September 24, 2019

• Milk production in the U.S. during August was up 0.2 percent compared to one year ago, according to USDA’s monthly Milk Production report. The 18.3 million pounds of milk produced last month was 90 million pounds (0.5 percent) below July’s production.

• The number of milk cows on farms in the U.S. was 9.32 million head, 71,000 head less than August 2018, and 2,000 head less than July 2019.

• Year-over-year milk production during August in the leading dairy states was California (up 1.5 percent), Wisconsin (down 0.5 percent), Idaho (up 2.9 percent), New York (up 1.1 percent), and Texas (up 4.6 percent).

• Check out the rundown of speakers and topics on the Dairy Forage Seminar Stage at World Dairy Expo being held next week in Madison, Wis.

• This year’s Heart of America Grazing Conference will be held in Burlington, Ky., on October 29 and 30. The event will be headlined by the well-known grazing consultant Jim Gerrish.

September 17, 2019

• Alfalfa will be one of the crops exempted from the additional 25 percent tariff imposed by China last year, reports Bloomberg Media. This means that tariffs on U.S. alfalfa will return to a pretrade war 7 percent level.

• Corn production for grain is forecast at 13.8 billion bushels, based on USDA’s September Crop Production report. This is down 1 percent from the previous forecast and down 4 percent from last year. Corn yields are expected to average 168.2 bushels per acre, down 1.3 bushels from the August prediction and down 8.2 bushels from 2018.

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has repealed the WOTUS (Waters of the United States) rule of 2015, which expanded the definition of “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. Their next step will be to restore the regulatory text that existed prior to 2015.

• Iowa State University specialists note that nutrient removal from a corn stover harvest needs to be accounted for.

Grazing cover crops can present some challenges, according to North Dakota State University livestock specialists.

September 10, 2019

• World exports of alfalfa hay through July remain on pace with last year, according to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. In 2019, the U.S. has exported 1.48 million metric tons (MT) of alfalfa hay. Exports of hay other than alfalfa in 2019 are actually ahead of last year.

• The volume of alfalfa hay imported from the U.S. by our major trade partners for January through July breaks out as follows: Japan-up 23 percent, China-down 35 percent, Saudi Arabia-down 1 percent, United Arab Emirates-up 122 percent, and South Korea-up 7 percent.

• In July, China imported 71,799 MT of U.S. alfalfa. That’s its largest single month total since July of last year.

• University of Minnesota equine specialists remind us that wilted maple leaves can be toxic to horses.

• Ohio State University Extension has developed a new spreadsheet to help producers price a variety of standing forage types this fall.

September 3, 2019

• There’s a double peak for corn silage quality.

• Extension specialists at The Ohio State University share results from a study that demonstrates brown midrib (BMR) sorghum-sudangrass can extend your harvest window.

• The entry deadline for the Southeastern Hay Contest is fast approaching.

• The price of all fertilizer sources were down significantly in last week’s Illinois Production Cost Report.

• It’s been tough sledding for Bayer AG since the company acquired Monsanto in June 2018.