A22-Lancastar Farming, Saturday, January 6,1990 /FOCUS r 1 / —— PcnnsyKama / Dairy i Improuimnt AsmhmikA Cd " ' 800 UHI TCST for scrv,ce or ,nformluon How Does Your Herd Compare? STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) —This data is pulled from Pennsylvania DHIA’s mainframe computer each week. It is a one-week summary representing approximately one-fourth of the herds on test, as they are tested monthly. These data are valuable from a business man agement standpoint and can be used for compar ing your operations to the averages from almost 1,400 herds across the state. DHIA Averages for all herds processed between 12/19/89 and 12/26/89 Number of Herds Processed Number of Cows Processed Number of Cows Per Herd Milk Per Cow (Lbs) %-Fat Fat Per Cow (Lbs) %-Protein Protein Per Cow (Lbs) Average Days in Milk Per Cow •Value for CWT Milk(s) •Value for CWT Grain(s) •Value for CWT Hay(s) •Value for CWT Silage(s) •Value for Pasture Per Day(s) •Value for Milk Per Cow Per Year(s) •Feed Consumed Per Cow Per Year(Lbs) A: Grain B: Hay C: Silage D: Day Pasture •Feed Cost Per Cow Per Year(s) A; Grain B: Hay C: Silage D: Pasture ARCTIC INVESTMENT CONTRACTORS Red Lion, PA PH: 717-757-2335 CLIFFORD E. BOLLINGER ASSOCIATES DenvM, PA PH: 215-267-6046 DOUTT & SNYDER CONTRACTORS Roaring Springs, PA PH: 814-224-4303 Clarion, PA PH; 814-226-4153 FISHER CONSTRUCTION Wellevllle, PA PH: 717-292-3692 FOUR COUNTIES CONTRACTOR, INC. Co*(port, PA PH: 814-672-5751 NAZARETH GEESAMAN'ROCK BUILDING CONSTRUCTION INC. SYSTEMS, INC. RmjzmvW*, PA H*z*r*th, PA PH: 717-762-1116 PH: 215437-7700 1,235 70,910 57.4 17,098 3.71 635 3.20 547 315 13.50 8.39 4.23 1.52 .30 2,309 6,703 2,847 14,455 66 HALLSTROM CONSTRUCTION, INC. Dußols, PA PH: 814-371-4334 GEORGE W. HOY & SON, INC. LockHavtn, PA PH: 717-748-7375 KNOXVILLE CONSTRUCTION Knoxville, PA PH: 614-326-4168 MAJOR BUILDINGS, INC. Johnstown, PA PH: 814-535-7716 W.R. MOODY, CONTRACTOR West Newton, PA PH: 412-672-6804 Experiences obtained from working with dairy fanners have shown that efficient dairy farmers are good agronomists first in order to be successful and prosperous producers. Milk production and profits per acre are closely related to increased legumes in forage stands and increased yields per acre. 2. Forage Selection Variety selection is another key to increasing profits. Select forage species and varieties for disease resistance, winter-hardiness, fast regrowth, and yield potential. Pro ductive varieties grown with top ♦Total Feed Cost Per Cow Per Year(s) ♦lncome Over Feed Costs Per Year(s) ♦Grain to Milk Ratio ♦Feed Cost Per CWT Milk(s) Avg Level For 983 SCC Herds generated figures 562 120 219 20 HUGE WINTER SALES PROGRAM LESTER. For More Information, Contact Your Local LESTER Builder. [butler SSTSr M """ "f" " ' !Attn PE Hess * P 0 Box 337, Oxford, FA 19363 I □ Pleas* send info, on LESTER Buildings I □ I’m interested in a LESTER Dealership ■ Name I Address ■ County | City _ I Phone (area code) Be BY PAUL H. CRAIG Dauphin Co. Ag Agent Several keys to increasing prof- its are: 1. Improve forage yield per acre Successful dairy farmers set production goals to obtain produc tive stands, optimize yields and quality, and improve stand persis tence to maintain forage stand life. Successful production requires advanced planning and timely operations. Site selection, ade quate soil fertility levels, mainten ance top-dressing, weed and in sect control, and cutting manage ment all influence forage management. Remember that total yield per acre is only “half of the story.” State An Agronomist First management practices enable high quality and yields. 3. Quality Management The “second half of the story” is to cut early to improve quality. Easier said than done, especially in a year like 1989. In general, al falfa yields and stand persistence decline and weeds increase with cutting schedules having less than 30 days of regrowth. Top alfalfa producers start cutting by the mid bud stage of maturity and leave 30-35 days between cuts. Forage producers need to evaluate weath er possibilities to determine when to cut and escape rain damage. However, waiting often results in greater loss of feed value than ac cepting some rain damage. 4. Pest Control Forage crop diseases are best controlled by selecting varieties with high levels of resistance to diseases commonly found in our area. These include Antracnose, Bacterial Wilt, Fusarium Wilt, Phytophtora Root Rot, and Verti cillium Wilt. Remember that for age varieties are developed by se lecting from a diverse population. Within this population, individual plants will vary widely in their re sponse to a particular disease or pest. Some may be highly resistant and others very susceptible. A par ticular rating for resistance gener ally reflects the response to a ma jority of plants in that variety. The two major insect pests of forages occur on alfalfa. These are the al falfa weevil and the potato leaf hopper. These two pests affect quality, yields, and stand persist ence. Fortunately the insects can be controlled; however, simply applying an insecticide during the growing season is usually not 923 1,386 1:2.5 5.40 320,143 economically beneficial. Growers need to identify insect pests, deter mine population levels, and evalu ate stand maturity before applying control materials. Local Extension agents, crop scouts, and ag dealers can assist producers in developing an IPM program. The introduction of weeds into a forage stand is usually depend ent on multiple factors. These in clude cutting frequency, diseases, insects, winter injury, and reduced fertility levels. As plants become weaker they produce smaller crowns and fewer stems. Even tually the plant dies and the stand becomes thinner. The reduced vigor and thinning of stands may permit the encroachment of weeds. S. Forage testing and ration balancing To use forage efficiently, dairy men must test forage supplies and balance feed programs to obtain the quality produced on the farm. Variation in species and manage ment and environmental condi tions will greatly affect forage quality. Producers need to be re minded that there is vast differ ence in forage quality and that this difference greatly influences their herd production levels. Someone else once said this re garding records "You can’t change the tune if you don’t have the records.” Winter time provides the opportune time for forage pro ducers to evaluate their own pro duction practices and records. As stated earlier, forage production profitability is closely linked to overall farm profitability. Good records and their utilization in farm planning can assist many management decisions. NORTHEAST BUILDING SYSTEMS, INC. Honndila, PA PH: 717-253-1612 EDWARD J. O’SHEA Montoursvllle, PA PH: 717-584-2202 PHIC BUILDERS Pottitown, PA PH: 215-323-4070 H.R. WEAVER CONSTRUCTION Annvill*, PA PH: 717-838-3753 ANCHOR BUILDING SYSTEMS Dnlo, MO PH: 301-867-7233 PRASE BUILDERS PrMton, MD PH: 301-822-2404 GOMPF CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. StrMt, MO PH: 301-812-5350 MYERS BUILDING SYSTEMS, INC.* Ctoaraprlng, MO PH: 301-582-4200 £ REYNOLDS & YELLOT CO., INC. RaMaralown, MD PH: 301-633-1804 O.A. NEWTON & SON CO. Bridgevlll*, DE PH: 302-337-8211 J.E.N. CONSTRUCTION Tom* Rlvtr, NJ PH: 201-240-7488 MATTSON ENTERPRISES Burlington, NJ PH: 609-388-1803 TRI-COUNTY AGRI-SYSTEMS Swtdnboro, NJ PH: 609-487-3174 TRIMARK BUILDING CONTRACTORS, INC. So. VbMtand, NJ PH: UM2S-INO
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