Alfalfa prices in north-central Illinois are a bit lower than last fall’s prices, but holding steady, reports Ron Tombaugh of Streator, IL. He predicts they’ll creep higher as winter approaches.
Top-quality alfalfa, in 3 x 4 x 8’ bales, currently sells for $225-240/ton, he says. Most of Tombaugh’s hay is sold to dairies in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
He’s happy he increased his hay production by 100 acres for a total of 300 acres this year. With corn at $3-3.50 a bushel, it makes sense for him to be raising more alfalfa, Tombaugh says.
The former president of the National Hay Association and the American Forage & Grassland Council also custom baled 1,800 acres of wheat straw and raised 900 acres of corn and 600 acres of soybeans this year.
Overall, the 2014 season has been a damp one for much of Illinois, he says, and hay quality has suffered while yields have been significantly higher.
“I think there’s more quantity and less quality hay than there was a year ago. Quality-wise, we’re still seeing our proteins up … 20-24%. But it seems like everything grew so fast that we didn’t get the feed value we were looking for. Some of my best fifth cutting was 22.5% protein, but only at 148 relative feed value (RFV). It sure looks a lot nicer than that.”
He notes that a limited amount of his fourth-cutting established stands and second-cutting new seedings hit 180 RFV, but most came in under that.
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