Many corn farmers are benefiting from the ethanol boom, but the cost of items like feed corn and consumables like milk, beef and breakfast cereal are being driven higher. Sugar-beet farmers are finding it difficult to grow more crop, as extra acres that open up are going into lucrative corn. A staple feed for cows, corn has more than doubled in price the past couple of years, raising feed costs and lowering the price that feedlots will pay per animal. Although corn is gobbling up...

If a county loses 35 percent or more of any crop due to drought, it may be eligible for a federal drought disaster declaration, making farmers in that county eligible for low-interest federal loans. Although corn and soybean prices are high, many southern Delaware farmers won't make a profit because they will have smaller crops to sell. Minner has to wait for the results of the Farm Service Agency assessment, due next week, before she can approach the federal government with her request....

Harvesting corn too dry (greater than 40 points DM) restricts fermentation, reduces the loss of nitrates, results in forage that is difficult to pack, and can result in excessive spoilage and poor bunk stability. Ensiling corn crop during a drought. Ensiling corn at less than 28 percent to 30 percent DM will result in excess nutrient runoff and extremely acidic silages. Carroll County Times: Westminster, Maryland , If you have already missed the optimum dry matter for harvest and the...

Due to increased fuel and corn costs, which respectively transport and feed milking cows, the prices of milk, cheese and butter have started to climb. UF animal sciences professor Charles Staples, who researches dairy cows, said corn can make up about 20 to 30 percent of their diet. Now that the federal government wants to research ethanol as a possible replacement for gasoline, corn is in high demand, he said. is used for livestock consumption, followed by human consumption and foreign...

While dairy farmers said they needed the greater-yielding corn to maintain a competitive edge, organic growers said they feared for the health of Maine s residents. Bt corn which is used only for cow feed, not for human consumption is genetically engineered to produce pesticidal proteins from the naturally occurring soil-borne Bt bacteria that kill certain insects. Members of the BPC said they recognized that Bt corn may require special management because of concerns the pollen may drift...

Before considering any type of harvest, check with both your insurance agent and local FSA office so you don t disqualify yourself from any supplemental payments. It s really important to get the moisture content right for either harvest option and getting it dry enough for hay may be especially difficult. If you have a lot more ruined corn than you have cattle to consume it, build a fence around the entire field as you would when grazing stalks in winter. While wind, hail, floods and...