How to salvage drought-damaged corn NEWARK, Del. - Drought damage to developing corn occurs because of a combination of moisture stress as well as high temperatures. July and August provided both conditions. On dairy farms, this drought stunted corn may best be used as ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT Kubota has the field covered with dozens of diesel tractors, from 10 to 76 PTO horsepower. And while they may vary in size, some things are the same on every model. The Kubota diesel engine, for example. ! It’s sturdy and dependable, one of the most fuel cffident diesel engines anywhere. And not only does it use little fuel, it requires little maintenance. There’s less noise and vibration too. PENNSYLVANIA BENEDICT’S FORD TRACTOR R.D.2 Wellsboro, PA 16901 717/724-2839 BERKLEIGH POWER EQUIP., CO., INC. 10 S. 2nd Ave W. Reading, PA 19611 215/376-6506 NORMAN D. CLARK & SON, INC. Honey Grove, PA 17035 717/734-3682 PAULW. HISTANDCO., INC. 697 N. Mam St., Box 795 Doylestown, PA 18901 215/348-9041 KELLER BROS. TRACTOR CO. K.D. #7, Lebanon, FA 17042 717/949-6501 730 S. Broad St, Latitz, PA 17543 717/626-2121 silage, says University of Delaware extension dairy specialist, Dr. George Haenlein. If there is little or no gram on the stalks, the crop is essentially a forage crop and should be ensiled at between 60 and 65 percent, moisture, he says. MARSHALL MACHINERY, INC. R.D.M Honesdale, PA 18431 717/729-7117 O.C.RICE, INC. 104 N. Mam St., P.O. Box'C” Biglerville, PA 17307 717/677-8135 RISHEL’S SALES & SERVICE R.D. #2, Spring Mills, PA 16875 814/422-8826 State College, PA 16801 814/238-7788 SEBRING’S POWER HOUSE North Fifth At Ave. "C” Stroudsburg, PA 18360 717/421-8980 STRALEY FARM SUPPLY, INC. 1760 East Canal Koad Dover, PA 17315 717/292-4443 or 292-2631 THOMAS POWER EQUIPMENT So. Penna. Ave., Box 546 Avondale, PA 19311 215/268-2181 If there are many dry lea\es. it should be chopped fine to ensure uniform distribution of plant parts and good packing in the silo If moisture content is below 55 to 60 percent, add water while filling However, except in these cases, the specialist recommends coarser So take a look. There’s a diesel-powered Kubota in your size. E3KUBOTB Nothing like it on earth? TRACTOR PARTS COMPANY 355 Central Road Bloomsburg, PA 17815 717/784-0250 NEW JERSEY MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS 1320 Route 38 Hamesport, NJ 08038 609/267-6100 PONIATOWSKI BROS. EQUIP. CO. Route 31 & Church Street Fleimngton, NJ 08822 201/782-3514 MARYLAND A6-IND. EQUIPMENT CO., INC. 1207 Telegraph Road Rising Sun, MD 21911 301/658-5568 & 398-6132 215/869-3542 ARNETT’S GARAGE Rt. 9, Box 126 Hagerstown, MD 217-10 301/733-0515 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 24,1983—D15 i hupping The reason tor this is that coarse chop corn silage ior ha>lagei maintains fat lest in the milk b*‘U"r than other feed Ha> the onl\ other good source of long fiber—is Ukel> lobe in short supply this jear, so it's even more im portant to chop corn stalks coar sely if possible,' Haenlein sa>s With a lower silo >ou re limited because if they re too coarse lhe> won't blow But this is not a problem with a trench silo The feed \alue of properly harvested and stored stressed com is acceptable, he says Total digestible nutrients (TDNi will be around 60 percent and protein content can be higher than in normal corn silage Because of variability in plant growth and stages of development, he recommends a forage nutrient test to balance a feeding ration Of course, the tonnage and total nutrient yield per acre are much decreased in manv fields this > ear Nitrate poisoning from feeding drought-stricken com is always a concern of farmers However, this should not be a problem if precautions are followed First, nitrate levels can be elevated for three to five da>s following a recovery rain Therefore, do not green chop or feed stressed com for a week following rain The ensiling process will lower nitrate levels, but feeding should be delayed until after the ensiling fermentation process is com pleted. This usually lakes two to four weeks. Silo gas is a real danger lo humans and livestock—especially if the silage crop is suspected of being high in nitrates. Haenlem says it is important for producers lo fully understand this danger and how to avoid it
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