B3o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 25,1984
Daily
\- 1 Pipeline
\ “ I
f Glenn A. Shirk
'CX, VI Extension
Agent
Harvesting Cora
Early
Many dairymen are low on com
silage and com grain. They will be
harvesting some of their com as
early as possible, perhaps as green
chop. Others will be feeding hot,
uncured silage.
While these normally are not
recommended practices, they can
help stretch present feed supplies,
and tie a dairyman over until some
better or more economical feeds
become available.
Here are a few thoughts which
may help you make the best of a
bad situation.
Green Chopping
Corn
If you have to feed green
chopped corn, don’t be surprised if
both production and fat test drop.
Chances are, it’s lower in protein,
lower in fiber, higher in moisture,
and different in nutrient content
than what you had been feeding.
You may have difficulty getting
sufficient dry matter into the cows,
and you should be alert to other
adjustments that are necessary to
keep the ration balanced.
Don’t wait until you are com
pletely out of forage before you
start green chopping. Start while
you still have some higher protein,
higher fiber, drier forages to feed
along with the green chop. This
should help cows make better use
of the feed and reduce the risk of
digestive upsets, butterfat
depressions and production losses.
Or maybe you will want to
restrict the feeding of green
chopped com to certain groups of
cattle. Heifers, dry cows, and tail
enders probably will be affected
less by it than higher producers.
Uncnred Silage
It’s very easy to throw cows
“off” by feeding hot, uncured
silage. It’s a problem many
dairymen face, especially those
who have only one sUo, and depend
upon custom filling services. And,
once cows are off, its hard to bring
them back again!
It certainly would be nice to have
two silos and two different har
vesting dates to work with! Then,
you could always be feeding cured
silage out of one silo while the
other is being filled and cured.
In the absence of an addition silo,
you might be able to fall back on a
stack or bag to carry you through
the filling season. Yes, it may be
more inconvenient and you may
have more storage and feeding
losses. But if you can avoid
throwing your herd off, it may be
worth the extra inconvenience,
losses and costs.
To do this, you’ll need to cut
some silage early, perhaps an
earlier-planted, early maturing
field. Several weeks later, you
could then fill the other silo,
If you don’t have any early corn,
still fill a bag or more a stack for
feeding out of next year at filling
time; that’ll help you next year but
it doesn’t solve this year’s
problem. This method has the
advantage of concentrating all silo
filling activities into one period of
time.
To minimize the problems of
heating, of feeding uncured silage,
and of poor bunk life, consider
using a silage preservative,
especially on the silage you will be
feeding out first.
Some additives, such as am
monia, work as a preservative,
while also providing an economical
source of protein (NPN). However,
ammonia is dangerous to handle,
and excess amounts in the feed can
be toxic to cattle. So, if you use
ammonia, he careful, and follow
the recommendations precisely.
Immature Com
Another alternative, if you don’t
have any early com is to cut the
com at an immature stage and put
it in a stack or trench. This
material will be high in moisture,
and will be better suited to a stack
or trench where juices can escape.
To help boost the energy content of
the material,.and to help dilute the
moisture, ground ear com, or
some other dry form of energy,
could be added to the silage at time
of ensiling.
Several problems associated
with harvesting immature com
are: you sacrafice yield - that’s a
hidden cost to you, the material is
higher in moisture and it’s lower in
fiber and energy.
So, if your present silage is in
short supply, don’t cut the entire
crop at an immature stage. Limit
, this to only the amount you need
now, and as I mentioned earlier, be
sure to make any adjustments in
the ration that are necessary for
keeping it properly balanced.
As silo filling time approaches,
you still have time to make a few
decisions and adjustments which
might help carry you through this
year’s sitations and pave the way
for a better situation next yera.
Take time to think about your
situation and your options now,
rather than after silo filling time.
Erosion Control Project
covers 14 Pa. counties
CHAMBERSBURG - Franklin
County is part of the Mason-Dixon
Erosion Control Project covering
14 counties in Pennsylvania and
eight counties in Maryland and two
counties in Delaware for special
conservation assistance.
This area is rated as one of the
most productive agricultural areas
in the northeastern United States,
states John R. Akers, District
Conservationist for the Cham
bersburg Field Office of the USDA
Soil Conservation Service.
Average annual soil losses in the
Mason-Dixon Erosion Control Ares
are estimated to average 17 tons
per acre per year on unprotected
cropland. This greatly exceeds the
normally acceptable soil losses of
two to four tons per acre per year.
The Special Project Area in
Franklin County is a 161,944-acre
area located primarily in the shale
area of Franklin County. The five
townships of Hamilton, Let
terkenny, Lurgan, Montgomery,
and St. Thomas comprise the
Special Project area or about 34
percent of Franklin County.
SOME EXTRA (i
CASH! J Y
Advertise With A 'll
Lancaster Farming v/
CLASSIFIED AD...
Phone: 717-394-3047
or 717-626-1164
BUY. SELL. TRADE OB BENT THROUGH THE ——
(CLfISSII=I<EP )PK PS)
PHONE: 717-626-1164 or 717-394-3047
Mon., Tuos., Wod. 8 AM to 9 PM -
Thurs. & Frl. 7 AM to 9 PM
LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT
it SUPPLIES
■ HORSE - CATTLE ■ FLATBED TRAILERS J
- Over 150 NEW Models In Stock In 10 Brands .
I HEW WWTS "
W 2 Horse Extra Wide Thoroughbred Deluxe w/4 Wheel Brakes, Bus Windows, Spare ■
I Tire, Rain Doors $2895 I
| 2 Horse Thoroughbred Gooseneck, Fully Enclosed $3495 |
■ 4 Horse Gooseneck w/Side Load & Dressing Room $7500 ■
_ 16 ft. x 6 ft. Bumper Stock $2295 _
® 16 ft. x 6 ft. Gooseneck Stock w/'/2 Nose $2950 ®
I 16 ft. x 7 ft. Bumper Stock $3250 I
| 16 ft. x 7 ft. Gooseneck Stock w/Full Nose & Wood Lined $3750 |
■ 16 ft. Flatbed w/Tandem Axles, Brakes & Ramps $ 1295 ■
? 20 ft. x 8 ft. w/Dove Tail. 7 Ton GVW - $2350 "
■ 20 ft. x 8 ft. w/Dove Tail, 9 Ton GVW - $3500 ■
I 20 ft. x 8 ft. w/Dove Tail. 12 Ton GVW - $3975 I
| USED UNITS |
■ Rice 2 Horse Front Unload —slooo
_ Russter2Horse-StockCombination $l5OO
® Valley Gooseneck Stock $2350
I Valley 24 ft. x 7'A ft. Gooseneck Stock - $3750
Trade-ins Accepted
We Also Carry New Farm Machinery Pipe Gates Plywood
New and Used Chevy Trucks Equipped to Handle Your Loads
Free Delivery to New Holland
Open 9 to 6, six days a week CLOSED THURSDAY
B LUX STABLES Jesse R. Austin, Distributor J
■ 10214 Lanham Severn Rd., Lanham, Maryland 20706 _
■ (301)464-2574 _
■ AUGUST DISCOUNT COUPON i
B $5O CASH REFUND B
I with the purchase of any new trailer I
* Limit One Per Customer. Offer Ends 8/31/84 ■
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■l
Mason-Dixon
ROPE IN
LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT
h SUPPLIES
Some of the shale soils farmed in
the Special Project Area have less
than 20 inches of soil over shale
rock. When 40 inches is considered
a deep soil, erosion losses on these
shallow soils must be held to less
than two tons per acre per year
which is a thin sheet of less than
1/64 of an inch per acre per year.
Sheet erosion is not visible to the
naked eye. Therefore, when one
observes rills or small gullies, the
losses are three to five times the
acceptable loss per acre per year.
With above average rainfall for
June and July this year, erosion
losses have been very visible with
rills and in some places gullies
have formed since corn was
planted in the spring. It is too late
to prevent these losses but plan
ning can be done this fall to
minimize the soil erosion losses for
next year.
Anyone desiring conservation
planning or practice assistance
may contact the Soil Conservation
Service office at 550 Cleveland
Avenue, Chambersburg, or call
264-7013 for an on-farm ap
pointment.
< t
i
HVI STOCK LOUIPMINT
h SUPPI ff S