A2O-Lanca*ter Farming, Saturday, July 16, 1988 R.S. Adams, J.G. Hlubik and AJ. Heinrichs Department of Dairy and Animal Science The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802 UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre) A number of things should be considered if there is a shortage of home-grown forage on a dairy farm due to drouth or other condi tions. Should hay or other forage be purchased, or should forage intakes be kept at a minimum and roughages or high-fiber feedstuffs be used? The economics of the situation, including affects on cash flow and interest charges should receive top priority. In addition, the palatability of the items consid ered and their suitability for use in your feeding system should be considered. A minimum amount of normal forage dry matter is needed to keep cows healthy and the composition of their milk reasonably normal. The longer particle-size found in hay, pasture and properly made sil age or haylage helps maintain proper rumen function. Normal forages may also be higher in vita min A and E activity. At least 40 to 50% of the total dry matter intake should be in the form of normal forages. The lower figure should be used only for per iods of about 90 to 120 days. When forage is held to a minimum because of cost and availability, high-fiber concentrate ingredients and some roughages may be needed to maintain the fiber con tent of the ration. The acid deter gent fiber (ADF) content of the ration should be 20% or higher on a dry matter basis. Forage dry mat ter intakes in conventionally fed herds should be at least 1.35 to 1.55% of bodyweight daily. Heif ers over 6 months of age should receive at least 50% of their total ration dry matter from forages. Forage dry matter intake should be at least 1.1% of bodyweight daily. Dairy farmers should closely estimate the extent to which they may be short of forage. If they will need to buy considerable amounts to meet even minimum needs, for age feeding rates should be reduced to near safe minimum levels as soon as possible. Also they should consider planting emergency forage crops such as small grains, for use in late fall and early spring. Further they should check costs and supplies of various qualities of hay, roughages and high fiber ingredients. Often hay prices may be lower earlier in the season. In addition, it is best to obtain least-cost formulations to keep feed costs at a minimum while meeting the nutritional and physical needs of their herd. If the supply of home-grown forage is inadequate consider these alternatives and important points as follows. 1. Check prices and availability on several types and qualities of hay. Some relatively low protein and energy hay or straw often may be used to good advantage. If only 4 to 6 lb are needed per head daily for milk cows. Such hay also may be more economi cal for use in feeding dry cows and heifers. If more purchased hay needs to be fed, average to higher qualities hay should be used for milk cows. Avoid pay ing unreasonably Wgh panic prices for forages. 2. Protect yoursetf when buying Alternative If possible pay on a dry matter basis and periodically test sam ples for moisture to use in pay ment. When buying on a vol ume basis, such as a silo, agree ahead of time on the amounts present. Various tables or charts differ in their estimates of material present in various types of silos. 3. Check costs and availability for various roughages such as com stalklage, com cobs, com cannery waste, lima bean or pea-vine sil age, straw, and apple pomace with or without hulls. 4. Obtain costs and check sup plies of various high-fiber feed stuffs such as beet or citrus pulp, dehydrated alfalfa, wet and dry brewers grains, distillers grains, malt sprouts, oat mill feed, soy hulls or soybean mill feed and whole cottonseed. 5. Check costs and availability of various energy and protein sour ces for use in concentrate feeding. Barley, oats, mids, com gluten teed, whole soybeans (raw or heat-treated). Added fat and oil products also may be consid ered, if these can be handled in mixing or feeding. Don’t assume that shelled com and soybean oil meal are your best buys. Ear com often is a better buy than shelled com and pro vides more fiber when forage feed is limited. Consider harvesting com grain as ear com if you are short of forage. Often barley and sometimes oats are a better buy than com, especially shelled. Whole cottonseed often may not enter least-cost rations unless forage is severely restricted. Also get prices on suitable man ufactured dairy feeds and pro tein concentrates to use in least cost formulation of rations. 6. Choose a course of action based on least-cost formulation of rations. Most dairymen should get pro fessional help with this to make certain that rations meet the nutritional and physical needs of the cattle. Such service is available from Merkle Laborat- WV ,‘-i • THIS NEW STEPS TO SUCKER CONTROL Now you can save time and get application. Just spray Prime+ over of over the top application, effective sucker control by spraying the top at the early flower to . It’s the way to grow quality Prime+* over the top and following elongated bud stage. Wait a week, tobacco. Of course, applying Prime+ up later with an application of MH. then apply MH. You’ll get great by hand with a dropline, by back- It’s a simple, sequential sucker control plus the convenience pack sprayer or from the jug is still Feeding ory at Penn State, and some county agricultural extension offices, among other sources. 7. Recalibrate feed scoops and other equipment, if you feed by volume and you change formulas. Concentrates containing a lot of bulky, high-fiber ingredients may weigh considerably less per unit of volume than a com and soybean oil meal mix. A high-barley mix may weigh considerably more than one containing oats. 8. Balance rations for all groups of heifers and for dry cows as well as milking animals. It is important when trying to conserve forage not to waste feed by feeding unba lanced rations. If there are more heifers on the farm than you will need for replacement purposes, sell excess replacement heifers. There may be possibilities to farm out heifers to areas where pasture or other feeds are plentiful which may be cheaper than bringing feed to the farm. 9. Make sure cows are paying their way. Are they covering feed costs, labor, utilities and testing fees? You may well increase total production by culling unthrifty animals and providing more forages for the more efficient cows that remain than by trying to maintain herd size. For example, if you are purchasing hay at $l2O/ton, it is probably costing about $2.40-2.50/day in feed cost for lactating cows. TABLE 1. NUTRITIVE VALUE OF SOME ALTERNATIVE FEEDSTUFFS, DRY MATTER BASIS FEED Shelled corn Ear Corn Oats Barley &* < > During Shortages This amounts to about 24-30# milk needed to recover feed cost just to break even. This extra feed may well be utilized more efficiently and produce more milk by feeding it to cows who are efficient producers, but are held back by a lack of good feed. The levels of major nutrients in selected feedstuffs and special considerations in their use may be found in Table 1. Some relative values for various forages and feedstuffs may be found in Tables 2 & 3. These are based on July 22, 1986 prices in Southeastern PA and would change under different price relationships. Convert farm grain prices per bushel to cwt or ton prices using factors given in Table 4. Consider using feeds that can be obtained at prices appre ciably below their relative maxi mum worth, based on shelled com prices. Use all feeds in accordance with usual restrictions for palata bility, fat content and other rea sons, as given in Table 1 and in more detail in DSE-84-S6 (Prog ramming Rations for Dairy Cattle) among other sources. Some feeds that are more costly than their maximum relative value indicates, may have to be used to meet nutri tional needs. For example some purchased hay may be necessary to meet minimum forage needs or soybean oil meal to furnish part of the supplemental protein needs regardless of price. Information in Table S has been FOR DAIRY CATTLE %DM°/.CP %ADF 85 10.2 4.4 85 9.0 90 12.5 89 13.9 -i NE, .92 High energy, low fiber, high starch feed. Currently high price in many areas. Con sider alternatives to replace some of the corn in the ration. High energy, high digestible fiber con centrate; have analyzed, fiber will vary considerably depending on the amount of cob and husks included. 11.4 Bulky feed. Limit amount fed to high pro ducing cows to about 4 Ib/cow/day or about 25% of the concentrate mix. Cur rently a good buy in many areas. 17.0 Good substitute for shelled corn if the price is right. Can furnish up to 65% of the concentrate mix if gradually I^*7 > * C-"' •! provided to facilitate the buying and selling of whole-plant com sil age. The material obtained from weighing at 5 to 7 sites could be run through a harvester, or other wise chopped for moisture deter minations. This would enable pric ing based on dry matter yield per acre. The value of the com silage dry matter can be set, based on the market value of good grass hay on a dry matter basis, or current prices for normal com silage. Expected nutritive content of com silage at various stages of maturity may be found in Table 1. Whenever possible let drought stricken com reach as much matur ity (days from planting) as possible without allowing the moisture con tent of the whole plant material to drop below 60 to 63%. The plant will increase in sugar and energy content even if no kernels are forming due to lack of pollination. Similarly, allow soybeans to get as much maturity as possible before ensiling drouth-stricken plants. Some pod or bean develop ment enhances feeding value. However the plant should be ensiled before it drops below 65% moisture. Soybean silage will approach the nutrient content val ue of average mixed mainly legume silages. It may not be as palatable. If soybeans are high in moisture and lack pod or bean development, add 100 to 200 lb. of ground grain per ton when direct cutting, rather than wilting to 65 to 70% moisture. CONSIDERATIONS *' -J* '<> <
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