarse particles (those above the top screen of the Penn State Particle Separator) was associated with reduced feed intake and milk production. Cows also spent more time at the feedbunk, extending eating time, yet had a slower eating rate. Although not enough data was available to evaluate the cause of this, cows were probably spending more time sorting feed and masticating instead of eating. This extra time spent eating usually comes
at the expense of resting time and may impair milk production.
So, what is the ideal chop length? There is not a one-size-fits-all recommendation. The same chop length setting will likely yield different results depending on the uniqueness of each dairy. Different chop length settings are warranted for different dry matter contents and kernel processor types and settings to achieve the desired particle size and physically effective fiber. As a rule of thumb, aim for finer chop length when harvesting drier material and coarser chop length when the crop is wet. Evaluate particle size during harvest and at feedout to make any necessary mechanical or feeding adjustments. Starch digestibility gets better with microbial inoculation: Silage fermentation is well-known to improve starch availability of corn silage and high-moisture corn. Therefore, keeping silage in the silo longer has become a common practice for dairy herds feeding corn silage, high-moisture corn, and earlage when land availability is not an issue. This is because of the breakdown of the starch-protein matrix during silage fermentation.
The starch-protein matrix is the cross-linking between zein proteins and starch. Zein proteins surround starch granules and limit the access of rumen bacteria and intestinal enzymes to starch, reducing its digestion. The breakdown of these proteins during silage fermentation is caused primarily by bacterial proteases. Two studies presented at the ADSA annual meeting reported that microbial inoculation improved the starch availability of corn silage or high-moisture corn thanks to the breakdown of the starch-protein matrix.
Researchers from Delaware evaluated an inoculant containing L. buchneri, L. hilgardii, and P. pentosaceus. Silage was ensiled from 30 to 180 days and the microbial inoculation improved starch digestibility after 120 and 180 days of the study. Reduced zein protein and greater amounts of ammonia nitrogen and soluble protein concentrations were also reported, suggesting the inoculation facilitated better access to starch by breaking
down the zein protein.
The second study was conducted in Brazil and aimed to determine if microbial inoculants can alter the starch-protein matrix of high-moisture corn. Inoculating high-moisture corn with L. buchneri, L. hilgardii, and P. pentosaceus, individually or mixed together, bolstered starch availability through the breakdown of the starch-protein matrix. Inoculation was efficient in modulating silage fermentation as well as improving aerobic stability.
The question that remains is if these inoculants have proteolytic activities or if this effect is driven by a more extensive silage fermentation achieved with the use of a microbial inoculant. Regardless of the mechanism, improving starch availability while protecting the shelf life of your corn silage is beneficial.
The ruminal degradability of plastic bale wrap: Another study from Pennsylvania evaluated the in situ degradability of two biodegradable plastic bale wraps. Don’t worry — their goal was not to evaluate if we can feed plastic to cows. These biodegradable wraps were developed with the intention of mitigating the chances for the accumulation of foreign material within the rumen and any related health issues caused by the involuntary ingestion of plastic wraps by ruminants.
Researchers cut the plastic wraps in pieces and allocated them in nylon bags before incubating them in the rumen of dairy cows for up to 36 hours. This approach is similar to the in situ assay typically used to evaluate nutrient degradability of forages. Both plastic wraps were more than 95% degraded after 36 hours in the rumen and show promise as tools to minimize health issues when ruminants involuntarily consume plastic. •
LUIZ FERRARETTO
The author is an assistant professor and ruminant nutrition extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
There are advantages and disadvantages of every approach to grazing livestock regarding forage intake, plant growth, and time management.
by Ashley Wright
Leverage the strengths of your grazing strategy
EFFECTIVE animal management is essential for maintaining healthy pastures and maximizing forage production. Whether you’re using continuous grazing, rotational grazing, or a flexible tactical approach, the strategy can significantly impact both your livestock and your pasture’s long-term health.
Each system has its own advantages and challenges, from the simplicity of continuous grazing to the enhanced forage utilization of rotational methods. Understanding these options and how they affect pasture growth, nutrient availability, and grazing intervals can help producers make informed decisions for healthier pastures and for more productive animals.
Continuous grazing: The simplest animal management method is continuous grazing, where animals stay on the same pasture for the whole growing season. This method requires less fencing and management but can lead to uneven grazing, overgrazing of desirable plants, and weed growth. Supplemental feed may be needed if pasture growth slows, and this system
usually supports fewer animals compared to others.
Rotational grazing: Rotational grazing involves dividing the pasture into smaller paddocks that are grazed in sequence, allowing each section time to rest and recover. This promotes healthier plant growth, distributes manure more evenly, and reduces forage waste. The forage being grazed is newer, higher quality growth. Carefully managed rotational grazing may also help extend the grazing season, creating less reliance on stored feed. However, it requires more fencing, more frequent movement of animals, and the ability to provide water and supplements in each paddock.
Tactical grazing: A more flexible approach is tactical grazing, which combines aspects of both continuous and rotational systems. This method allows the producer to meet the changing needs of both animals and pasture throughout the year.
Rather than sticking to a set rotation of paddocks, the paddocks are grazed on a more flexible schedule. For exam-
ple, continuous grazing of a section may work better during reproduction or for finishing livestock, while rotational grazing might be better to enhance pasture utilization, control animal intake, or encourage desirable forages species. Regardless of the grazing system, having a sacrificial drylot area can be helpful during extreme weather like droughts or heavy rains. A drylot is a small area where animals can be housed and fed when grazing would otherwise harm the pasture. This protects the pasture and gives it time to recover, which offers even more flexibility to a tactical grazing plan.
Grazing intervals
Timing is key when it comes to grazing intervals. Delay the first harvest of a newly established pasture until most grass seedheads have emerged or legumes have flowered. This allows the plants to build a strong root system and store nutrients in their roots and stems, which they’ll need for regrowth and during the dormant season.
After the first harvest, aim to graze animals before seedheads emerge in grasses and before flowering occurs
Mike Rankin
in legumes. This is when the forage is most nutritious and palatable, consisting mostly of leaves. As plants grow taller, the forage quality declines because stems are less digestible than leaves. Once plants begin to flower or produce seedheads, their nutritional value drops further, and they may become unpalatable to animals. In the fall, stop grazing early enough to let plants reach full bloom before entering dormancy. After plants have become dormant, forage can still be removed through grazing or cut for hay.
Carrying capacity
Carrying capacity refers to the number of animals a pasture can support without damaging it, and this will vary across the country. On a well-managed pasture, 1 acre can typically support one animal unit equivalent (AUE), which is about a 1,000-pound animal or one cow. Smaller animals, like sheep, are considered a fraction of an AUE (for example, five sheep equal one AUE). Pasture productivity varies by plant
species and season. Cool-season plants grow best in early spring, slow down in summer, and pick up again in fall. Warm-season plants are most productive in summer. Little to no growth happens in winter in many regions, so supplemental feed may be needed during this time.
Animals on pasture typically consume 2% to 3% of their body weight in forage dry matter each day. Nonworking horses and dry beef cows eat around 2% of their body weight, while growing or lactating animals may consume closer to 3%. Remember that animals cannot utilize all the forage due to trampling and waste, with 40% to 70% of pasture growth typically being consumed.
In rotational systems, it’s essential to know the recommended resting and grazing periods for different species to calculate the ideal number of paddocks. Lower-growing species like bermudagrass have shorter rest periods that are generally less than four weeks, while species like alfalfa may need longer; however, rest periods
will be affected by both local climate and seasonal variability. Grazing for about three days is often considered the maximum interval before animals start eating the regrowth, although up to a seven-day rotation may be common for farmer convenience.
Each grazing system has its pros and cons, and the best choice depends on the needs of your animals, pasture, and your schedule. Overall, continuous grazing is simple but may result in uneven pasture use, rotational grazing requires more effort but leads to healthier pastures and better forage use, and tactical grazing offers flexibility to adapt to the specific needs of your animals and pasture throughout the year. •
is
ASHLEY WRIGHT
The author
a livestock area associate agent with the University of Arizona based in Cochise County.
GOOD FORAGE STANDS START WITH GOOD SEEDS
by Jimmy Henning
WHEN I started my forage career back in 1986, directing farmers to a good variety with high-quality seed was easy. I’d simply tell them to “select certified seed of an improved variety.” This would preferably be one with proven performance in replicated, unbiased research trials. Certified seed had the well-known blue tag, which ensured the farmer of the genetic purity of the seed in the bag.
Fast forward to today — you will only find blue tags on a few bags of forage seed in ag supply stores, even among premium products. To understand how to be assured of getting both a good variety and high-quality seed (high germination and purity), we must take a deep dive into seed tags and the seed production process. It’s now more important than ever to read seed tags and understand the quality of the seed being purchased.
The seed tag is a regulated label of the contents of the bag. The Federal Seed Act, in cooperation with state departments of agriculture, provides the regulatory framework for the labeling of seed intended for interstate commerce. Seed tags must contain the following:
Seed kind and variety: Kind refers to the species, and variety is the proprietary name of the genetic material. Seed must be labeled with the variety name, as common or variety not stated (VNS), or variety unknown. Some species may not be required to have a variety name (for example, annual lespedeza in Kentucky).
Lot number: Unique identifying number for a quantity of seed.
Source: The marketer of the seed. Origin: The specific location where seed was grown.
Germination (%): The percent of seed that will produce viable seedlings under standard conditions.
Hard seed (%): Seed that does not imbibe water during a standard germination test yet is assumed to be viable.
Test date: The date when the seed was tested.
Coating (%): The percentage of the weight of the bag that is seed coating. End date for viability of inoculum: The last date that preinoculated legume seed is considered to have viable bacteria.
Purity (%): The proportion of the product weight that is seed after accounting for inert matter, coatings, and other crop and weed seed.
Other crop (%): Seeds of other crops found in the bag, such as annual ryegrass in orchardgrass.
Inert material (%): Nonseed matter found in the bag, such as chaff, plant parts, and dirt.
Weed seed (%): Proportion of weed seed in the bag. Noxious weeds must be identified and quantified. They may be classified as prohibited or restricted. Prohibited noxious weed seed may not be found in seed at all. Restricted noxious weeds may be allowable in seed if below regulated levels.
There are federal noxious weeds, and in addition, each state has its own list of prohibited and restricted noxious weed seeds. For example, Kansas restricted noxious weed standards limit the number of buckhorn plantain to 45 seeds per pound, while its alphabetical neighbor, Kentucky, will allow 304 seeds of that species per pound. Kentucky specifies a maximum of 480 noxious weed seeds per pound but also a maximum for each type. Iowa varies the restricted weed seed by the type of forage; fescue may contain up to 80 seeds per pound of dock, but the ryegrass threshold is only 48 seeds.
Some states place upper limits on the percent of restricted noxious weed seed. Indiana, for example, allows a maximum of 0.25% restricted noxious weed seed and 2.5% all weed seed.
What’s in the bag?
The presence of the blue certified seed tag indicates third-party oversight of the seed production process, which ensures it meets high standards for
varietal purity. In other words, seed certification assures the producer that the genetics in the bag matches the name on the tag.
Seed certifying agencies like the Oregon Seed Certification Service establish the minimum standards for germination, purity, and other characteristics for certified seed. These agencies also provide third party verification of the
seed production process, including things like field history and isolation. The certification process regulates and monitors the seed production process from planting to harvest and beyond. Of course, these added quality control measures add time and expense. Companies decide whether to certify a seed lot based on demand. For example, in Canada, seed cannot be sold under a variety name unless it’s varietal purity can be documented by third-party oversight, such as with certified seed.
Newer releases are mostly supplied uncertified and are referred to as proprietary or commercial varieties. For these products, companies contract directly with seed growers, supply the seed, and provide oversight of the seed production process. Seed companies have field staff in seed production areas to monitor the production from the growers who have been contracted to
Kentucky 31 is one of the most recognizable forage varieties in history. Finding a good buy on forage seed means knowing how to read a seed tag.
raise their proprietary varieties. In this case, the integrity of the originating company is replacing the oversight provided by the seed certifying agency.
Nearly all companies will market some seed in ways other than bags containing a single variety. The most common alternate method of seed marketing is to create a recognizable brand.
Brands are a commercial label whose contents can vary from year to year. You can think of a car model as a type of brand. For example, a Mustang is always a Mustang, but it may change in design from year to year.
A bag of branded seed may contain named varieties (one or many) or VNS seed, either singly or in blend. Sometimes it is just labeled with the species name, with a footnote that it is VNS. A blend is a combination of like kinds of forages (for example, like orchardgrass), and their varieties may or may not be specified.
Blends of VNS seed will have unknown performance and will likely have an attractive price. Better quality blends that contain named varieties allow for better prediction of field performance.
To complicate matters, some blends are marked as a brand, such as the hypothetical “High-Yield Orchardgrass.” These branded blends allow companies flexibility in the specific varieties in the blend each year. Companies choose to market seed under a brand name because they have the flexibility to change the components and still have a recognizable product.
Mixtures are combinations of various kinds of forage. For example, an equine mix in Kentucky might contain orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, timothy, and perennial ryegrass. Again, the better mixes will contain
named varieties that allow some prediction of its future field performance. Choose variety, then quality
For any seed, the variety is the key to its eventual performance in the field. For older varieties like Kentucky 31 tall fescue, the search for quality seed begins with reputable growers supplying seed of the proper genetics. Frankly, this is a weak link in the process because older varieties are without oversight from either a certifying agency or a company. We are left to conclude that when farmers plant older varieties, they are trusting in the integrity of the original grower, the company that distributes the seed, and the local point of sale.
A variety name indicates the genetics in the bag and the seed tag must state the variety for our common forages like alfalfa, red clover, tall fescue, timothy, and orchardgrass or label it “Variety Not Stated.”
The seed tag can provide insight into whether a seed lot of an older variety is desirable. Table 1 shows the seed quality information from several lots of tall fescue seed, including a certified Kentucky 31 and a certified novel tall fescue variety. All have high purity (95% or greater) and high germination (85% to 90%); however, these seed lots differ significantly in other crop and weed seed. The two Missouri seed lots had detrimental amounts of other crop seed and many more noxious weeds, while the others had low other crop (less than 1%) and no weed seed.
Other crop seed in tall fescue is nearly always annual ryegrass, and levels of 2% and above can be incredibly competitive in new seedings. Noxious weeds like buckhorn plantain and poison hemlock are undesirable in forage seed lots.
Although not shown here, there was little difference in the price per pound of
these Kentucky 31 offerings. The higher quality lots of Kentucky 31 were the better buys. Should we really care about the quality of seed in an old and likely toxic endophyte-infected Kentucky 31 tall fescue? The answer is “yes” when there is the simple and better solution of buying a newer commercial or certified variety for essentially the same amount of money.
The point is that people do care. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of Kentucky 31 are sold each year, and buyers have an expectation that the resulting fields will perform true to the variety name. For a grower, that means fields that will withstand abuse, stop erosion, and live forever. Yes, they are likely to be infected, but growers are voting with their pocketbook that they are willing to deal with its limitations.
The bottom line is that we are not going back to the days where everything was blue tagged or sold as common or VNS. Purchasing a better variety means studying replicated, unbiased forage trials for top-performing products and working with a seed dealer and distributor that you trust to get that seed into the back of your pickup truck. Study the labels and look for pure seed with high germination rates and low levels of other crop and weed seed. Secure blends or mixtures where components are named varieties that can be researched. Ultimately, we rely on the integrity of the seed production and supply chain. •
JIMMY HENNING
The author is a professor and extension forage specialist with the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Table 1. Seed quality information from several lots of tall fescue seed
Weaker machinery values and prices offer opportunities for dealer discounts and low-rate financing.
The equipment price tide has turned
IHOPE that everyone has had a great fall, and that the harvest has been bountiful! High feeder, fat cattle, and milk prices have improved the outlook for those in the livestock business, which is a nice change. Unfortunately, lower commodity prices for corn, wheat, cotton, and soybeans have severely narrowed the margins for many crop farmers, and input prices have been slow to respond and help boost incomes.
Like everything else, machines, parts, and services have all experienced drastic price increases in the last three years, and that was bearable with higher commodities and higher used equipment values. But, as soon as crop prices and farm income started to retract, so did machinery prices and values. The equity that had built up in our paid-off equipment has now shrunk along with falling grain prices. In tough economic times, having gone out and purchased shiny new iron in the recent past only to see it take a 25% or more value decline in the first year doesn’t help the situation, especially if we are talking about a half million-dollar unit. Dealer inventory reduction auctions this summer have been crazy with no equipment category being safe from lower values. Late-model tractors,
planters, sprayers, and combines all took major hits in overall value. What does this mean for you?
A buyer’s market
If you still would like to purchase a new unit this winter or spring, there will be some awesome programs and low-rate financing from all manufacturers. This will be especially true if you are looking at used inventory or willing to purchase a new tractor on the dealer’s lot. Most manufacturers are offering incentives to sell the units that dealerships have in stock. This is because most dealers are not going to order another unit until they sell the ones in inventory. You may not be able to get every “bell and whistle” you would ideally prefer, but the extra discounts combined with low-rate financing will make it easier to sleep at night. If you are not in the market for new equipment, then you could be in for some deals over the next year in more ways than one! First, as I mentioned earlier, there will still be plenty of latemodel, low-hour used equipment hitting auctions everywhere. Dealerships are needing to free up cash and do not want to have it all tied up in used iron. You will need to do your research on what the value of each piece of equipment is
ahead of time. There are many websites that can help you get the “Kelly Blue Book” current value of a unit. When you find what you’re looking for at an auction — and it’s within your budget — be ready to pounce on it before someone else does.
Another less common route taken is dealing with the equipment finance companies. I have spoken with several, and they all say that consumers of all types are returning or forfeiting their pieces of equipment rather than keeping up with the payments. Most say they have never seen so much repossessed equipment. As you might expect, there is some “red tape” that must be cleared before they can be sold, but there are some good deals to be had. Several of them even have their own website where the available equipment is listed.
I believe in the U.S. farmer’s spirit and work ethic, and I know that we will all make it through this rough time and be stronger for it on the other side. It’s going to take some time, patience, and belt-tightening. Be safe finishing up harvest and have a great holiday season! •
ADAM VERNER
The author is a managing partner in Elite Ag LLC, Leesburg, Ga. He also is active in the family farm in Rutledge.
Mike Rankin
Claas touts new hay tools
The latest Claas VOLTO tedders — the 1300T, 1300TS, 1500T and 1500TS — will provide the greatest working widths to date. They feature a new frame and chassis concept with optimal ground-contour following and soil protection, simple operation and folding geometry, optimized rotor guidance, and a renovated drive.
Key features include:
• Chassis frame with Y-shaped axle beam.
• TS versions with self-steering chassis in working position.
• Large chassis wheels up to 500/55-20 and 3-foot, 5.5-inch diameter with dual function.
• Twelve (VOLTO 1300 T/TS) or 14 (VOLTO 1500 T/TS) rotors with 4-foot, 11-inch diameter and six tine arms per rotor.
•Rotor frame with double-hinged arms.
• Max spread crop flow.
• Equal-angled tines with five windings and tine loss protection.
• Crank handle for setting rake height.
• Toolless adjustment of the spreading angle.
• Completely redesigned Permalink drive for more power and less torque.
•Compact transport position.
• Simple operation and folding mechanism.
Claas also introduced four new mowerconditioner combinations, including the Disco9300 C Comfort, Disco9300 RC Comfort, Disco9300 C AS Business, and Disco1100 Comfort.
The former three models feature the option of 29-foot, 10-inch or 29-foot, 2-inch working widths, as well as hardox-reinforced conditioner plates for better resistance and longer service life. RC models offer longer swathing plates for particularly narrow swaths.
Comfort hydraulics on Disco9300 C/RC Comfort models direct control of arms and load-sensing operation for active float ground pressure control, individual lift, and optional folding protective covers.
The Disco1100 Comfort model is available with a 35-foot, 5-inch to 31-foot, 2-inch working width for 11-foot, 2-inch front mowers. These machines have hydraulic telescopic arms with a wide adjustment range for tight bends or slopes. For more information, visit claas.com.
Kuhn debuts commercial hay mergers
Kuhn North America recently introduced Merge Maxx MM 950 and 1090 commercial hay mergers. With up to 36 feet of working width, these mergers are ideal for larger farms and custom operators. The hay mergers are highly versatile, creating a windrow using center, side, or split delivery for a wide array of forages. A standard, floating wind guard automatically adjusts to differing crop volumes while providing excellent guidance onto the center of the belt for a more consistent windrow. The small-diameter pickups allow for optimal forage collection in light, short crops as well as heavy, dense crops. Pickup speed can be adjusted based on the crop type to protect forage quality.
A spring suspension system promotes ground following and flotation. This design features
four springs on each merger head, eliminating the need for hydraulic requirements. Each head has a large pivoting angle of 10 degrees and a suspension range of 20 inches.
The AT-10 controller adjusts forage delivery, individual unit lift, belt pickups, and folding from transport to the working position. For more information, visit kuhn.com.
Vermeer unveils new mower-conditioners
Vermeer’s new mower-conditioner line includes four models: MC90, MC105, MC120, and MC150. Each offers a range of cutting widths to suit different field sizes and tractor capacities.
The MC90 and MC105 are side-pull models designed for smaller to medium operations, featuring cutting widths of 9 and 10.5 feet, respectively. For larger operations, the MC120 has a 12-foot cutting width, while the MC150 cutting width measures 15 feet.
Vermeer mower-conditioners are equipped with the Q3 cutter bar that features the Quick-Clip blade retention system, QuickChange shear ring, and quick-check oil for each cutter unit. All features are backed by three-year coverage and work together to maintain high-quality cutting performance throughout the season.
The new mower-conditioners offer two hitch options: a patented drawbar swivel hitch and a patented two-point quick hitch. Both feature a balanced pivoting connection to help users get to the field quickly.
The lineup also offers steel roller conditioners for aggressive crimp and better dry down of tough, stemmy crops, as well as rubber rollers that provide a gentler conditioning action to maximize leaf retention for more delicate crops.
The hydraulic suspension system offers consistent ground contouring to maintain cutting height and pressure across varying terrain, resulting in a more uniform crop and reduced wear on equipment. The mower-conditioners also feature a toolless pitch adjustment system, requiring only the movement of a pin at the rear of the machine.
Standard topping stops are included to maintain cut hight and keep the cutter bar from hitting the ground. The mower-conditioners also have heavy-duty frames and large tires. For more information, visit vermeer.com.
BALE SPIN-OFF
Efficient hay management tool for moving and feeding round bales.
• Eliminate wasted hay by only unrolling what cattle will clean up in an hour.
• Easy operation from the cab of the tractor or skid steer.
• Hydraulically driven for better operator control.
• Rotates in both directions for easy feeding.
• Forged tapered spear for easier bale penetration.
QUALITY
Agreto HFM II Handheld Moisture Testers
Moisture: 9–70% moisture readings
• Net Wrap • Twine • Bale Wrap
• Moisture Testers • Silage Bags
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
FARM EQUIPMENT
BALEWAGONS: New Holland self-propelled & pull-type models/parts/tires/manuals. Can finance/deliver. 208-880-2889, www.balewagon.com JAWIBA/15
• Silage Covers • Tire Sidewalls 5 year warranty! Made in Austria.
mail and outside the mail)
1. Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, builk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources): 22,738
2. In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include sample copies, requests over 3 years old, requests induced by a premium, bulk sales and requests including association requests, names obtained from business directories, lists, and other sources): 0
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4. Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the
Irrigation Show and Education Week
November 4 to 7, Long Beach, Calif.
Details: irrigationshow.org
Penn State Dairy Cattle Nutrition Workshop
November 6 and 7, Hershey, Pa.
Details: bit.ly/HFG-DNW
MFGC Annual Conference
November 13 and 14
Lake Ozark, Mo.
Details: missourifgc.org
California Alfalfa & Forage Symposium
December 10 to 12, Sparks, Nev.
Details: calhaysymposium.com
American Forage & Grassland Council Annual Conference
January 12 to 15, Kissimmee, Fla.
Details: afgc.org
Northwest Hay Expo
January 15 and 16, Kennewick,Wash.
Details: wa-hay.org
Southwest Hay Conference
January 22 to 24, Ruidoso, N.M.
Details: nmhay.com
Driftless Region Beef Conference
January 23 and 24, Dubuque, Iowa
Details: bit.ly/HFG-DRBC
GrassWorks Grazing Conference
January 23 to 25, Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
Details: grassworks.org
Western Alfalfa Seed Growers Assn. Winter Seed Conference
January 26 to 28, Phoenix, Ariz.
Details: wasga.org
U.S. Custom Harvesters Convention
January 30 to February 1
Des Moines, Iowa
Details: uschi.com/convention
Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show
February 4 to 6, San Antonio, Texas
Details: convention.ncba.org
HAY MARKET UPDATE
Hay production looks positive
As the sun sets on most hayfields for the season, USDA’s October Crop Production report predicted alfalfa and alfalfa-mixed hay production to be up 8% from last year. All other hay production is expected to see a 6% bump, although final estimates won’t be known until January.
Of the Western states, California was projected to see record-high alfalfa yields, while Arizona was pegged with its lowest alfalfa yield estimates in over a decade.
The prices below are primarily from USDA hay market reports as of mid-October. Prices are FOB barn/stack unless otherwise noted. •
For weekly updated hay prices, go
2025 ALFALFA VARIETY RATINGS
Winter Survival, Fall Dormancy & Pest Resistance Ratings for Alfalfa Varieties
This National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance publication is intended for use by Extension and agri-business personnel to satisfy a need for information on characteristics of certified-eligible alfalfa varieties. NAFA updates this publication annually.
Specializing in mixes
Plus simplified seed mixes for:
Dry cow ration options for dairy cows
4. This one is not shown in the table. Use your imagination . . . I’ve seen a lot of combinations. These might include using milking cow ration refusals, which is done on many farms. You are using a feed that is worth 13.5 cents a pound to replace a total mixed ration that could be 9 cents a pound. The benefits can add up quickly.
Another option is to buy a neighbor’s forage just for your dry cows. I like this one, if the situation is right, but
it might not be a long-term strategy in many cases.
Letting one cutting of haylage mature longer and using it for dry cow forage can work, but this may mean having a field or two out of sync with the others.
Think it through
Do you need straw in your far-off dry cow ration? Are those costs I’ve presented correct for rye, triticale, and sorghum? Now you’re asking the
right questions.
Not everyone will agree about using straw in the far-off dry cow ration. I like it for heifers that will often see a heavy straw ration in the close-up period. The prices for the cereal forages and sorghum are more difficult to estimate; we need hard numbers on production costs and realistic yield projections. Yields for rye and triticale can vary much more than alfalfa.
Does all of this matter? A 1,000-cow dairy might have 100 to 120 cows in their far-off pen. A 75-cent difference in feed cost, which is common, adds to about $28,000 per year. Maybe that’s not a life changer, but it is probably enough to take a nice vacation yourself. •
PAUL DYK
The author is a dairy nutrition consultant with GPS Dairy Consulting LLC and based in Malone, Wis.
