D2O-Lancaster Farming Saturday, April 27,1985 $ % By Dr. John E. Baylor Director of Market Development Beachley-Hardy Seed Company Within the next 2 to 4 weeks alfalfa growers throughout the Northeast will be harvesting that big first cutting of 1985. Based on longtime averages for a 3-cut harvest system that first crop represents about 40 percent of the total annual production. In a 4-cut management system it ususally represents 30 percent or more of the season’s crop. In either case it represents a big crop that you can’t afford to lose to bad weather. Thus, a question on the minds of many farmers is “How can I manage that first cutting to minimize losses?” Direct Cut Silage Wilted Silage (60-70% H2O) Low Moisture Silage (45-60% H 2 O) Barn-dried Hay Field Cured Hay Thus, regardless of how you handle your first cutting you can expect some losses. But based on the best data available these losses will be less and your total seasonal yields higher if you store that first cut in the form of wilted or low moisture silage. Top producers in the Penn sylvania Alfalfa Grower’s Certain Losses Inevitable Some losses in either silage or hay making are unavoidable. For example, when the alfalfa plant is cut it continues to respire. Thus, respiration losses are inevitable, regardless of how the crop is handled, as long as the plant cells are alive. And in many cases this may represent a sizable loss, possibly up to 8-10 percent of the original dry matter in the crop. This loss is usually included as a harvest or storage loss. Estimated total losses for alfalfa harvested and stored as either silage or hay are about as follows: Field & Harvest Losses Storage Losses 4- 5- 15-20 10-11 7-8 8-10 15-18 12-18 5-7 17-25 20 - 25 5 - 7 25 - 30+ Program seem to agree. For example, of the top 50 growers over a 5 year period 47 stored one or more cuttings, including the first harvest, in the form of hay crop silage. Nineteen stored all cuttings as hay crop silage while only 3 were in an all hay program Silage Making Practices How can you consistently make top quality hay crop silage? There’s no magic formula. But following these rules should help you keep losses to a minimum: 1. Start with a crop of high quality. 2. Harvest at the proper stage of maturity - full bud to very early bloom. 3. Field dry to 65% moisture or less to produce either a wilted or low-moisture silage, or if you do direct cut, use a feed additive such as corn and cob meal. 4. Chop relatively fine. Recent studies suggest a theoretical cut of V and keep the knives and shear bar sharp. This particular size seems to result in more effective fiber for rumination than the very fine cut. 5. Provide a tight silo to exclude air and water. 6. Used covered wagons to prevent excessive leaf loss in the field. Alfalfa leaves make ex pensive mulch. 7. Fill silo rapidly and pack thoroughly. Distribute evenly in silo. 8. Use a suitable seal to exclude air. « 9. If you’re storing silage in a conventional upright or horizontal silo leave the silage undisturbed until ready to use the feed. During the past several years a number of microbial products containing lactic acid-producing organisms (bacteria) have been put on the market. Several of these appear to offer some potential for reducing ensilage losses of dry m atter and especially protein. Acidity of the silage often appears to be increased and general silage quality improved. If you do include Total Losses 19-25 15-18 PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT! You Have A Considerable Investment In Your Dairy Herd... In Your Milking Parlor, In Modern Milking and Cooling Equipment And All The Other Tools Necessary For Modern Dairying... Protect Your Investment With £ko£} I