Think Quality When
Making Hay and Haylage
When it comes to getting milk
out of cows and keeping cows
healthy, there is no substitute for
high quality forages and effective
fiber in the ration. Now is the time
to focus on the quality of forage
you need. What you do this har
vest season, starting with the first
an*
gg
NOT JUST ANOTHER
CULTIVATOR
THIS HEFTY BRILLION “RO-CROP” CULTI
VATOR has extra weight that other units don’t
have. Digs down... and stays down. Destroys
deep-rooted weeds; doesn’t dodge them.
Four, six, eight and 12-row
models. 30” or 40” row
spacing. Non-twisting, high
clearance shanks with
20” workinn
between
and groi
adjustabi
three pol
Rigid or
toolbars.
kits.
PENNBYLVAWA
ADAMSTOVM EQUIP., INC.
Box 4SS,
Adxmolown
MILLER EOUF. CO.
Rt 1
Bochtolovtllo
IVAN J. ZOOK FARM EQUIPMENT SHARUESVILIE PAM ISRVICE PEOPLED SALES A SERVICE
Box S. Star Rout* RO *l, Box 1352 OxWond Mint
Bollovlllt Hamburg
C.H. REINMMER I MM*
RD 1, Berwick
QUT3HALLS, MC.
Rt. 34,1301 Spring Rd.
Corllolo
WENNER FORD TRACTOR
Rout* 202
Concerdvllle
GEORGE N. GROSS INC.
3231 DnvMnburg Rond
Dover
GEORGE V. 3SFLE
Venßuren Roed
Eeelon
MESBCK FARM EQUIPMENT CO.
Rt. 233, RhMim Exit
Elixebethtewn
MEYER? IMPLEMENTS, INC.
400 N. Auim w*y
Oreenceelle
Daily
Pipeline
By
Glenn A. Shirk
Extension
cutting of hay and haylage, affects
the quality of feed you have to live
with for another year and how
well your herd will react to it, as
well as affecting farm profits.
Forage quality is partly in the
eye of the beholder. What consti
tutes quality for one farmer may
be different from that of another,
because their needs may be differ-
CONTACT TOUR BRILLIO:
J A M HACHMERY CO.
RR 3, Box 147
Greene bury
SWBGARO BROS.
RD *3, Box 13
Hxlilxx
FMCH SERVICES.
HANOVER, INC
31S Frederick Street
Henover
'"XiS 110,1 QRUIIELU FARM SERVICE
Hoiwy crow Robert Fulton Hlghwoy
Ci. HOOIER I lON Quorryvlllo
Intoreourw
LAN on (MINERS, INC
1301 Manhalm Pika
Lancaalar
UMSERGER'S Of FONTANA
RD M, Box 132
Labanon
GUT WALL'S, MC. -
R 0 2. R 1.330 WMt
LayavMa
Nil FUCKER A lONS, INC
Maxi tawny
Dairy
Agent
THE EXCLUSIVE
“NO WOBBLE’ PARALLEL LINKS
One of the weaknesses of many cultivators is
that the parallel linkage is light weight and
bearing areas are small. All too soon the
assembly starts to wear and break down.
Brllilon’s NO WOBBLE links are made of cast
iron (12 lbs. each). Each end is equipped with
full 2” wide non-lube sleeve bearings.
The Brlllion “S” tine cultivator (model BRS)
with four-way tooth movement Is designed for
high speed cultivation, especially In conjunc
tion with chemical weed control. The “S”
tines also mulch the soil and level the ground
for easier harvesting. Available in rigid and
folding models for four to 12 rows.
DEALER FOR DETAILS:
CLUOSTON FARM EQUIPMENT
NCR 00 - Box 22
Naadmora
ARC. GROFF, MC.
110 R Railroad Avanua
Raw Holland
FI SEVILLE EQUIPMENT, INC
Olay
ANGELO'S FARM EQUIPMENT
RD #1 ■ Box 303
Nrryopolla
WALTEMYEm S A S INC
RD 03, Box 43-B
Rad Lion
SUMHTT MACHINERY. INC.
PO Box 321
Somaraal
CHARLES SNYDER Md
RDM
Tamaqua
M.R YEARS LEY A SONS
Waat Chaatar
cnt
For example, if a dairyman is
feeding minimal amounts of for
age and is attempting to support
high levels of milk production
with high levels of gram, and if his
cows are experiencing appetite
problems, low fat tests and dis
placed abomasums, he may need
to feed forages of higher fiber con
tent. In this case, it may be advis
able to harvest alfalfa in the early
bloom stage of maturity, sacrific
ing protein and energy for much
needed fiber.
On the other hand, if the ration
already contains adequate levels
of fiber and purchased feed costs
are too high, it may be beneficial
to cut alfalfa in the early bud stage
of maturity to increase the protein
and energy contect of the forage.
This excellent quality forage
should help support high levels of
efficient milk production.
When thinking about your fiber
needs, think in terms of effective
fiber, the kind of fiber that encour
ages a cow to chew her cud and a
kind that is also digestible, and
that’s an important point to re-
'a'*'*' ~*%'s***'< >*&/*. A f’’ vrfjf'
DEERRELO AG A TURF
CENTER INC.
RD 2 Box 212
Wotoontown, P* 17777 REED (ROWERS EQUIPMENT
Pottlcool Bridge Rd.
Columbus
MAHYIAHP
AG INOUSTBAL EQUIPMENT
1207 Tolognph Rood
Rloing Sun
CECIL E. JACKSON
EQUIPMENT, MC.
RRD2 Box MX
Ooklond
WALTER Q. COALEJNC.
2SM-I3 Church villo Rd.
Churchyillo
RNCH SERVICES, MC.
PO Box SOS
WoMmlnotor
ON THE MOVE.. IN-THE 90'b
member. It is very important for
the rumen to be properly buffered,
and a cow’s saliva is one of the
best buffers that exists.
The more a cow chews her cud
the more saliva she produces; and
the longer, the dryer and the more
mature the forage, the more a cow
will chew her cud.
I mentioned earlier, that it is
very important for the fiber to be
digestible. If it is digestible, fiber
is a majoc source of energy for the
cow. However, if forages are too
mature, the fiber is not very di
gestible. Consequently, it lingers
too long in the rumen and reduces
a cow’s dry matter intake. A simi
lar problem exists with weather
damaged forages. Their digest
ibility is less than what their ma
turity may lead you to think
because some of the more digest
ible, water soluble nutrients have
leached out of the plant; what re
mains is less digestible.
On the other hand, young-cut
forages are lower in fiber, and
what little fiber they do contain is
s'v *
NEW JERSEY
LESUEFOGG
RD #3, Box ITS
Bridgoton
FOSTER EQUIPMENT SALES
Elmor
CALDWELL TRACTOR A
EQUIPMENT
4SO US Routo MW
Folrflold
PONIATOWSM BROS
EQUIPMENT CO.
Roulo 31 A Church 8L
Flomlnglon
SHORE TRACTOR CO.
RD #1 • RL S
Freehold
FRANK RTMAN A SONS
Wxohlngton
Kncwty Farming, Saturday, May 6,19694)1
more digestible. This permits a
more rapid passage of feed
through the rumen and greater dry
matter intake. The end result can
be higher production. It may also
result in less cud chewing activity
and lower fat tests.
Before you run to the field with
the mower or haybine it would be
beneficial to look at your feed pro
gram and think about any prob
lems you may have had with your
herd, the feeds you have in inven
tory and the rest of the feeds you
will be putting up this year. Focus
upon putting up the kind of feeds
that offer the best fit for your feed
ing program. This will help you
determine the proper maturity, the
proper moisture and the proper
length of cut for your situation.
When you consider how vari
able weather conditions can be in
the spring of the year and how ra
pidly crops mature and quality can
drop, you suddenly realize that
you usually get very few oppor
tunities for harvesting a hay crop
at the optimum maturity. There
fore it is beneficial to have equip
ment operational and to be ready
to roll when the weather breaks so
you can take full advantage of
those few precious moments when
they do occur even if it means
interrupting com planting activi
ties. When you get back to plant
ing com again you can do so with
the comfort of knowing that you
captured the quality of forage you
were after and knowing that as
you continue to plant you are also
growing your next cutting of
quality forage.
Good Fermentation
Is Essential
Ensiling is one good way of
“beating the weather” and pre
serving forage, but good preserva
tion depends upon a good fer
mentation. Some of the things
necessary for good fermentation
and good preservation include:
1. An adequate supply of the
right kind of microorganisms for
conducting the fermentation.
2. An adequate supply of carbo
hydrates for the microorganisms
to ferment so they can produce the
acids desired.
3. A lack of oxygen and a rapid
drop in pH to halt the fermentation
with minimum healing and loss ol
energy and to stabilize the ensiled
feed in a preserved stale.
Grain crops such as com con
tain an abundance of fermentable
carbohydrates and ferment rather
easily if properly ensiled. Grasses
and legumes, on the other hand,
have less carbohydrates and arc
less fermentable. In addition, they
are higher in protein and minerals.
This gives them a certain amount
of buffering capacity which tends
to retard the rapid drop in pH that
we are seeking. Therefore, grasses
and legumes arc more apt to bene
fit from the addition of grains or
from the use of silage additives
and inoculants.
The microorganisms needed for
fermentation are generally present
on the crop when it is ensiled. The
big question is, are they the right
kind, are they present in sufficient
numbers, and will conditions in
the silo be favorable for them to
function?
The number and kinds of organ
isms can vary for a number of rea
sons. Weather conditions at time
of harvest can be too cool to sup
port a rapid buildup of microor
ganisms. During the heat of sum
mer, a sparse stand or thin swath
dan expose too many microorgan
isms to the killing effects of the
sun’s ultraviolet rays. The number
of undesirable organisms could in
crease, perhaps from soil being
splashed or raked onto plants or