Growing, harvesting, storing, and feeding out clean, uncontaminated forages translate to good milk production and healthy cattle. But providing clean feeds – and diagnosing when contaminated forage may be causing herd health issues – require diligence and a team approach, according to John Goeser, Rock River Laboratories Director of Nutritional Research, and Neal Wininger, Feed & Forage Consultant at Dairyland Labs.

They suggest several ways farmers can minimize forage crop contamination, one of which is not spreading manure on growing crops. “A lot of (detrimental) organisms are growing in manure pits that we may be spreading out onto fields. Hopefully, we’re not doing that on growing crops,” said Goeser in a recent webinar on feed hygiene.

There is nothing quite like opening a bale of high-quality alfalfa hay – the smell of the alfalfa, the multitude of green leaves enclosed within – the experience is like no other. If only every bale we made turned out like this!

The steps to making high-value hay are straightforward: 1) Start with a good, full stand of healthy plants; 2) Cut it at the proper maturity under ideal drying conditions; 3) Bale the alfalfa quickly at optimum moisture levels; 4) And store the bales undercover.

Minnesota and Wisconsin May hay stocks were at record lows, and all U.S. hay stocks totaled 14.9 million tons, down 3% from year-ago levels, according to USDA's May 10 Crop Production report.

May 2019 Minnesota hay stocks of 280,000 tons were down 50% from May 2018 levels of 560,000 tons, while Wisconsin stocks fell by 32%, from 480,000 tons in 2018 to 330,000 tons in 2019. Michigan and Ohio hay stocks fell by 31%, each with 2019 stocks at 180,000 tons as compared to May 2018 stocks at 260,000 tons. Hay stock levels were down slightly in South Dakota, from 1,240,000 tons in 2018 to 1,200,000 tons in 2019, and Iowa, from 360,000 tons to 345,000 from May 2018 to May 2019.

"Lower May 1 hay stocks are mainly the result of reduced hay production in 2018 due to the continuing decline in harvested acres of alfalfa and lower yields of other hay compared with the previous 4 years, which were some of the highest on record. Production in 2018 was the lowest since 2012 and second lowest since 1976. Additionally, the January 1, 2019, cattle inventory was the highest since 2008," the report cites.

Nebraska and North Dakota were among states showing significantly increased levels, respectively, they increased by 53% and 39%. Illinois and Indiana also showed increases. For the full report, click here.

Continued low supplies of dairy-quality hay and a delayed growing season contributed to strong hay prices at the end of a cold, wet May in much of the Upper Midwest, according to the May 28 Hay Market Demand and Price Report for the Upper Midwest.

Midwestern farmers have been challenged with cold, wet weather; winterkilled alfalfa and grasses; and low forage supplies this spring. Here's a short list of the latest forage-related info gathered from various news sources. For regularly posted forage headlines and story links, check out our new Facebook page or our established Twitter feed by searching for @MidwestForage on either or both social media venues.

Entire alfalfa fields as well as field portions were winter damaged across the Upper Midwest, according to the May 21 article in Hay & Forage Grower. An interview with Kim Cassida, Michigan State University’s Extension Forage Agronomist, gives a snapshot of what's happening in that state, options yet available to increase damaged stand productivity, and what farmers can plant in place of alfalfa. Click here for that story.

A late April article in Progressive Forage shows alfalfa weevils are usually a problem across the U.S. and offers a look at Western research being conducted toward control of the pest. The cold weather may have slowed weevil activity in the Midwest - or at least in South Dakota, reports Adam Varenhorst, South Dakota State University Extension Field Crop Entomologist. He suggests farmers use growing degree days as one way to determine when to start scouting for alfalfa weevils in the article, "2019 Alfalfa Weevil Activity." Click here for that story.

Forage growers in Wisconsin may want to scan the May 23 Wisconsin Pest Bulletin. Scouting for alfalfa weevils is recommended; a potato leafhopper migration is noted; and tarnished plant bug counts are low in alfalfa. In corn, the wet weather is causing high risk for black cutworm damage. “Crop consultants and growers are advised to begin inspecting corn (including Bt hybrids) for leaf pin-holes and other signs of feeding during early season stand assessment. Scouting a few days before estimated cutting dates is recommended,” the bulletin reports. Southern Wisconsin farmers should watch for European corn borer spring moth emergence now. True armyworm moths were also reported in the southern part of the state.

Forage harvests will likely be a challenge this spring, says Ted Wiseman, Perry County Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator for Ohio State University Extension. He suggests ways farmers can minimize soil compaction at harvest in the article, “Maximize forage quality or reduce soil compaction?” from Farm and Dairy. Two such tips: harvest forages higher in grasses first, since legumes damage more easily in soft soils; and merge swaths into larger windrows to reduce baler traffic.