Hay Contest Helps Producers


CONT. FROM FRONT PAGE The contest has grown


dramatically in recent years. 2020 was a record- setting year for the num- ber of entries submitted. Producers from 15 East- ern Kentucky counties submitted 624 samples for testing. Producers have the op-


tion to submit their test results to Jeff Lehmkuh- ler, UK beef cattle exten- sion specialist; Bob Coleman, UK equine ex- tension specialist, or Ken Andries, Kentucky State University small rumi- nant specialist. The spe- cialists use the results to develop farm-specific, bal- anced feed rations for


each producer’s livestock. Chad Allen is a third-


generation beef cattle pro- ducer in Perry County and has participated in the contest for the past decade. “As producers, we need


to take advantage of re- sources like the hay con- test, especially when profit margins are tight. Otherwise, we are not putting ourselves in the best situation to be suc- cessful,” he said. “I’m see- ing better weight gain on my calves through the winter, and the cows are holding their body condi- tion scores better through the winter as a result of the balanced feed ra-


tions.” Allen purchases his hay


from another producer. He has used the contest results to improve both operations. “Before the contest, I


just bought hay and fed it,” he said. “Now, we are not flying blind. When I showed my hay producer the science and data from the contest, he got a soil test and applied fertilizer. I now know what I am paying for, and he knows the quality his hay needs to be to get the prices he wants.” The hay contest began


in 1993 when the Moun- tain Cattlemen’s Associa- tion and the Highland


November USDA WASDE Report CONT. FROM PAGE 3


Progress report esti- mated cotton harvested at 61 percent compared to 52 percent last week, 59 percent last year, and a 5-year average of 57 per- cent. In Tennessee, cotton harvested was estimated at 64 percent compared to 52 percent last week, 71 percent last year, and a 5- year average 76 percent. December 2020 cotton fu- tures closed at 68.46, down 0.16 cents since last Friday. For the week, De- cember 2020 cotton fu- tures traded between 68.22 and 70.44 cents. Dec/Mar and Dec/Dec cotton futures spreads were 1.94 cents and 0.39 cents. March 2021 cotton futures closed at 70.40 cents, up 0.25 cents since last Friday. December 2021 cotton futures closed at 68.85 cents, up 0.18 cents since last Friday. Downside price protection could be obtained by pur- chasing a 69 cent Decem- ber 2021 Put Option costing 5.09 cents estab- lishing a 63.91 cent fu- tures floor. Wheat Wheat net sales reported


by exporters were down compared to last week with net sales of 11.0 mil- lion bushels for the 2020/21 marketing year. Exports for the same time period were up 11 percent from last week at 13.0 mil- lion bushels. Wheat export sales were 65 percent of the USDA estimated total annual exports for the 2020/21 marketing year (June 1 to May 31), com- pared to the previous 5- year average of 64 percent. Nationally the Crop


Progress report estimated winter wheat condition at


18• MidAmerica Farmer Grower www.mafg.net / November 20, 2020 45 percent good-to-


excellent and 17 percent poor-to-very poor; winter wheat planted at 93 per- cent compared to 89 per- cent last week, 91 percent last year, and a 5-year av- erage of 91 percent; and winter wheat emerged at 79 percent compared to 71 percent last week, 76 per- cent last year, and 5-year average of 78 percent. In Tennessee, winter wheat condition was estimated at 69 percent


good-to-


excellent and 3 percent poor-to-very poor; winter wheat planted was esti- mated at 78 percent com- pared to 64 percent last week, 65 percent last year, and a 5-year average of 71 percent; and winter wheat emerged at 60 percent compared to 48 percent last week, 45 percent last year, and a 5-year average of 48 percent. December 2020 wheat futures closed


at $5.93, down 9 cents since last Friday. Decem- ber 2020 wheat futures traded between $5.80 and $6.13 this week. Decem- ber wheat-to-corn price ratio was 1.45. Dec/Mar and Dec/Jul


future


spreads were 9 and 9 cents. March 2021 wheat futures closed at $6.02, down 7 cents since last Friday. In Tennessee, new crop wheat cash contracts ranged from $5.84 to $6.24. July 2021 wheat futures closed at $6.02, down 3 cents since last Friday. Downside price protection could be ob- tained by purchasing a $6.10 July 2021 Put Op- tion costing 50 cents es- tablishing a $5.60 futures floor.


DR. AARON SMITH: As-


sistant Professor, Crop Marketing Specialist, Uni- versity of Tennessee


Cattlemen’s Association joined forces to try to im- prove their producers’ for- age quality. At the time, producers across the re- gion were seeing low weaning weights and nu- tritional deficiencies in their cattle. The cattle- men’s associations con- sulted UK extension agents and David Ditsch, UK professor emeritus who was then a forage specialist stationed at the UK Robinson Center for Appalachian Sustainabil- ity in Quicksand. The agents and Ditsch de- cided to make it a contest to entice producers to participate. Lyndall Harned, Boyd


County agriculture and natural resources exten- sion agent, was the agri- culture and natural resources agent in Leslie County when the contest began. “At the time, we were concerned about


the


quality of hay our produc- ers were feeding their an- imals, and we were seeing a lot of reclaimed mine land come back into pro- duction,” Harned said. “Because of this contest, producers in our area have taken steps to imple-


ment better soil fertility, better weed control and better variety selection.” Extension agents, like


Harned pull each hay sample, grind and pack- age it for testing at UK’s Robinson Center. The samples then go to Chris Teustch, UK forage exten- sion specialist, who tests each sample at his lab at the Grain and Forage Center of Excellence in Princeton. “The real leaders of the


East Kentucky Hay Con- test are the extension agents,” Henning said. “They have been the driv- ing force for the origina- tion and the continuation of this annual event for more than two decades.” While there are annual


quality winners, a travel- ing trophy and bragging rights, Harned said most producers in his county are entering the contest for the education they get from the results and bal- anced feed rations. Mike Dixon is a Boyd


County beef cattle pro- ducer who has submitted samples for several years. He had the highest overall individual quality rating one year but enters the contest each year because


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it is a great educational process. “I have learned how hay


maturity and quality are linked,” he said. “Getting that first cutting of hay on time in the spring is criti- cal to getting a high pro- tein content. Having your feed ration balanced saves you money, because you are not overfeeding or un- derfeeding your animals.” Charles May, Perry


County agriculture and natural resources exten- sion agent, has encour- aged producers to submit entries to the program since it started. He said the forage production in his county has improved tremendously and has re- sulted in some producers expanding their produc- tion and diversifying their operations.


“I have people in my


county growing alfalfa now, and a couple of pro- ducers that have started custom hay businesses and are using the results to market their hay,” he said. “People are really try- ing to cut their hay at the right time and are seeing the positive impacts of feeding their animals the proper ration.”


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