Today – Nov. 22 – is the last day to register for the first-ever Minnesota Grazing Video Conference at only $5/person, advises its organizers. The "innovative, interactive event" will take place at five Minnesota locations on Dec. 8. It's to give graziers and researchers the opportunity to network and communicate about current and future grazing research needs. On-site registration will cost $15.
University of Illinois (UI) researchers are modifying conventional hay harvesting equipment to better handle miscanthus as a biomass feedstock. A research team led by UI ag engineer Alan Hansen is focusing on mower-conditioners and baling equipment. Read the full story in our sister publication, Southeast Farm Press.
The 2011-2012 quality-tested hay auction season is under way at the Mid-American Auction Company in Sauk Centre, MN. Prices from the first four sales this fall were up compared to sale prices from recent years, reports University of Minnesota Extension educator Dan Martens. Check out his recent blog summarizing relative feed value and prices for medium square bales of alfalfa at Minnesota Crop News.
Building a hay-storage structure or buying tarps to cover hay stored outside can significantly reduce hay losses, according to research. Yet producers should consider the economic merit of either option before laying out any cash, says Carl Dahlen, beef specialist with North Dakota State University. To help with the decision-making process, he suggests using Hay Storage Cost Comparison, an Excel spreadsheet available through Iowa State University Extension.
