WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Spring weather has been less than favorable for harvesting hay, keeping many Indiana hay producers out of their fields, said Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension forage specialist.

“There was a period in late May that was suitable for harvesting hay, but for whatever reason many producers did not get their hay cut,” he said. “Now producers need to focus on getting the hay harvested. Producers who started in late May are starting their second harvest.”

As of June 14, 23 percent of Indiana’s alfalfa crop was still waiting to be harvested, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service crop and weather report released June 15.

Producers can take steps to make sure they are ready to cut hay when the ideal time comes, Johnson said.

First they should have a properly set mower conditioner that sufficiently crimps the stems and does not bruise the leaves.

“Keep in mind that there are two types of conditioners, a flail and rubber rolls,” Johnson said. “The flail mower is more aggressive with the crop, so using a flail mower on a legume like alfalfa is not recommended because more leaf loss will occur.”

Producers also should consider the optimal time to use a tedder - a fingerlike rake used to fluff hay after it has been laid in a swath. The tedder is an aggressive piece of equipment that is more useful when the hay crop has more than 50 percent moisture content. If the hay crop has a low moisture content and the tedder is used, the hay has a greater potential of losing nutritional value from the leaves.

Making bale silage is another option farmers have, Johnson said. Having the correct amount of wrap, a bale wrapper and baling the hay at 50 percent moisture content is essential to making this happen. Farmers can wrap in a single bale or in a row of bales.

Farmers harvesting their fields the traditional way should consider moisture content. If baling into small rectangular bales, the moisture content should be 20 percent. Large rectangular bales and large round bales should be at 18 percent moisture content. Higher moisture levels will result in moldy hay. Farmers should use a propionic acid preservative, which permits hay to be packaged at a slightly higher moisture content during baling.

After harvesting, the field may need to be fertilized, Johnson said.

“A soil test can tell you what nutrients the forage needs to improve yield and persistence in a perennial crop,” he said.

Along with maintaining the soil of the hay field, insect scouting is important, too.

Producers with alfalfa fields will need to scout for potato leafhopper, an insect carried to Indiana in the spring by weather systems from the southeastern United States. There are alfalfa varieties available that are up to 70 percent resistant to the potato leafhopper.

Because of the isolated and pop-up thundershowers across the state, Johnson encourages producers to check the weather forecast at least twice a day and look at the extended forecast in and outside of their local area.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Heart of America Grazing Conference scheduled for Jan. 21-22 in Columbus, Ind., will help growers take advantage of improved grazing systems.

“We hope to create an awareness of some of the niche markets that exist such as raising pastured pork, pastured poultry, replacement dairy heifers or grazing stocker calves,” said Brad Shelton, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service educator and co-conference planner. “If youre selling commodity beef at an auction barn, you have to take what they are willing to pay, but you can help determine your own bottom line with value-added products.

“If you can become more efficient and utilize your pasture and land, reduce costs on feed and fertilizer, you are likely to be more profitable in these uncertain times.”

Shelton said organizers also hope attendees receive a better understanding of grazing in general.

The conference, at the Holiday Inn, will cover a variety of topics, including forage growth and development, ultra-high stock density grazing, getting started in management-intensive grazing, and improving the existing management-intensive grazing system, Shelton said.

The conference will begin with registration and a trade show from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21, followed by a brief welcome and dinner.

Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Inc., of Swoope, Va., will be the featured speaker. Salatin will discuss his operation, which includes the raising and marketing of salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry, forage-based rabbits and forestry products.

Early registration is due Dec. 19 and costs $65 per person or $55 for the second individual from the same farm or operation for the full conference. Early registration to attend one day of the conference costs $40 per person and $35 for the second individual from the same farm. After Dec. 19, registration costs $75 for the full conference and $50 for one day. Checks should be made payable to the Indiana Forage Council and mailed to Keith Johnson, 915 West State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907. Meals with registration after Jan. 15 cannot be guaranteed. More information and a registration brochure are available at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/

Topics and speakers include:

• Patriotic tribute, Garry Lacefield, University of Kentucky Extension forage specialist.
• Understanding forage growth and development of grasses and legumes, Ray Smith, University of Kentucky Extension specialist, and Lacefield.
• Ultra-high stock density grazing, Salatin.
• Getting started in management of intensive grazing, Robert Zupancic and Susannah Hinds, Natural Resources Conservation Service specialists.
• Keeping management-intensive grazing going, Charlie Carter, Carterly Family Farms in Thorntown, Ind.
• Marketing your farm-raised products, Salatin.
• Using sheep and goats in a grazing environment, Lori Snyder and Mike Neary, Purdue Extension specialists.
• Economic flexibility in grazing stockers and replacement dairy heifers, Dave Nuhring, Grazing Systems Supply.
• Alternative forages in our grazing operations, Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension forage management specialist; Brett Glick from Columbus; and Roger Robinson from Orleans, Ind.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn at Columbus for $79 plus tax until Dec. 19. The hotel is located east of Interstate 65 at Exit 68 in south central Indiana.

For questions and more information contact Shelton at (812) 883-4601 or sheltonb@purdue.edu.

The conference is sponsored by the Indiana Forage Council, Indiana Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, Missouri Forage and Grassland Council, Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative, Purdue Extension, Ohio State University Extension, University of Illinois Extension, University of Kentucky Extension, University of Missouri Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — It’s time for Hoosier women to mark their calendars for the eighth annual Midwest Women in Agriculture Conference, as it returns to Plymouth Feb. 4-5.

The conference, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 4 and ends at 3 p.m. Feb. 5, will be held at Swan Lake Resort. It is designed to meet the needs of women in agriculture by addressing personal, family and farm issues that affect their lives, families and farm businesses.

“The conference is packed with great speakers who will inform participants about the importance of trade, rejuvenate spirits and emphasize skills needed for the future of agriculture,” said Jerene Gilliam, Purdue University Cooperative Extension educator and conference co-planner. “It’s full of information, from agritourism to family health. Whether you’re working on the family farm or working in the agribusiness industry, you’re sure to find value in attending.”

Early registration, due by Jan. 16, costs $75 per person for both days or $65 per person for one day. After Jan. 16, registration costs $125 per person for both days or $100 per person for one day. Registration includes meals, materials and refreshments. Registration information is available at http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/wia/conference.html or by calling (765) 973-9281.

Added this year is a track of information targeting the new generation of agriculture and new ideas, Gilliam said, adding the hope is to integrate the younger generation into agriculture and focus on niche markets that an operation may be able to take advantage of.

A few of the conference topics include:

• Creating a trail of unique tastes, Meredith Easley of Easley Winery.
• Joining together for a common good, Debbie Trocha of the Indiana Cooperative Development Center.
• Arthritis and agriculture, Paul Jones of Purdue’s Breaking New Ground.
• Telling your story — Public relations training for your operation, Liz Woodruff of the American Dairy Association and Dairy Nutrition Council.
• Engaging generations, University of Illinois Extension.
• Farm Safety 4 just kids, Tammy Eades of Archer Daniels Midland.
• Wind energy, Jimmy Bricker, Purdue Extension economic and community development educator.
• Is professional farm management right for me? Howard Halderman of Halderman Farm Management.

Swan Lake Resort is located at 5203 Plymouth-LaPorte Trail. Participants who want to stay at Swan Lake Resort can make their reservation by calling (800) 935-5616 by Jan. 20 to get the conference rate of $79 per room per night.

The Women in Ag Conference is sponsored by Purdue Extension, Indiana Farm Bureau and Farm Credit Services of Mid-America.

For questions and more information, contact Stacy Herr, conference chair, at (765) 973-9281, sherr@purdue.edu.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As rain-soaked soils begin to dry in Indiana, farmers with soybean acreage left to plant should now be planting mid-season soybean varieties, said a Purdue University expert.

“In general, total rainfall across the southern third of the state is running as much as 10 to 15 inches above normal for the year with extensive flooding,” said Purdue agronomist Ellsworth Christmas. “Soybean planting has obviously been delayed and has now been delayed long enough for farmers to consider changing maturity groups.”

But because mid-season soybean varieties tend to yield lower than full-season varieties, Christmas suggests planting a few extra.

“Seeding rates should be increased by 15 to 20 percent to promote shading, taller plants, and increased pod height and number of nodes per acre,” he said. “This will help offset the reduced yields caused by delayed planting.”

Planting later than normal does mean that farmers will be harvesting crops a little bit later, but Christmas said harvest shouldn’t be delayed the same amount of time as planting.

“Unlike corn, which requires a certain number of growing degree days to mature, soybeans are more sensitive to day length,” he said. “As the day length shortens later in the growing season, soybean maturity speeds up. In general, for each three days planting is delayed, harvest is delayed only one day.”

While there is still time for farmers to get their soybeans into the ground, Christmas warned that there does come a point when late becomes too late.

“A commonly used rule of thumb to stop planting soybeans is 90 days prior to the first 32 degree frost for a given area within the state,” Christmas said. “This means that the cutoff date for the Bluffton area in northeastern Indiana is June 30, while in the Lafayette area it is July 5. Soybean planting should cease in most of the southern half of Indiana by July 10, except for the southwest corner, where planting can occur up until July 15.”

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Recent heavy rains have flooded 9 percent of the corn acreage, 9 percent of the soybean acreage and 5 percent of the winter wheat crop, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop report released June 16.

The southwest district of the state, which includes Evansville, Freelandville, Shoals, Stendal and Vincennes, received the most crop damage with 16 percent of the areas corn acreage flooded, as well as the soybean acreage. Six percent of the wheat acreage was reported as flooded in the southwest district.

The southwest district was followed closely by the southcentral district, in terms of crop acreage flooded — 13 percent for both corn and soybeans and 9 percent for flooded wheat acreage. The southcentral district includes the areas surrounding Leavenworth, Oolitic and Tell City.

These numbers come from questions added to the USDA’s weekly crop progress survey in Indiana.

“We added the flood numbers to the weekly crop progress report because everyone wanted to know how the floods were affecting Indiana,” said Greg Matli, deputy director of the Indiana office for USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service located at Purdue University. “Calls were coming in from the governor’s office, Farm Service Agency offices, Chicago Board of Trade and newspapers wanting information.

“There was obviously a demand and we already had the system in place to get that information, so we decided to add a few questions to our weekly survey and now people know what’s going on.”

Indiana has 97 percent of its corn planted with 93 percent emerged and only 55 percent of it is rated in good to excellent condition. Hoosier soybean growers have 80 percent of their crop planted with 70 percent emerged and 52 percent considered in good to excellent condition.