Pl4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 2,1983
Turnips & other Brassicas provide new forage
UNIVERSITY PARK - Con
servation tillage has revitalized
the use of turnips and some other
related crops as new forage crops,
according to a U.S. Department of
Agriculture agronomist.
The use of this high-yielding,
nutritious, and highly digestible
new forage was reported by Gerald
A. Jung this month in the Journal
of Soil and Water Conservation’s
special issue on conservation
tillage.
With conservation tillage, tur
nips are planted directly into the
sod of an existing pasture. Since
the roots of forage turnips grow
mostly above the ground, it is easy
for the animals to serve them
selves, said Jung of USDA’s
Agricultural Research Service,
No new crop, turnips were
brought to the U.S, by early set
tlers from Europe who knew the
value of this crop as an animal
feed. But the labor required for
planting and hand-harvesting
caused farmers of the early 1900’s
to replace turnips with less labor
intensive animal feed, like corn
silage.
Shifting from pasture to row
crops causes a significant increase
in erosion. By improving the ef
ficiency of pasture lands, this new
forage may prevent future con
version of pasture lands into use
for row crops like corn.
Forage turnips can be grazed in
all kinds of weather, said Jung,
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since the sod remaining between
the turnip rows prevents soil
compaction. Also, turnips retain
their nutritional value long after
cool-season grasses have reached
their peak. “Animals can graze
turnips until December” Jung
said.
Turnips are related to several
other members of the Brassica
family that are also under study at
USDA’s U.S. Regional Pasture
Research Laboratory. The list
includes rape, kale and rutabagas
(also called swedes).
Brassica crops are about 85% to
95% digestible by farm animals, as
predicted by standard laboratory
tests. This compares favorably to
the digestibility of good alfalfa at
70%, according to Jung.
Rutabagas and kale reach yields
of over six tons of dry matter per
acre in 189 days. Turnips and rape
produce as much as four tons (dry
weight) per acre in ninety days,
and they can be harvested twice
a year in August and November.
With good management, one acre
of 90-day-old turnips will support 20
sheep for 50 days, Jung said.
Since Brassica crops do not
compete well with grasses, an
application of herbicide is
necessary to make the sod dor
mant for a few weeks until the crop
gets started- Herbicides, such as
paraquat or glyphosate, used in
early August for establishing
turnips and rape for fall harvesting
(Continued from Page Di2>
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6-8 19,387 3 6 691
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3-3 14,419 4 3 618
3-7 19,858 3 7 731
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had no apparent carry-over effects
on the growth of the sod the next
spring. Fertilizer application is
also necessary to produce high
yields.
The high nutritional value of the
Brassicas makes them desirable
as an animal forage. Rape and
kale leaves contain up to 25%
protein, and the stems contain
about 10%. Turnip and rutabagas
have about 13% protein in the
leaves, and up about 8% protein in
DYC holds research session
DOYLESTOWN - A joint
meeting of the Northeast regions of
the American Dairy Science
Association and the American
Society of animal Science was held
recently at Delaware Valley
College. The 200 members in at
tendance came from an area that
stretched from Canada to West
Virginia.
The members are all animal or
dairy scientists who are actively
engaged in research, extension or
education in the animal and dairy
science fields. Most of the two-day
session was spent in listening to
technical research papers and
attending a symposium of
metabolism.
Highlight of the meeting was the
awards banquet. Members and
their guests were welcomed to the
college by Joshua Feldstem,
President of DVC. Principal
speaker was H. Louis Moore, Penn
State Agricultural Economist,
in his remarks, Moore said, “We
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the roots.
The mineral content of the
Brassica crops is higher than most
grasses. The leaves of Brassica
plants have high concentrations of
magnesium, sodium, iron,
manganese, and zinc. One element
that may be deficient is copper.
Further research at the U.S.
Regional Pasture Research
Laboratory by David Gustine, will
determine if goitrogenic sub
stances are present in Brassica
don’t have all the answers in
marketing.” He mentioned the
PIK program which has driven
corn prices up in the last several
months; said that he sees no
downturn in the milk supply, and
also said the Russians have only
agreed to talk to the U.S. oiTgram
sales.
“We don’t know what’s going to
happen,” he said. “Farmers are
increasingly critical of the
marketing system in this country,
because their share of the con
sumer dollar is gomg down. In
1980, it was 38 percent, in March
1983, it was 31 percent.”
Moore also said that the more
highly processed a product is, the
less the farmer is going to get. He
said, “Farmers are reluctant to
spend any money on marketing.
Hather than invest heavily with
their own money, they join co-ops,
■"' r4 ■ tend to expect the
crops,
Jung and his colleague Robert A
Byers, also with USDA’s Pasture
Laboratory, working with Willis L.
McClellan and Lynn D. Hoffman of
Penn State have successfully
grown Brassica crops in the hill
lands of Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, Ohio and Illinois. These
crops are also considered to have
good potential for central
Washington and northern Oregon,
according to Jung.
government and the processors to
bad them out if the gomg gets
tough.”
He said very few people get
involved in marketing changes
unless there’s something in it for
them. ‘•Farmers want to hold all
the cards," he said.
in closing, Moore said, "Don’t
look for- any big changes in
marketing. In the long run, ef
ficient production, advertising and
promotion will help the farmer."
In the graduate student com
petition, first place went to Cathy
Gust, PhD candidate in
reproductive physiology from
West Virginia University. Second
place went to Ken Kephart, PhD in
Animal industry, Penn State, and
third place to Chuck Curtis, PhD
candidate in Veterinary Medicine
and Epidemiology from Comell.-
H.S.
AC
PH
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