May 28, 2019
• S&W Seed Company and Corteva AgriScience have mutually terminated their alfalfa development agreement made in 2014 whereby S&W Seed was responsible for alfalfa variety development for Pioneer. A new agreement was signed that includes exchanges of both cash and variety development/licensing rights between the two companies.
• An alfalfa-bermudagrass budget spreadsheet has been developed by Chris Prevatt, beef cattle and forage enterprise budgeting and marketing specialist with the University of Florida. It will help producers evaluate the economics of interseeding alfalfa into existing bermudagrass stands.
• Milk production in the U.S. during April was up 0.1 percent compared to a year earlier but down 2.3 percent from March 2019, according to USDA’s Milk Production report.
• The U.S. dairy herd is 90,000 cows below last year’s April tally while year-over-year production per cow rose by 21 pounds.
• University of Illinois economists estimate that at least 3 million acres of corn won’t be planted in 2019 because of the unrelenting rain that is impacting large swaths of the U.S.
May 21, 2019
• Total world alfalfa exports through the first three months of 2019 totaled 590,660 metric tons (MT). Surprisingly, that’s only 1 percent off the pace set in 2018.
• In March, Japan again was the United States’ leading alfalfa export partner at 62,611 MT. It was followed by China (58,635 MT), United Arab Emirates (42,873 MT), and Saudi Arabia (24,139 MT).
• China’s alfalfa import volume has climbed back from a low of 25,461 MT in January but is still nowhere near the levels seen before the trade war when they routinely approached or exceeded 100,000 MT per month. In March 2018, they imported 91,278 MT of U.S. alfalfa.
• The Noble Research Institute offers these “Top 10 Misconceptions in Grazing Management.”
• Corn planting by U.S. farmers continues at a snail’s pace. Yesterday’s USDA Crop Progress report indicated that 49 percent of the crop is planted, which compares to 78 percent at the same time last year. The past five-year average for corn planting at this juncture is 80 percent.
May 14, 2019
• According to the Drought Monitor, only 2.5 percent of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought. That figure was nearly 28 percent one year ago.
• Donated ryegrass helped pull some Florida beef producers through the after effects of Hurricane Michael.
• Here are some suggestions from the University of Nebraska on assessing frost damage to alfalfa.
• The California Environmental Protection Agency announced that they have begun the process to ban the use of chlorpyrifos (Lorsban and other products) in the state by initiating the cancellation of the insecticide, which is commonly used in alfalfa and other crops.
• Early weaning with modified stocking may be a means to improve profits in cow-calf operations, according to this Kansas State University report.
May 7, 2019
• Yesterday’s USDA Crop Progress report indicated that only 23 percent of the U.S. corn crop is planted. This compares to 36 percent at the same time last year. The past five-year average is 46 percent planted at this time.
• Walmart Inc. is integrating the supply chain for Angus beef sold in some of its stores. They announced an agreement with two Texas ranches and will sell no-hormones-added Black Angus beef, which will be sold in 500 of the company’s Southeastern stores.
• The University of Georgia Forage Extension Team offers these tips for successfully sprigging bermudagrass.
• Mississippi State University will offer a Grazing & Forage Production Workshop on June 24 and 25 in Starkville. Get the details here.
• Here’s the lowdown on the 2019 Southeastern Hay Contest. Entries will be due on Thursday, September 19.