February 05, 2007 10:10 am
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By Mike Surbrugg
msurbrugg@joplinglobe.com
NEVADA, Mo. — What some perceive to be cheap land is getting a lot of attention from dairy producers in other countries and states.
Compared with land prices in some states and countries, land is cheap here, said Stacey Hamilton, University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist, Greenfield, during a recent talk held in Nevada.
New Zealand dairies are already operating in the area and more seek to locate here, he said.
“I average two calls a week from dairy producers in states such as New York and from those in Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand. Each wants information about moving here and question why land is so cheap,” he said.
It could be good news to farmers who could harvest a market selling alfalfa or other needs to dairies.
Every dollar a dairy generates creates $3.28 for the local economy, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition to feed needs, other support comes from veterinarians and firms selling products to the dairies.
A cow needs a specific blend of grain and forage to encourage milk production. And, better forage quality drives how much a cow eats, he said.
Cows that produce less milk and dry cows need less energy and protein in their diets, he said. He cautioned that too much of anything is bad, and an excessively high relative feed value in alfalfa can cause problems in cows.
Lack of quality in the forage is a bigger problem. Feeding lower-quality alfalfa means feeding more costly grain. A dairy ration should use grain to compliment forage, Hamilton said.
An alfalfa grower and the dairy producer need to set a contract that will be beneficial to each, he said.
Pat Miller, extension agronomist, of Nevada, talked about insects that plague alfalfa fields.
Among the top of biggest pests are alfalfa weevil, potato leafhopper, blister beetles and aphids.
“Aphids nailed us early last year,” she said. Aphids arrived ahead of weevils that are normally the first insect to cause damage.
It was a year to spray aphids and then weevils and then look for more aphids, she said.
Aphids multiply quite easily because all are females and some are born pregnant. Aphids can kill or stunt alfalfa plants.
Cowpea aphids are new to Missouri, she said. Spraying is justified when there are 50 aphids per 10-inch of a plant and earlier if aphids are eagerly eating alfalfa leaves.
There are some natural predators such as tiny wasps that turn pea aphids into mummies.
Some aphids and other pests have larvae that winter inside plant stems, and potato leafhoppers are blown by wind from the south to area fields, she said. The hoppers can cause damage that can last up to three years before a field fully recovers, she said.
It is the alfalfa weevil that years ago caused many farmers to give up on alfalfa. Alfalfa weevil winter as adults in alfalfa fields. Most damage is often seen in the first cutting. Large numbers of weevils can quickly leave a field with “skeletonized” leaves.
All alfalfa fields need to be checked regularly to look for or capture insects in sweep nets. Miller can provide information on how to scout fields and where to obtain the sweep nets.
There are natural predators that kill weevils, she said.
Another tool is to grow alfalfa with timothy, fescue or smooth brome. The blend confuses pests and reduces damage, but does not eliminate the problem, she said.
Blister beetles are of most concern to horse owners. Toxins inside live and dead beetles can kill horses. The toxin remains in hay that has beetle carcasses.
Beetles come in a variety of colors or stripes. They congregate in areas, she said.
They can be killed by spraying, but others can return. A control is to remove weeds (such as pigweeds) that attract blister beetles.
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