MONROE - Almost 95 percent of the dairy farmers in Green County grow all their own feed. As a result, current drought conditions are threatening not only crops but also the future of dairy herds.
Bert Paris, Belleville, is one of the few who doesn't rely on growing his own feed; he budgets to buy corn and to top off his hay supply for winter feeding. He now thinks he'll have to increase that feed budget.
"In a year like this, I'll still save money," he said. "If I had planted it, I'd be paying for it twice."
Paris began "management-intensive grazing" in 1993, turning from traditional dairy herd feeding to full grazing, rotating 80 cows from one small pasture area to the next every 12 hours. He raises about two-thirds of his hay to feed in the winter.
Now he is watching day by day and "waiting to see what is going to happen to all this corn."
Recording-breaking temperatures and the continuing lack of rain last week thrust stateline counties into a moderate drought condition. Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency in 42 southern counties Monday, July 9, a measure that allows for quicker issuance of irrigation permits for farmers to temporarily use stream or lake water. The declaration is good for 60 days.
Non-irrigated crops in the drought-stricken portions of the state were in very poor condition, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday. Many Wisconsin agriculture reports to the USDA noted early planted crops were hanging on, but late planted crops were stunted and stressed. Soil moisture was 95-100 percent short to very short in four of the nine reporting districts. Pastures in these areas were in very poor condition as well, adding to the stress on herds.
Three weeks ago, Paris decided to break from his regular pasture rotation and put his cows out to graze on the second crop of his alfalfa-grass blend fields - he is essentially feeding them part of their winter hay supply, but by doing so, he is saving the cost of cutting and baling the hay.
"I would just have to turn around and feed it to them right away, anyway," he said. He estimates the fields will last another three weeks.
Pasture grass, although it's brown and crunchy, doesn't actually die from the lack of rain; it goes dormant. If the county gets rain, even by early September, the pastures will come back, Paris said.
"It's still early (in the season), only mid-July," he added.
But that's not the case with corn. The USDA reports rainfall in the Madison area is almost 5 inches below normal. Corn is curling in the extreme heat, and corn on light soils was reportedly in need of additional moisture even in areas that have received rain.
"I feel sorry for the guys who planted corn," Paris said, "and then have to buy it. (Rotational) grazing helps even in this situation, even if the pastures are dry."
Green County Farm Bureau president Jeff Ditzenberger said the current drought condition is "not a good situation," but farmers are an optimistic bunch.
"Farming is always a challenge, and farmers are used to that," he said, "even though some of them are now checking their crop insurance."
Corn in the southern regions is about 6-14 inches taller than the five-year state average of 45 inches and tasseling, and corn silks are emerging well ahead of the normal schedule. Many fields of corn and beans across Green County late last week still looked surprisingly good, even next to other fields that looked dismal.
Ditzenberger and his wife, Marie, farm outside Monticello. He said Marie manages the dairy herd and uses a modified pasture rotation system. Even though the pastures are hurt, their cows were able to find patches of grass under trees and near a brook during the sweltering heat.
Ditzenberger is the "crop guy" and produces corn silage and alfalfa hay, about 75 percent of the feed for the herd of 200. The extra feed is bought in bulk and under contracted prices, which "makes or breaks the bottom line," he added.
"You need to look at the cost of your product, the number of cows you have and the feed you have on hand," he said.
Every farmer is looking to cull cows that aren't producing - either milk or calves. "Freeloaders have to go," he said.
Paris said his milk production was down about 10 percent during the extremely hot days last week; Ditzenberger estimated their milk was down 12 percent by the end of last week.
To extend his feed supply, Paris said he would sell of some cows this fall, depending upon the price cattle are bringing at that time, and if the price of feed goes too high, he has the option of selling an extra 20 head.
Paris compared this summer to that in 1988, when farmers lost nearly all of their corn crop.
"It was awful," Paris said. He sold all his cows in the spring of 1989, so he didn't have to buy feed. Six months later, he was back into the business.
One criterion for keeping a cow is whether she has become pregnant. Bulls sometimes "get lazy" in the heat, Ditzenberger said.
To keep his cows cool during the hot days, Paris said he pulled them into the barn for shade and water sprinkling, releasing them to the pastures again when they were hungry. He said his bull is still servicing the cows, but he's a little nervous about which cows are taking. In a normal year, about five cows wouldn't get pregnant, and he hasn't tested for pregnancy in the past couple of years.
This spring, Paris noticed a period of time in which no calves were born, and he said other farmers mentioned the same phenomenon. He suspects a hot period in the summer of 2011 was to blame.
This year, he plans to pregnancy test to help him determine which cows will go to sale.
Ditzenberger is advising farmers to focus on the things they can control to get through this harsh period.
"You can face these challenges head on, or let them consume you," he said. "You can't control the weather and you can't control your (selling) prices, but you can control your input (costs).
"Remember, each farmer is feeding 155 people. That's a big responsibility," he said.
Bert Paris, Belleville, is one of the few who doesn't rely on growing his own feed; he budgets to buy corn and to top off his hay supply for winter feeding. He now thinks he'll have to increase that feed budget.
"In a year like this, I'll still save money," he said. "If I had planted it, I'd be paying for it twice."
Paris began "management-intensive grazing" in 1993, turning from traditional dairy herd feeding to full grazing, rotating 80 cows from one small pasture area to the next every 12 hours. He raises about two-thirds of his hay to feed in the winter.
Now he is watching day by day and "waiting to see what is going to happen to all this corn."
Recording-breaking temperatures and the continuing lack of rain last week thrust stateline counties into a moderate drought condition. Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency in 42 southern counties Monday, July 9, a measure that allows for quicker issuance of irrigation permits for farmers to temporarily use stream or lake water. The declaration is good for 60 days.
Non-irrigated crops in the drought-stricken portions of the state were in very poor condition, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday. Many Wisconsin agriculture reports to the USDA noted early planted crops were hanging on, but late planted crops were stunted and stressed. Soil moisture was 95-100 percent short to very short in four of the nine reporting districts. Pastures in these areas were in very poor condition as well, adding to the stress on herds.
Three weeks ago, Paris decided to break from his regular pasture rotation and put his cows out to graze on the second crop of his alfalfa-grass blend fields - he is essentially feeding them part of their winter hay supply, but by doing so, he is saving the cost of cutting and baling the hay.
"I would just have to turn around and feed it to them right away, anyway," he said. He estimates the fields will last another three weeks.
Pasture grass, although it's brown and crunchy, doesn't actually die from the lack of rain; it goes dormant. If the county gets rain, even by early September, the pastures will come back, Paris said.
"It's still early (in the season), only mid-July," he added.
But that's not the case with corn. The USDA reports rainfall in the Madison area is almost 5 inches below normal. Corn is curling in the extreme heat, and corn on light soils was reportedly in need of additional moisture even in areas that have received rain.
"I feel sorry for the guys who planted corn," Paris said, "and then have to buy it. (Rotational) grazing helps even in this situation, even if the pastures are dry."
Green County Farm Bureau president Jeff Ditzenberger said the current drought condition is "not a good situation," but farmers are an optimistic bunch.
"Farming is always a challenge, and farmers are used to that," he said, "even though some of them are now checking their crop insurance."
Corn in the southern regions is about 6-14 inches taller than the five-year state average of 45 inches and tasseling, and corn silks are emerging well ahead of the normal schedule. Many fields of corn and beans across Green County late last week still looked surprisingly good, even next to other fields that looked dismal.
Ditzenberger and his wife, Marie, farm outside Monticello. He said Marie manages the dairy herd and uses a modified pasture rotation system. Even though the pastures are hurt, their cows were able to find patches of grass under trees and near a brook during the sweltering heat.
Ditzenberger is the "crop guy" and produces corn silage and alfalfa hay, about 75 percent of the feed for the herd of 200. The extra feed is bought in bulk and under contracted prices, which "makes or breaks the bottom line," he added.
"You need to look at the cost of your product, the number of cows you have and the feed you have on hand," he said.
Every farmer is looking to cull cows that aren't producing - either milk or calves. "Freeloaders have to go," he said.
Paris said his milk production was down about 10 percent during the extremely hot days last week; Ditzenberger estimated their milk was down 12 percent by the end of last week.
To extend his feed supply, Paris said he would sell of some cows this fall, depending upon the price cattle are bringing at that time, and if the price of feed goes too high, he has the option of selling an extra 20 head.
Paris compared this summer to that in 1988, when farmers lost nearly all of their corn crop.
"It was awful," Paris said. He sold all his cows in the spring of 1989, so he didn't have to buy feed. Six months later, he was back into the business.
One criterion for keeping a cow is whether she has become pregnant. Bulls sometimes "get lazy" in the heat, Ditzenberger said.
To keep his cows cool during the hot days, Paris said he pulled them into the barn for shade and water sprinkling, releasing them to the pastures again when they were hungry. He said his bull is still servicing the cows, but he's a little nervous about which cows are taking. In a normal year, about five cows wouldn't get pregnant, and he hasn't tested for pregnancy in the past couple of years.
This spring, Paris noticed a period of time in which no calves were born, and he said other farmers mentioned the same phenomenon. He suspects a hot period in the summer of 2011 was to blame.
This year, he plans to pregnancy test to help him determine which cows will go to sale.
Ditzenberger is advising farmers to focus on the things they can control to get through this harsh period.
"You can face these challenges head on, or let them consume you," he said. "You can't control the weather and you can't control your (selling) prices, but you can control your input (costs).
"Remember, each farmer is feeding 155 people. That's a big responsibility," he said.