Dl6-Lancaster Farming Saturday, September 13,1986
dps foty
TV*' Pipeline
By
Glenn A. Shirk
* Extension
Vi Dairy
Vl Agent
iaSS
Preventing Johnsongrass
Johnsongrass is a very com
petitive, very costly noxious weed
that is gaining a foothold in Penn
sylvania. Once established it can
spread rapidly from seed and from
rhizomes. It can really bite into
crop yields. It is very difficult and
very costly to control. Therefore,
preventive efforts are very wor
thwhile!
One way Johnsongrass spreads
from farm to farm and from field
to field is from seeds carried by
harvesting equipment. Because of
this, choose carefully who you hire
to do your harvesting for you.
Preferably it should be someone
who does not harvest Johnsongrass
infested fields.
Johnsongrass seeds are very
hard. They can lie in the soil for
several years, waiting for the
opportune time to germinate.
Thus, it is necessary to be per
sistent in control efforts.
There is some belief that some of
the seeds survive fermentation and
digestion, and that some of the
infestations may have been spread
by “contaminated” manure;
perhaps some of these seeds can
spread when Johnsongrass in
fested feeds get into the bedding
and bypass the digestion process.
Nevertheless, it is a good idea not
to purchase Johnsongrass infested
feeds if it can be avoided.
Feeding Uncured Silage
Corn ensiling time is close at
hand. This is a time of the year
when many dairymen experience
cows going off feed as they start
feeding newly-ensiled, but, un
cured silage.
Cows can experience digestive
upsets, and declines in fat tests and
production. It is difficult to get
cows to recover fully from these
setbacks, and the problem can be
very costly to dairymen.
One way to prevent the problem
is to feed only cured silage. You
ATTENTION
FARMERS...
ESTIMATES
ON RODENT f
CONTROL
RODENTS carry diseases which
can endanger the health of your
poultry flocks. Your business is
raising them. Ours is protecting
them
We Specialize In
Sanitizing And Disinfecting
Since 1928
Pest control is too important
to trust to anyone else
will need a supply of cured silage
to feed from while the silo is being
filled and while the silage is going
through its curing process. Curing
will take about two weeks. To
accomplish this, you may need an
additional silo, a stack or a bag. It
requires some planning plus a little
extra effort and cost, but the
benefits will probably far outweigh
the costs.
Ammoulated Com Silage
Penn State Dairy Specialist, Jud
Heinrichs, points out that “am
monia treatment of corn siilage
has proven to be an effective and
the most economical means of
preserving com silage while
supplementing the crude protein
value of com silage.” It is
something worth considering by
dairymen who pay attention to
details.
Used at the rate of about seven
pounds per ton of silage it can
elevate the erode protein level of
the silage from 8 or 9 percent, up to
about 13 or 14 percent. It can
reduce silage dry matter losses 4 to
6 percent and energy losses by 6 to
10 percent. It helps protect the
natural protein in com silage from
degradation by an estimated 20 to
40 percent; in untreated silage,
about half of the natural protein is
degraded to non-protein nitrogen,
NPN, during fermentation. Lactic
acid levels in silage increase about
20 to 30 percent. In the bunk,
ammonia inhibits the growth of
molds and yeast and helps prevent
silage from heating when exposed
to air.
Ammonia has some advantages,
but it also has some risks.
Anhydrous ammonia is a toxic gas
that must be handled with care.
Ammonia is a non-protein
nitrogen.
The cow’s rumen microflora
need a supply of readily available
protein from sources such as NPN
and soluble protein, however
Houses
Lancaster, PA
397-3721
Lewistown, PA
248-D983
State Colle:
[6, PA
237-7607
i> ... of NPN anti soluble
protein can be toxic to the cow. So,
the trick is to work closely with
your nutrition and make other
ration adjustments so as to arrive
at the right balance.
When using ammonia, corn
should be ensiled at 60 to 70 percent
moisture, and ammonia should be
applied uniformly at the rate of
about seven pounds per ton of 35
percent DM silage. Test the silage
frequently for protein content.
Switch the herd to ammonia
treated silage gradually over a
period of about 2 to 3 weeks.
Testing
Many of you will soon be har
vesting the majority of the feed
that will carry you through the
winter and to next year’s har
vesting season. The quality of feed
you put up now is the quality your
herd will have to put up with for a
long period of time. Hopefully it’s
of good enough quality to entice
good production.
I
One thing that affects quality is
moisture at time of harvest. It
would probably be wise to check
the moisture content at harvest
time occasionally. Moisture
testers used for this purpose don’t
need to be real accurate, since the
moisture content of the crop is
changing rapidly. The main thing
you are interested in is getting a
quick estimate of moisture.
The time when accuracy of
moisture readings is important is
at feeding time; it’s necessary for
the proper balancing of rations.
Because of the importance of
moisture to forage and feed quality
and to ration balancing, a moisture
tester is one tool every good
dairyman should have.
This is a year to be testing
forages frequently. In Lancaster,
we’ve had a rather unusual
growing season a dry spring and
lots of rain in July. The quality of
forages grown under drouthy
conditions is generally higher than
that grown under wet conditions.
Because of the rain delays, some of
our hay crop was overmature
when harvested. Some of the hay
may be musty or moldy because it
was too wet.
The fermentation of some of our
rain-pelted, dirt-splashed, and
hail-damaged crops may be dif
ferent than normal due to a change
in the microorganism population
on the crop being ensiled.
Because of some short stalks, the
ear to stalk ratio on some com
crops may be different. Poor
pollination and ear development in
other fields may have the same
effect.
The point is, you may have a lot
of variation in the qualilty of feeds
you’ll be using, and the quality this
year may be different from that of
last year. To be more sure, test
Eliminate
Fencing Problems
with
ARC 12 Solar Fencing
High Tensile Wire
• Eliminates fence sagging
• No staples or wire clips
• Adjustable enclosed spring assembly
for each wire
• Optional site rails lM
• Optional Arc 110 Volt multi wire unit
• Installed by trained dealers
• Fully guaranteed by warranty
SOLAR FENCING CO.
1-800-247-8150
or
KEYSTONE SOLAR FENCE
RD 2, Box 148 Watsontown, PA 17777
717-649-5321
frequ ■ .. —asneeded,
Dessicants and Preservatives
As we look back into the rainy
month of July think about how
much hay you might have been
able to save if you could have
gotten it harvested one day earlier
or if you could have safely baled it
at a slightly higher moisture level.
Would a chemical drying agent,
dessicant, or a hay preservative
have helped you: 1. avoid some
crop losses? 2. to harvest the crop
at a more desirable maturity for
better quality feed? 3. or permitted
you to get the crop off in time to
make an additional cutting
possible without jeopardizing the
stand? If you put up some off
quality feed as a result of the rainy
season, how much will this affect
production, and what will be the
cost of this? How much will it cost
you to purchase feed to replace
what you did not get harvested?
These are difficult questions to
answer. Nevertheless, I think we
need to reflect on them as we try to
evaluate whether dessicants and
preservatives have a place in our
management program. The costs
have to be weighed against the
benefits, and we have to be careful
If you’re
particular
about vour
Woods mown machine
is the particular mower
for you...
• True 360° zero turning
• Finger-tip control of speed, direction and braking
• Maneuverability that lets you trim as you mow
• Convenient ‘out-front’ mowing
• Choice of 44", 52" or 61" cutting widths
• Easy-on, easy-off attachments - snowblower,
brush and dozer blade
...came in tar a demonstration
WM. HQBENSACK S SONS MANOR EQUIPMENT INC.
Ivyland, PA Sinking Spring, PA
215-675-1610 215-678-0828
LAMBS FARM MACHINERY SCHREIB & SON
Thorndale, PA Bath, PA
215-269-2676 215-837-7681
THOMAS POWER
EQUIPMENT
Avondale, PA
215-268-2181
ZIMMERMAN
FARM SERVICE
Bethel, PA
717-933-4114
I
not to let one bad month affect our
decisions; consider how often you
experience inclement weather at
harvest time.
Fall Alfalfa Management
The question is often asked
“when should I take off the last
cutting of alfalfa” The old
guideline was no closer than 45
days to the first expected killing
frost whenever that is. If the
first killing frost was October 15,
that means not cutting after
September 1. However, recent
research has resulted in revised
guidelines.
If fertility is good, if the more
modem resistant varieties of
alfalfa are grown, and if the stand \
has not been stressed by insect ■.
injury, weed competition, poor
growing conditions or too frequent
cutting, then, the date of the last
cutting is of little importance,
especially if one or more cuttings
have been allowed to come into
bloom. If the stand has been
stressed and if you really want to
save the stand, then comply with
the old guideline.
Another question asked is, “can I
remove a cutting after a killing
(Turn to PageDl7)
PtPERSVILLE GARDEN
CENTER
Pipersville, PA
215-766-0414
R.S. HOLLIN6ER &
SON, INC.
Mountville, PA
717-285-4538
KELLER BROS.
Lititz, PA
717-626-2000
NORMAN BRIGHT, INC.
New Egypt, N.J.
609-758-2211
KELLER BROS.
TRACTOR CO.
Lebanon, PA
717-949-6501