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It’s the time of year when all three spirits of the hay year come into view: past (production), present (stocks) and future (markets). For now, it’s the export market that’s likely causing the most sleepless nights.
It’s hard for Jason Grady of J&M Baling in New Mexico to put his finger on the exact day the idea came to him. But when the idea came, he knew it would work. That idea, followed by a crude, “pretty ugly” prototype, and a few years of modifications have finally paid off as the Twin Pak double baler is in its final season of beta testing.
There are plenty of hay producers I’ve visited this year who, although they’re concerned with export tariffs, congressional partisanship and immigration wars, are still taking care of individual customers – every day. They still put their boots on and go to work. They still provide the product and service their customers require. Although global chaos may reign, they’re still taking care of business at home.
Competition is dialing into the export hay market, said U.S. Forage Export Council (USFEC) Director John Szczepanski at the California Alfalfa and Forage Association Symposium in Reno, Nevada.
In 2017, the average total noncapital living expenses of 1,219 farm families enrolled in the Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association (FBFM) was $79,798 – or $6,650 a month for each family. This average was 3.7 percent higher than in 2016.
In the not-so-good-old days, there was a time when cotton was king and grass was despised in the South. It was a hardscrabble life, and the cotton plant was easily choked by competition.
Before we really dig deep into these questions, let’s take a look at a football team. It will make sense later, I promise. This clever concept is credited to David Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech University and popular instructor on agriculture finance.
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