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A serious issue disrupting the Western hay market is the ongoing dock slowdown caused by a longshoremen strike. On the entire West Coast, this started in late fall 2014. The longshoremen have been working minimally without a contract since the previous one expired in July 2014. This slowdown has effectively cut in half the amount of product of all kinds either imported or exported from U.S. ports.
In the January e-newsletter, we discussed the power of words and how they shape perceptions (and by default our view of reality). In agriculture, I think we would all have to agree that a powerful word that is used a great deal today versus 30 years ago is “sustainability.”
As non-genetically modified alfalfa producers struggle to coexist with genetically engineered (GE) varieties, different sampling protocols are required.
While U.S. hay exports account for 4 to 5 percent of the national hay market, it is nevertheless a billion-dollar industry. In the Western states and Pacific Northwest, hay exports account for 10 percent of the hay market.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) have released the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey results from 2013.
A recent survey asked 353 Iowans questions to identify non-farm consumer attitudes regarding modern farms and food production. Highlights of the survey indicate 46 percent say they are “very knowledgeable” about how their food is produced (6 percent increase), while 49 percent are “somewhat knowledgeable.” This culminates in the highest overall percentage (95 percent combined) in the four-year history of the survey.
Hay export dynamics are changing in an increasingly global marketplace. During the ’70s and ’80s, the Japanese valued visual quality and small bales. Foreign buyers during that era liked the “coziness” of seeing the hay, smelling and touching it before buying.
Good forage crops place a high demand for potassium on the soil’s nutrient supplying power. Potassium is critical for growing high-yield, high-quality alfalfa, helping maximize animal performance and profitability.
DuPont Pioneer and S&W Seed Company today announced an agreement for S&W Seed Company to acquire DuPont Pioneer alfalfa germplasm, as well as alfalfa production and research facility assets for a purchase price of up to $49 million over a period of several years. The first portion of the sale is expected to be completed on Dec. 31, 2014, pending conditions to close, including financing.
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