AlSAmcastar Farming, Saturday, August 16,1986
NEWARK, Del. - The hum of
forage harvesters chopping the ‘BB
crop has already begun on
Delmarva. “Keeping knives sharp
and adjusting the shear bar is the
key to harvesting silage ef
ficiently,” says University of
Delaware extension agricultural
engineer Tom Williams. “And
keeping hands and feet out of
moving machinery is the key to
harvesting safely.”
Williams recommends shar
pening the knives at least once a
day - more if the forage is ex
tremely dry. “Every time you
sharpen the knives, adjust the
shear bar to the minimum
recommended clearance,” he
says. “Doing this can cut fuel costs
hy up to 30 percent. When the
center of the bar wears beyond the
clearance limits, reverse it to
expose a new edge, or replace it
with a new bar. Tungsten-coated
mes wear more slowly than other
types."
Since the time spent sharpening
and adjusting shear bars is made
up for in improved cutting and
lower fuel consumption, it pays to
notice when the load on the engine
seems to be increasing. That
means it’s probably time to
resharpen. Hydraulic or electric
knife grinders and simplified shear
bar adjustments make it easier to
keep cutters in top shape.
“When sharpening, it isn’t
necessary to remove every nick
and dent, but it is important to
grind the entire length of the
knife,” Williams says. “Grinders
that can’t sharpen the ends make
minimum clearance adjustments
impossible in the center of the
knives.”
The length of the cut also affects
fuel and power requirements.
Going from a half-inch cut to a
quarter-inch cut will increase
power requirements by as much as
onethird. “But energy isn’t the
only factor to consider when
choosing cutting length,” the
Forage Tent
Activities
Announced
This year at Ag Progress Days
events at the Forage Tent include:
• Pennsylvania Hay Show- up to
30 classes of hay will be Judged on
Tuesday, August 19. Samples
should be brought in before 10:00
a.m. on that day. If you would like
to participate, contact your county
agent for entry forms, rules and
regulations.
• MIR Van - the van will be
available to run analysis on any
fanners samples that are brought
in. Also, we will have the complete
program available for balancing
rations.
• Living weed and forage plan
display - examples of many weeds
will be on display. You can also see
a living display of common forage
plants. Penn State experts will be
on hand to answer your questions.
Think Safety When Harvesting Forage
engineer says. “Also consider
storage quality in the silo, the
limitations of your handling
equipment, and the effect on
livestock feed intake and
production.”
Forage containing 65 percent or
more moisture can be cut a half
inch long and still store well. Sixty
percent or less moisture in silage
needs finer chopping to pack well.
Also, silo capacity and handling
capacity are reduced when silage
is cut longer. Under most con
’ ditions, Williams says, quarter- to
half-inch cuts produce excellent
silage or haylage at a reasonable
energy cost, but chopping finer
than that is undesirable.
The engineer also stresses the
need to take proper safety
measures, particularly when
sharpening knives. “Wear eye
. protection - especially if you have
to remove any shields. Keep your
hands, arms and head away from
the opening, and don’t let anything
fall into the knives,” he warns.
Block the cylinder cutterhead
when replacing or repairing
knives, so the knives can’t move
unexpectedly. Because the knives
are free-wheeling and continue to
move after the power is shut off, it
may be tempting to stick a broom
handle or stick into the knives to knives, or chips of wood can be
Tiring them to a quick stop. thrown back at you. Always let the
"Don’t do it,” warns Williams, knives come to a complete stop on
“Your hands can be jerked into the their own.
Weekly Summary
Harrisburg, PA
Friday, August 15
Report supplied by PD A
15 Livestock Markets
CATTLE: 6721. Compared with
6135 head last week, and 5864 head
a year ago. SI. steers mostly
steadytp 1.00 higher; same spots to
3.00 higher; si. heifers, cows and
bullocks steady to 1.00 higher;
bulls mostly steady; High Choice &
Prime No. 2-4 si. steers 62.0fMJ5.00;
Choice 58.00-62.50; Good 56.0fM9.25
with some down to 50.00; Standard
45.00- Choice si. heifers 53.00-
58.50; Good 48.00-54.50; Standard
42.00- Breaking Utility &
Commercial si. cows 36.00-40.00,
few to 41.50; Cutter & Boning
Utility 34.00-39.50; Canner & Low
Cutter 30.00-35.50; shells down to
25.00; Choice si. bullocks 52.00-
54.85; Good 46.0fM1.00; YG No. 1,
DEKALB-PFIZER ««
GENETICS
120
• Your best choice for top
yields
• Outstanding winter hardin*
• Developed for long-term
stands
• Fine stemmed and leafy fr
high quality hay
• Features fast, thick regrow'
• Excellent phytophthora rr
rot resistance
DK-135 "gSSg-^
• Verticillium wilt resistance
• Excellent yields
• Good anthracnose and
phytophthora resistance
• Bred for long rotations
• Lush, leafy forage
• Fast recovery after cutting
"DEKALB” is a registered brand name Numbers designate varieties or blends As a condition of sale, please note statement of limited
warranty and remedy on DEKALB-PFIZER GENETICS orders and tags
YOUR DEKALB PFIZER GENETICS
NAUR HAS MORI INFORMATION
CONTACT HIM NOW
FOR FAST STARTING. TOP YIELDING. WINTER
HARDINESS, LONGEVITY AND HIGH PROTEIN
PLANT DEKALB ALFALFAS
1000-2300 lb. si. bulls 44.00-51.75;
YG No. 2,900-1600 lb. 40.0046.00.
FEEDER CATTLE: Med.
Frame No. 1, 400-800 lb. feeder
steers 45.00-57.00, few to 64.00;
Med. Frame No. 1, 300-800 lb.
feeder heifers 45.00-56.00; Med.
Frame No. 1, 400-800 lb. feeder
bulls 46.00-58.00.
CALVES: 3968. Compared with
4003 head last week and 4382 head a
year ago. Vealers uneven, mostly
steady to 2.00 lower; few Prime
vealers 76.00-90.00; Choice 65.00-
78.00; Good 50.0045.00; Standard &
Good 110-130 lb. 45.0045.00; 90-110
lb. 40.0047.50; 6545 lb. 34.0043.50;
Utility 50-100 lb. 25.0048.00, few
down to 20.00.
FARM CALVES: Holstein bulls
90-130 lb. 45.0041.00, mostly 58.00-
85.00; holstein heifers 90-125 lb.
48.0047.00; few beef cross bulls
and heifers 50-110 lb. 45.0045.00.
HOGS: 4511. Compared with 4904
THIS FALL
head last week and 5754 head a
year ago. Barrows & gilts 1.00-2.00
higher; US No. 1-2,210-245 lb. 64.00
65.75; No. 1-3, 215-250 lb. 62.00
64.00; No. 2-3, 220-265 lb. 60.00
63.00; No. 24, 230-285 lb. 57.00
60.00; No. 1-3, 140-210 lb. 51.00
57.00; sows uneven; No. 1-3,300650
lb. 48.0053.50, few to 55.50; No. 23,
300-700 lb. 44.0051.00; boars 38.00
47.00. ,
FEEDER PIGS: 1194. Com
pared with 969 head last week and
954' head a year ago. 3.005.00
higher; US No. 1-3, 2035 lb. 31.00
41.00, few down to 20.00; 35-50 lb.
40.0050.00; 5075 lb. 50.0063.00 per
head.
SHEEP: 1306. Compared with
1407 head last week and 1100 head a
year ago. Spring si. lambs steady
to 4.00 higher; High Choice &
Prime 50100 lb. 65.0088.00; Choice
60110 lb. 59.0075.00 with a few to
84.00; Good 50100 lb. 50.0066.00;
Good & Choice 4085 lb. feeder
lambs 50.0076.00 with some to
100.00; si. sheep 15.0029.00, some
to 52.00.
2 GRADED FEEDER PIG
SALES; 2224. Compared with 2050
head last week and 2776 head a
year ago. Feeder pigs highly un
venen, instances 12.00 higher to
25.00 lower; US No. 1-2, 20-30 lb.
120.00-147.50; 30-40 lb. 118.00-
145.00; 4040 lb. 107.00-140.00; 5040
lb. 100.00-114.00; 60-90 lb. 70.00-
111.00; No. 2-3, 30-10 lb. 120.00-
140.00; 40-50 lb. 74.00-110.00.
Advantage
• One of our newest high
yield leaders
• Outstanding performance
data in state trials
• Recovers quickly after cutting
• Excellent phytophthora root
rot resistance
• Good anthracnose tolerance
• Excellent winter hardiness