A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 9, 1988 Maximizing Hay’s BY LISA RISSER LITITZ (Lancaster) With soybean prices up 70 percent and com up 50 percent, now’s the time to maximize the nutrient value of hay. Top-quality alfalfa hay or haylage will provide about 23 per cent protein and 64 percent total digestible nutrients, and will allow farmers to buy less soybean and com for their livestock. The quality of the alfalfa can be decreased in several ways. It can be lost in the field or during storage or feeding. To minimize field loss, it should be cut at the proper time. Delaying the harvest due to bad weather may or may not be a good In general, there has been a tendency of getting farmers to cut alfalfa early, which is harmful to the stand Tom Kichura idea. For every day that cutting is delayed after prebud stage, 1 per cent protein is lost. Successful cut ting management takes into account the weather, the plants’ maturity, how many cuttings have been harvested that year, and the stand’s health. There is some discussion among nutritionists and forage experts as to the optimum time to cut. “When deciding when to cut alfalfa, you must compromise between quality and yield,” explained Sid Bos worth, Penn State extension spe cialist on forages. “If you cut in the NAZARETH BUILDING SYSTEMS, INC. 3367 Gun Club Rd. Nazareth, PA 18064 PH: 215-837-7700 FOUR COUNTIES CONTRACTOR, INC. R.D., Box 816 Coalporl, PA 16627 PH: 814-672-5751 PHIC BUILDERS 435 King Street Pottatown, PA 19464 PH: 215-323-4070 late-bud stage, you will have less yield than if you waited for the bloom stage, but the quality is higher. For most dairymen, the compromise is worth it. “For high-quality feed,” he con tinued, “if you have a healthy stand that’s under optimum fertility, nor mally the first cutting is mid- to late-bud. If you wait until first bloom to cut your alfalfa, by the lime you get to the last fields, those might be in late to full bloom.” If one or more fields have been weakened by winter injury, Bos worth advises cutting them last so that the plants’ root systems have time to draw more reserves. Tom Kichura, director of nutri tion for F.M. Brown’s Sons in Birdsboro, is one expert who docs not recommend cutting alfalfa ear ly. “In general, there has been the tendency of getting farmers to cut early, which is harmful to the stand,” he said. “Cutting early When deciding when to cut alfalfa, you must com promise between quality and yield—Sid Bosworth causes the stand to last two to three years instead of four to five years. In order to achieve the optimum GOMPF CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. 1841 Jarry'a Road Street, MD 21154 PH: 301-692-5350 TRI-COUNTY AGRI-SYSTEMS R.D. #l, Box 55 Swedeaboro, NJ 08085 PH: 600-467-3174 MATTSON ENTERPRISES 1605 Mt. Holly Road Burlington, NJ 08016 PH: 609-386-1603 Nutrient Value Saves Money balance between stand life and nutrient quality, fanners should cut when they see the first flower.” According to Kichura hay cut too early will have too much solu able protein, or not enough bypass protein, and insufficient fiber. For second or third cuttings Bosworth feels fanners should hold off until the stand is one-tenth bloom before cutting so that the plants have a chance to build up reserves in their roots. In a dry year, such as this one, if the field matures and the plant is very short, about four to five inches, a farmer should decide on harvesting dependent on his on hand forage reserves, according to Bosworth. “If the crop is not harvested, it still should be clipped, though, in order to remove old growth, which will help the new groth when rain occurs.” Alfalfa tends to go into dorman cy during a dry period. It can sur vive fairly dry weather if its roots don’t dry out. After the first cutting, fanners should check their alfalfa stands for insects. Alfalfa weevils cause damage to the crowns of regrowth. A common rule of thumb for wee vil infestations is that if there are two or more weevils in each crown, the farmer should take action. Another insect to watch for '*■ * >•** t" r» - Sur*^ m * ANCHOR BUILDING SYSTEMS P.O. Box 750 Deale, MO 20751 PH: 301-867-7233 CLIFFORD E. BOLLINGER , ASSOCIATES 145 Wallop* Hill Rd. Denvar, PA 17517 PH: 215-267-6046 CAM SALES INC. R.D. #l, Box 76A Honaadala, PA 18431 PH: 717-253-1612 When the hay is extremely dry, farmers should bale at night or in the early morning when there is dew on the hay Tom Kichura is the potato leaf hopper, which shows up around mid-June and stays until early September. “Potato leaf hoppers put a lot of stress on a plant and in a dry year, when the plant is already stressed, its effects can be devastating,” commented Bosworth. “The threshhold varies for potato leaf hoppers depending on the value of the crop, cost of the pesticide, and how soon the crop will be harvested. If the alfalfa is in dor mancy because of drought, you probably don’t need to worry about potato leaf hoppers because there is no leaf material for them to attack.” For more information on potato leaf hoppers, Bosworth recom mended obtaining a pamphlet, “Pest Management Program For Alfalfa in Pennsylvania” at county extension offices. Another field loss occurs during drying time. “When you cut for age, until it dries down to 30 to 40 percent moisture content, the plants continue to respire, which causes a loss of dry matter,” said Bosworth. “We have to live with this loss to a certain degree. You can reduce it, though, by drying down the hay as quickly as possi ble.” A faster drying time also v « * . ■ • px v - * * ‘ ';: ■*'*- "V * Nn *V H GEORGE W. HOY & SON, INC. 408 W. Church St. Lock Haven, PA 17745 PH: 717-748-7375 H.R. WEAVER CONSTRUCTION RD 3, Box 403 Ann villa, PA 17003 PH: 717-838-3753 MAJOR BUILDINGS, INC. 514-516 Mencher Blvd. Johnstown, PA 15905 PH: 814-535-7716 TOWN • Retail Stores • Ligl • Storage Bldgs. • 0 • Mini-Warehouses 1 j** § • Machinery Storage • Farm Shops • Hors • Open Fronts • Dair LESTER Enginee Are a Product of Bi RURAL SYS I reduces the risk of rainfall, which can cause loss of soluable nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates. Quick drying can be achieved through mechanical conditioning, which crimps the stems to release moisture and reduces drying time by a half to a whole day; spreading the windrow out to expose as much as possible to the sun; raking; and chemical conditioning. Chemical conditioners include potassium carbonate and potassium sodium carbonate. “Potassium carbonate is a desic cant that draws moisture out of the stem,” said Kichura. “As the alfal fa is bent over and cut, it is sprayed at the base of the stem.” By drying the stem, total drying time is reduced as the stem takes longer to dry than the leaves. Therefore more leaves will be retained, and the leaves contain most of the plant’s protein. Drying quickly isn’t much of a problem this year, but rather the hay becoming too dry. If the win drow gets too dry, raking can cause leaf shatter as can baling. “Mois ture influences leaf shatter,” Kichura observed. “When the hay is extremely dry, farmers should bale at night or in the early mom- (Turn to Page A2l) LB For More Inform Local LB
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