P6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 13,1984
BUSINESS NE
New insulated fan covers for hog confinement buildings
hold in heat and keep out cold.
Insulated fan covers cited
DELPHIA, IND. - Two
amazing space age materials have
been joined together to produce
new insulated fan covers with an R
factor of 8 for use in hog con
finement buildings. They have just
been introduced by National
Building Systems, Inc., P.O. Box
256, Delphi, Ind., a division of
Underhill Industries, Inc. They are
available in two sizes: for 24-inch
and for 18-inch fans.
The new insulated fan covers are
considerably less thick and bulky
than those previously on the
market, but they hold in heat and
keep out winter cold much better.
A recent independent
engineering study found that these
new fan covers are so efficient in
Tillage system makes no difference
BLOOMINGTON, 11. - Quality
com hybrids that yield well in
conventional tillage are the ones
growers using conservation
methods will want to plant.
Com breeders back that claim
with five years of research at lowa
State University, Meanwhile,
testing continues at an lowa
commercial com breeding station
comparing tillage practices and
developing all-round, cold tolerant
and disease and insect resistant
hybrids.
Arnold Hallauer, research
geneticist with USDA in Ames,
lowa, concluded there was no
interaction of hybrids with tillage
systems after reviewing 14 popular
Com Belt maturity hybrids from
1979-83 at ISU. Each hybrid was
planted into four continuous com
plots. Seedbeds were prepared
with fall plowing and spring
disking, just spring disking, and
they were no-tilled and strip-tilled.
All locations received 100 lbs of
potassium and phosphorus per
acre based on soil test recom
mendations for the fine, loamy
mix, and 180 lbs of nitrogen. Plots
were seeded for populations of
24,000 plants/acre and the same
herbicide and insecticide treat
ments were applied.
“We saw significant differences
retaining building heat that they
pay for themselves in energy
savings in about a year and a half,
according to Robert Landis of
National Building Systems.
The exterior of the fan covers is
a completely new aluminum
material that is not affected by the
ultra-violet rays of the sun and is
water, mildew and fire-resistant.
Although less than ‘2 inch thick,
the revolutionary insulation
material, called Astro-Blanket
provides the same amount of in
sulation as other insulation
materials several inches thick.
The new insulated covers are
contour-shaped and finished with
convenient attachment tabs that
make them easy to install without
tools.
in tillage systems with hybrids
planted in fall plowing and spring
disking systems producing higher
yields, better stands and lower
grain moisture,” Hallauer says.
But those same hybrids that did
the best in fall plowed and spring
tilled ground also were better
performers in no-till and strip
tilled plots.
For example, the five-year
average of the highest yielding
hybrid was 113 bu/acre on spring
disking, while on no-till, yields
were only 96 bu/acre. Stands were
21,000 plants/acre on spring disk,
19,700 plants/acre on no-till. And
harvest moisture was 29.2 percent
on spring disk and 31.8 percent on
no-till.
The five-year average for a low
yielding hybrid on spring disked
ground was 105 bu/acre and 88
bu/acre on no-till, with
correspondingly lower plant
populations and higher grain
moisture.
“We’re not sure why the dif
ferences were significant,” says
HaUauer. “Yield variation among
tillage systems tells me that
something may be affecting
nitrogen uptake and root growth.
There may be soil compaction in
no-till and strip-till and not much
soil aeration. There might be toxic
• ••
Agway
SYRACUSE, NY A unique
new concept in dairy cattle
nutrition has been developed by
Agway through Cooperative
Research Farms (CRF), a joint
research effort of 16 agricultural
cooperatives in the United States
and Canada. The new Pro: Right
regulated carbohydrate (RC)
feeds are aimed at helping
dairymen maximize returns from
more efficient utilization of
homegrown forages.
The RC concept calls for
regulating the amount of non
structural and structural car
bohydrate in dairy feeds to provide
an optimum “balance” of
nutrients for both the rumen
micro-organisms and the dairy
cow. A new, more accurate
measurement of carbohydrates in
ingredients used to formulate
dairy feeds has been developed
and researched.
Eight years ago, Agway in
troduced Pro: Right dairy feeds
with the regulated protein
solubility concept, which is
patented in both the United States
and Canada.
Regulated protein solubility
dairy feeds are sold throughout the
United States and Canada by
Agway and other members of
CRF Over 300.000 cows in the
A.O. Smith & Germania
MADISON, Wise. - Linking of a
computer farm management
system with an automated dairy
feeder has begun between A.O.
Smith Farm Management
Products Division and Germania
Dairy Automation, Inc.
Roger H. Zorn, Farm
Management Products Division
general manager, and Rolf W.
Reisgies, Germania Dairy
Automation president confirmed
that their companies will begin to
link A.O. Smith’s Agri-Key Dairy
Herd Management Systems with
Germania’s Scoop II automated
feeding systems this month. The
experimental program is designed
to confirm the feasibility of linking
these two products for the benefit
of farm managers, the principals
crop residue left on the soil sur
face. Or maybe cole tolerance of
some hybrids was a factor.
However, ».ere was no interaction
of hybrids with tillage systems.”
The research results lead
Hallauer to conclude it’s not
necessary to develop and test
hybrids for certain tillage systems.
“Research suggests that we
should leave some residue on the
soil surface to reduce erosion and
planting costs,” he says. “A good
spring disking would be enough,
and provide good soil moisture and
aeration. This wouldn’t be as
expensive as fall plowing.”
The geneticist points to another
study conducted in 1980 by former
graduate student, Bill Funnemark,
who is continuing corn breeding
research for Funk Seeds In
ternational in Algona, lowa.
Funnemark’s master’s thesis
focused on evaluating yield dif
ferences between cold tolerant and
non-cold tolerant hybrids m con
ventional and reduced tillage
systems.
“We assumed cold tolerant
hybrids would do better in no-till
since soils are cooler and wetter.
However, we didn’t find a lot of
difference in hybrid ' per
formance.” Funnemark «av«
(Turn to Page D 8)
introduces dairy feed
SSk. /Jm REDHOUUHS
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*
Les Kreider, Lancaster, left, and Dave Shank, Quarryville,
of Agway examine new dairy feed.
Northeast are being fed Pro: Right
Feeds, resulting in an estimated
annual increased milk income of
over $23 million for Agway
members.
Lactating dairy cows need large
amounts of energy in the form of
carbohydrates. The new Pro;
Right RC provides the right
balance of the different forms of
protein and carbohydrates to
maximize total feed efficiency.
This provides a more profitable
ratio of pounds of grain fed to
pounds of milk produced.
linking systems
said.
The announcement was made at
the World Dairy Exposition here,
where an Agri-Key Dairy Herd
Management System is on display
with a Germania Scoop II
automated feeding system.
Zom said that the anticipated
conclusion of the program will
result in the first commercially
available “link” between A.O.
Smith’s Agri-Key systems and
Germania’s Scoop II automated
dairy feeders.
“Agri-Key systems already help
farmers take advantage of
technology to make informed
management decisions in dairy
farm operations,” Zom said.
“Adding the ability to monitor
feeding for greater profits is a
> ‘M
in picking corn
r^H
i
Results of testing at the Agway
Farm Research Center in Tully,
N.Y., showed a 13% increase m
milk production and a 10% m
crease in feed efficiency compared
with cows fed a different amount of
readily available carbohydrate,
when hay crop silage was the only
forage fed.
Agway is continuing to test new
regulated carbohydrate feeds and
will be introducing feeds for use
with other forage feeding
programs soon.
natural next step for us to
assume.”
Rolf Reisgies, president of
Germania, said that automated
feeders may be used ad
vantageously by small or large
dairy farmers. “Cows have in
dividual characteristics in that
they each look, eat, and produce
differently,” he said. “Why then
should they be fed the same when
they are inherently different from
each other. Computerized feeding
is a management tool with which
you can fine-tune the feeding of
individual cows. Computer feeding
is ideal for the manager of a herd
who wants to coax the highest
possible production out of his
cows.”