A36—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 16,1981 LANCASTER Was there more ryelage harvesting than usual in Lancaster and surrounding counties this year? If the number of choppers - both pull-type and self-propelled - spotted in fields recently is any indication, the cutting of rye for silage is definitely up. John Baylor, Extension agronomist at Penn State, echoes the observation. “I haven’t seen any figures or data but I would expect that due to last season’s drought and the resulting shortage of feed, a lot more farmers planted rye as a winter cover for chopping this spring,” he said. With the double-cropping .of the rye in com fields, these farmers not only got added production efficiency out of their fields, but got a head start on the refilling of silos, whose drought-diminished levels were drawn down more than usual over the past winter. “Rye is about the best cover crop for this area,” according to Baylor, “because it is more resistant to atrazme than the other cereral crops.” But there are a couple of tricks of-the-trade that are important in the harvesting of the ryelage, Basdorjuided. Ftjfcthe rye should be har vested «|iir the proper stage of The best time for get top protein and preferably with a "mower-conditioner to aid the wilting, is just before the rye heads. It then can be wilted to about 55 percent moisture before ensiling. After the rye hea%r its value as a feed drops along with its nirtaHeßy the herd. Also, since rye ..is a hollow stemmed plant, it’s recommended that good silage-making-practices be followed, including a fine chop, effective packing and fast, proper sealing in the silo. Quality LEHR „Jl™,, NEW EQUIPMENT IN STOCK 2 & 22 LOADER • Two rugged loaders fit 90% FROM THE of all tractors made in the last ORIGINATOR OF 20years. THE QUICK-ON. • Pickup this loader and mount QUICK OFF LOADER, on your tractor and save. Tomorrows CultiMulcher today! Shock mm m mmmmm absorbing modular design. Built to work all day without a break. ffiEH BINKUY & HURST BROS. 133 Rothsville Station Rd., Lititz, PA 17543 /\ Ph; (717) 626-4705 /r!\ Business Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 AM to 5 PM; Sat. 7 AM to 11:30 Ryelage harvesting on upswing The level of wilt needs to be watched since over-wilting causes an excessive loss in weight and makes good packing even more difficult. As far as the feeding is con cerned, ryelage likely will need to be supplemented according to the nutritive value of a particular harvest. It provides higher protein than com but less than alfalfa certainly. It is also lower in energy than com. In general, cereal crops har vested as silage have lower nutritive value than the legumes and com and will need to be sup plemented. Will the harvesting of -ryelage become an increasing trend in the future? There are several indications that it may. First, last year’s drought plagued growing season showed that the harvesting of rye or other cereal crops can provide a good head start at replenishing supplies. As more and more emphasis is placed on preventing soil erosion, the importance of rye as a winter cover sandwiched between com crops will correspondingly in crease. Finally, today’s farm economics more and more are dictating that existing land resources be utilized as efficiently as possible. And double-cropping rye and corn is one way to get that added value.— DA This harvesting scene of chopping rye for drought-diminished feed supplies. Increasing silage was quite common in Lancaster and concern over soil erosion is also boosting rye surrounding counties recently as farmers as a winter cover between corn crops, sought to get a head start on replenishing their ROHRER'S ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR BANVEL For post-emergence weed control on com... Donverheibicide... ...alone or tank-mixed with 2,4-D (depending on your weed problem): ...to control tough, late germinating broadleof weeds. ...to cover misses of pre-emergence herbicide application, ...to get control where weather or other factors make earlier application impossible. P. L. ROHRER & BRO., INC. SMOKETOWN, PA ...to moke sure that late weeds cannot mature to become the nursery for next year's weed crop. PH: 717-299-2571 Ask us for application details about Danvel herbicide...from Velsicoi. Note: Before using any pesticide, read the label.
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