Dodge County Forage Council Minutes

 

Wednesday October 14, 2009 – 8 pm

Administration Building - Juneau

 

 

Present – Jason Beck, Dale Schwantes, Paul Roemer, Joe Hasslinger, Ron Wiskerchen, Matt Hanson, Jason Sterr, Jered Hildebrandt

 

-Call to order  8:12 pm by Jason Beck

 

-Secretary’s Report - Reviewed August 5, 2009 minutes

 

-Treasurer’s Report

465.08 checking

1110.82 savings

CD’s

One is just over $4,000

 

Website has been renewed

 

-Old Business:

Corn Silage Burndown field day at Randy Nehls farm on August 28th, 2009. 

          Additional Corn Silage Burndown Continuation

         

About 12 people showed up with about 20 samples

Bob Kaiser spoke about the economics of dairy. 

Midwest Bio-Ag spoke about the distribution of nutrients in the plant (leaves, stems, petiole etc.

 

About 12 or more samples were brought in at each of the other burndowns.

 

 

-New Business:

Hay Auction Discussion

                       Dan Ritger Questions

 

Proposing Tested hay sales on First and Third Tuesday between 10 and noon with auction starting at 1pm.

 

·        Advertisement plan?

Start 1st tues of December through first Tuesday of April.

 

Late load will be tested a fee regarding tested or not.

 

How do we build a local base?

DHIA, press releases, WI state farmer insert, put in classified section of the hay and forage.

Put fliers in vet clinics, implement dealers

Get a list of email/address for announcements

Radio Stations – WBEV and WTKM advertisement – Dan Ritger has contacts

 

APPROVED TO SPEND $450 by DCFC and $450 by Dan Ritger to target the big three agriculture papers in the State.  Jason Beck made the motion, Joe Hasslinger seconded.  MOTION PASSED

 

Look at 2 percent commission and 50/50 on advertisement up to $900 total.

Hopefully the papers can cut us a deal if we are a regular add they will insert into their classified.

 

Nubidor – Young guy may do the loading/unloading and hauling.  He was very skilled with the skidsteer.

·        Perhaps a set fee for unloading/loading or increase the commission from 6 to 8 percent.

·        Handling fee of $20 per load or $1 per bale fee (or so)

 

Look into using the scale at Walmart

 

Keep the price by the bale

 

Check with hwy shop as a backup for hay sale upon bad weather.

 

Money for moving hay will be held back to offset the person using the machine and/or the implement dealer.

 

Get out of the local papers and into the state papers for advertisement

 

Put a bulletin sign up announcing hay sale dates near the location

 

Sheboygan County received advertisement from Ritger as well.

 

CHECK WITH LABS REGARDING TESTED HAY AUCTION NIR MACHINE

We’re a non-profit

 

Advertise western/Canada hay – high quality - IF POSSIBLE

Guaranteed sale

 

Advertising in E- Hay and Forage paper.

 

We were shooting to break even the first year.  We came out better than expected.

 

Get estimated costs from papers

Put ad in the classified rather than the auction section of the paper

 

 

 

 

 

Discuss Winter Annual meeting Feb 5th, 2010

 

o       Coated alfalfa seed – What’s the story with ˝ bag of actual seed?

o       Fall seeding pros and cons – Matt Hanson

 

o       Compaction in fields – Liquid manure on fields this spring (Dick Wolkowski) fields were too wet.

 

o       Dennis Frame?

 

o       Economics of everything.  Working, seed costs, fert costs, land value, rent, depreciation, moisture cost, trucking cost, borrowed money, return on investment.  What does it cost to raise a bushel of corn, or a ton of alfalfa – Jason Beck

 

o       Also equipment costs, depreciation, interest, expected costs for repair ect.

 

o       Market price update

 

o       Would you feed your cattle dirt??  Ash in feed

 

o       Feed refusal study – dairy and beef study

 

o       Lot of people not feeding protein right now
Bean meal has been over $500 per ton

 

o       80 percent trade for roasted beans.  You grow and exchange for 80 percent roasted beans.

 

Future topics for field days

Round up Ready Alfalfa

Corn crop variability – what to do with field variability

Root pit – Brian Briski (NRCS)

Aphanomyces Race II update.

Management of new seeding

Tiling and drainage – Benefits- concerns with FSA and NRCS

What to expect if you skimp on fertilizer in 2009 with 2010 yields – perhaps a winter meeting topic

 

 

 

Other Discussion topics

$520 per ton Potash  $0.43 per pound

 

The difference in price between 520 and 450 would be about $7 per acre.  Spread now when the soils are fit.

 

Prices have bottomed out on everything but Potash perhaps.  N products are as cheap as they will get.  Going to be very difficult to get N this spring because there just isn’t much movement on the rivers because of the stronger market overseas.

 

Gary Sipiorski mentioned that commercial loans will be the next to take a great hit.  Residential homes are starting to flatten out.

 

Come the end of the year, land rents, taxes, prepays, other things come due.  This will be an interesting winter.

 

10 to 25 cents negative basis on corn.

 

Ethanol plants are positive basis over Chicago.

Last year 5 cents per point per bushel.  May be around 4 cents per point per bushel.

 

 

Discuss 2010 Twilight Meeting – Host or let Fond du Lac Host?

 

Mersch provided some recommendations of dairy’s including:

 

·        S&S Dairy near Alto  - Schmitts

·        B and B Dairy – Brad and Beary Harmson near Hwy 49

·        Dick Wetzel – Alto Area

 

Ron Wiskerchen said NO

 

Let Rankin know that we will host in 2010

 

Past Twilight Meetings

Fond du Lac

Bonlander

Rinders

 

Dodge County

Oechsner

Christians

 

 

Jason is willing to host Hay Expo.  He has 110 acres of hay perfect for the show.

 

POTENTIAL FIELD STUDY – Coated seed versus uncoated seed.

 

-Other New Business?

 

Adjourn  Joe, Dale second passed 10:30 pm

 

 

Future Meeting Dates

 

December 2nd DCFC meeting  8pm UWEX Office Bring X-mas Cookies

January 6th DCFC meeting to finalize the annual meeting if needed

Feb 5 or 12 will be the DCFC Annual Meeting