February 2022 Hay Pellets

February 22, 2022

• His New Year’s resolution: renovate more toxic tall fescue acres with novel endophyte varieties.

• University of Florida researchers document what you can expect for nitrogen credits from legumes.

• Here’s an outlook for the 2022 grazing season in drought-stricken North Dakota.

• The number of farms in the U.S. for 2021 was pegged at 2,012,050, down 6,950 farms from 2020, according to USDA’s Farms and Land in Farms report. Total land in farms, at 895,300,000 acres, declined by 1,300,000 acres from 2020.

• Texas has the most farms of any state with 247,000 and the most land in farms at 126 million acres. Wyoming claims the largest average farm size at 2,377 acres.

• Fifty one percent of the U.S. farms documented by USDA only have farm sales between $1,000 and $9,999.

February 15, 2022

• As of one week ago, 46% of total U.S. hay acreage and 61% of alfalfa hay acreage is within an area experiencing drought.

• According to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, La Nina has a 77% chance of continuing through May. There then becomes a 56% chance that it will transition to a neutral position from May through July.

• Here’s the precipitation and temperature outlook for the next three months.

• It’s time to frost seed!

• The University of Kentucky provides these short, interesting videos on the root growth of cool-season grasses and cover crop options.

February 8, 2022

• As of January 1, USDA’s Cattle report pegged the nation’s beef cow herd at 30.1 million head, down 2% from the previous year. The numbers of beef replacement heifers and steers were also down from a year ago.

• Drought-stricken states in the Northern Plains registered significant beef cow losses. South Dakota dropped 189,000 beef cows in 2021 while Montana’s herd declined by 90,000.

• The U.S. dairy herd was also in contraction mode during 2021. As of January 1, USDA reported 9.38 million dairy cows, down 1% or 67,400 head from a year earlier.

• The fertilizer value in 1 ton of alfalfa hay is currently about $60 per ton, according to these calculations from the University of Nebraska.

• Here are some keys to frost seeding success.

February 1, 2022

• Milk production in the U.S. during December was down 0.15% from a year earlier. After peaking in May, the nation’s dairy herd declined by 132,000 cows at year’s end. The price outlook for milk in 2022 is the most positive it has been in several years as domestic demand for dairy products and exports remain strong.

• Here are some tips on what to do with muddy, compacted pastures.

• University of California Extension specialists discuss when or if it’s beneficial to apply calcium to alfalfa.

• The Midwest Forage Association and Wisconsin Custom Operators will hold their Symposium 2022 on February 22 and 23 in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Check out this February forage conference and others at the Hay & Forage Grower website events page.

• The war on alfalfa snout beetle continues in New York state as researchers work to develop genetic resistance to the insect.