12-14 IAN Complicated Farming

  I will tell you that I am totally intimidated when it comes to farming because you have to be aware on so many levels. Take an example such as, what do I plant next year?

 You may be looking at the question of what to plant next year. How do you look at it? It’s not just a decision that is made on what you have done in the past. The past is the past and the times are changing. Listen in on a conversation that I had with  Northwest Farm Credit Services Knowledge Center Coordinator Matthew Kloes. I’m a dairy farmer so my sources of feed are either corn or alfalfa is that correct? Primarily they will be feeding corn and hay but a number of alternative feeds are available and certainly dairies have become more creative with what they are feeding to their cows at this point. Yes but Matt, with the whole ethanol thing, how does corn compete with hay? I don’t have the exact answer to that. Corn will compete directly with alfalfa as far as a protein source. Whatever is cheaper is going to be what is fed. The lower corn prices that we have seen of late are making alfalfa a little less competitive in the feed market.