The Value Of Quality In Marketing Alfalfa Hay
BY GEORGE F.W. HAENLEIN
EXTENSION DAIRY
SPECIALIST
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
NEWARK, DE. At our last
Del-Mar Forage Day, Dr. D.C.
Pelntz from the agricultural eco
nomics department of Purdue Uni
versity spoke about how to get
more money for farm hay sales.
The topic is important since hay
can be a considerable source of
side income in this area for our far
mers. Too often hay for sale brings
little money because it has been
rained on, is too old, or too stemmy
and dusty, or even moldy, so it
ends up as low priced mulch or for
compost in mushroom houses.
Yet producing alfalfa hay isn’t a
low cost enterprise. Total produc
tion costs at 8 tons per acre average
$4OO per acre. Profits depend on
yield and quality. Break-even
yields may be around 6 tons at a
market price of $6O per ton. Prices,
of course, are influenced by supply
and demand. U.S. alfalfa hay pro
duction in 1987 was around 88
million tons on 25 million acres,
about 5 percent less than the previ
ous year. However, hay production
of all kinds was 186 million tons
up 2 percent from the year before.
Weather, carry-over stocks and
pasture conditions are market fac
tors influencing supply, demand
and prices. Hay supplies in the
Northeast are estimated to be up by
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25 percent in Virginia, down 11
percent in Maryland, up 5 percent
in Delaware, down 8 percent in
Pennsylvania, down 7 percent in
Ohio and up 1 percent in New
York compared to last year. How
ever, long distance hay shipments
from the Midwest and Canada are
expected to hold prices down,
especially if the winter continues
to be mild here and silage crops for
cattle remain plentiful.
Given this supply picture, qual
ity is the only variable over which
the producer looking for a belter
price has much control.
The ability to determine quality
at the lime of sale through an
instant nutrient lab analysis from
Near-Infra-Red instruments
instead of the old-fashioned wet
chemistry would help tremendous
Sullivan County DHIA
November, 1987
Rolling Herd Averages
No. % Days
Name Brd. Cows In Milk
D&D Hottenstem 3
Richard R Higley 3
Raymond Norconk 3
Joan Woodhead B 3
Bobwood Acres 3
John & Marvin
Brown B 3
Lambert Farms B 3
D&D Hottenstein
Tavia 3 5-1 305 22,543 3.9 883
Sal 3 3-2 297 24,884 3.4 863
ly in getting better prices to the
producer. Adoption of uniform
quality standards based on the
nutrient content of hays, rather
than their smell, color and touch is
also needed. Since hays of diffe
rent nutrient content have different
feeding values for cattle, sheep and
horses, it follows that they should
have different prices.
So what is the relationship
between hay quality and its eco
nomic value? Simply said it is (1)
the nutrient content in the hay, (2)
the amount of it voluntarily eaten
by the animals and (3) the perfor
mance of the animals in meal,
milk, fiber and work after digest
ing the hay at a certain rate.
Stage of maturity has the biggest
influence on all three factors.
Experiments with dairy cows have
59.4
90.7
41.4
34.0
39.9
86.8
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90.8
47.7
154.3
83.8
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 20, 1988-El5
shown that milk production
declines 1 pound per cow per day
for each day advance in maturity
beyond prebloom when feeding
alfalfa hay.
In Wisconsin experiments, pre
bloom alfalfa was shown to have
24 percent more nutritional value
than full bloom alfalfa hay. As
more mature alfalfa was fed, an
increasing amount of soybean oil
meal was needed as a supplement
to maintain high milk production
levels. And this higher supplement
level raised the cost of milk
production.
So you see, hay quality is
extremely important to the hay
buyer and should translate into a
willingness to pay different prices
Dairy Meetings
(Continued from Page El 3)
vessels occurs in the early lactation
period when the farmer is feeding
a lot of grain to her,” stated Nocek.
“A good manager will watch his
cows during this period to detect if
a cow is walking tenderly on her
feet. He can examine her to see if
the foot feels warm to the touch or
apply pressure to her foot to see if
it is sensitive. This laminitis has
got to be caught right away or it
could cost him the cow.”
When this does occur Nocek
urges the farmer to take a look at
all his cows to see if there other
problems instead of over reacting
and cutting the grain in all the feed.
“Lameness if not detected right
away and treated could result in
blown-up foot with a few days and
that 100-pound milker will have
fallen to about 50 pounds per day,”
warns Nocek.
Free stalls and confinement
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depending on the quality offered.
This, in trim, should translate into a
willingness of the seller to offer
nutrient analysis as a means of
obtaining better prices. Having
this factual information available
at farm sales or auctions should be
well worth the trouble and help
assure superior sales and more
confident buyers- even repeat
buyers!
Years ago, Professor Shenk of
Penn State University pioneered
the use of Near-Infra-Red hay test
ing instruments, but we haven’t yet
seen wide adoption in this region.
Wouldn’t using this equipment be
an important factor in making the
regional market more profitable
for both producers and buyers?
stalls both have disadvantages in
relation to foot problems. The free
stalls usually has a slippery floor,
with more moisture around leading
to softer hooves. According to
Nocek, foot baths would be recom
mended more than a trim to harden
the hoof material. Confinement
stalls, although a dryer environ
ment, may be too dry sometimes
and cause heel cracks and tend to
make the hoof brittle.
“Prevention of lameness can
best be done by trimming and exa
mining feet and hooves atleast
once a year and it would be better if
it were twice a year. An over
growth of tissue on the bottom of
the foot, an ulcer, or lameness can
be detected and trimmed or
treated,” said Nocek.
To avoid the loss of a high pro
ducer for either a short time or
indefinitely, prevention is more
valuable than the cure.
Authorized Dernier
Financing
533-4060
1515 Chocolate Ave
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