News

Wisconsin hay quality and quantity varies by region

Wisconsin farmers are having varied results producing hay this summer, depending on if their part of the state received timely rains.

Brody Stapel is the Edge Dairy Farmers Cooperative President and farms near Cedar Grove, in southeastern Wisconsin.  He tells Brownfield he’s trying for five cuttings this year. “Second was small for sure. Third was better than second but not as good as first. We made a lot of feed on first cutting.”

Stapel says his fourth crop is up next, but it’s getting extremely dry. “We’ve had a tenth (of an inch) in the last two weeks.”

Darrell Javorek with Johnson Creek Dairy near Mosinee tells Brownfield his third crop was wrapped up a week ago, and he’ll take one more cutting. “Our first and second were not good because the rain went around us. We got three-tenths of an inch in three weeks. First was okay. Second was bad. Third was phenomenal.”

And, Javorek says he’s very optimistic about his other crops. “Everything is fantastic. My BMR corn silages look like they’re going to run 20 tons at least, maybe even better on some fields.”

Most of Wisconsin has a dry forecast for the next week.