D2O-Lancaster Farming Saturday, April 27,1985
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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
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one of these products in your
program be sure to follow the
supplier’s directions for use. And
don’t expect to see dramatic im
provement in the quality of your
silage.
Hay Making Helpers
While silage appears the way to
go for first cutting, for many
producers silage simply does not
fit into their program. What can
these growers do to preserve
quality in their hay crop 7
As with silage, start with a
quality product. And quality is
most closely related to the
maturity of the plants at the time
of harvest.
Bad weather can result in both
excessive dry matter losses and
losses in feeding quality. Under
ideal conditions total losses may
exceed 20 percent. But these losses
can be doubled if the crop is rained
on. But remember, early-cut hay
somewhat damaged by rain is still
likely to be much higher in total
feed value than the same crop cut
late and free of weather damage.
Losses from weather damage can
be reduced by: (1) using hay
making equipment that reduces
field curing time, and (2) un-
H ''rsta"ding and "sing existing
Bradford plans tractor course
TOWANDA - A tractor cer
tification program will be held in
May at the Bradford County Ex
tension Office, 701 South Fourth
Street.
If a youth 14 or 15 years of age
plans to work on a farm this
summer or if a farmer plans to
hire a person of this age, they may
become certified by completing
this course.
There will be four evening
sessions starting at 7 p.m. on May
8, 10, 15 and 17 and a morning
Don’t Cut Corners By Feeding
Less Than Top-Quality Feeds
To Your Cows. Tested, Proven
And Fortified FLORIN FEEDS
May Make The Difference In
Whether Your Investment Pays
Off in Bigger Profits!
IT MAKES DOLLARS AND
SENSE TO CALL US NOW!
weather aids
Hay Preservatives and
Drying Agents
The use of organic acid
preservatives such as propionic
acid or mixtures of propionic and
acetic acid, when properly applied,
can also help. The rules to follow
when using these products include
(1) don’t bale hay at a moisture
greater than 30 percent, (2) be sure
to have your equipment properly
calibrated and use the correct
amount of preservative depending
on hay moisture and (3) apply the
product uniformly throughout the
hay mass.
Hay drying agents such as
potassium or sodium carbonate
are the newest aids to hit the
market. Applied to the alfalfa
stems at the time of mowing these
materials attach the cuticle layer
on the stems causing stems to dry
at about the drying rate of the
leaves. Results on a heavy first
cutting have been less than
spectacular. But research at
Michigan, Maryland and New
Hampshire all agree that these
products when properly applied
show real promise for second and
third cuttings.
session starting at 9 a.m. Satur
day, May 18th during which a
driving test will be given.
Youth 13 years of age will be
accepted but will not receive their
certification until their fourteenth
birthday.
Contact the Extension Office for
more details, (265-2896).
Registration should be made by
April 30 either by calling or writing
A 1 Homan, at the Extension Office.
There is a charge of $3 to cover
the cost of study materials.