A34-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 23, 1991
By Dr. John E. Baylor
Director of Market Development
Beachley-Hardy Seed Company
Reducing Losses in
Hay Making
In my last column I took a hard
look at the losses that can and do
occur in hay and silage making. In
fact, results of a recent study by
Penn State Ag Engineer, Dennis
Buckmaster, suggest that for a 100
cow dairy, losses that occur in
making alfalfa hay can result in a
decrease in farm net return of
nearly $12,000 per year. “This
could be interpreted to mean,”
Buckmaster says, "that a 10%
reduction in alfalfa losses
increases net return by $1,200 per
year. A 10% reduction in losses is
not unreasonable and a 25 to 50%
reduction could be possible with
modified machinery and improve
d storage conditions.”
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Phone 717-364-7064 Preferably 7:00 to 8:00 AM
DOES THIS MAKE $$ and SENSE?
(Your profit is your income minus your expense. A $ saved is a $
earned)’No argument acceptable, period. v
THE $B.OO or $lO.OO THAT YOU
WOULD USE TO SPRAY
INSECTICIDE ON ALFALFA- USE
IT TO PREVENT THE
SCAVENGERS.
A sign on a bumper says “Only sick people use drugs.” Likewise
only sick soil or crops need sprays. The Creator sends scavengers
to get rid of sick crops so that livestock, your family and you don’t
eat them and get sick. He wants to do you a favor. But farmers put
poison on the crops and expect cows and precious souls to eat both
that and the unhealthy vegetation.
THERE MUST BE A BETTER
WAY, AND THERE IS.
An $8.25 per acre soil bacteria spray would take the place of
much fertilizer because you are helping nature make fertilizer and
also release what is already in the soil. It would make the soil so
healthy that in a year or two (probably first season) the crops would
be so healthy that the creator would not need to send the scaven
gers any more to devour the crops. He rewards obedience to his
natural law, as well as the moral law Obey and live - disobey and
die!
Our Nutri-Carb fertilizer is the best we know to detoxify your soil
to make the crops fit to eat.
THEN YOUR WHITE SOYBEANS
WOULD SELL TO NUMEROUS
SOYFOOD FACTORIES FOR
$12.00 PER BUSHEL.
One in Florida, one in Mass., one in W. Va. and the Japs are
building one in Indiana. Grow a crop that is coming in big demand at
$12.00 per bu. instead of $5.50 last year. Big difference!
Our customer's yellow beans are 46% protein and sell for $B.OO
per bu. Why? because the buyer proved that Nutri-Carb grown
beans are worth the difference for his cows. Would be for you too.
We have that good seed to sell.
And our Nutri-Carb grown corn sells for $3.00 per bu., for the
same reason. Therefore grow it this way for your livestock, or to sell
at $3.00 per bushel. Or would you rather work cheap and take the
embarrassment that the Creator does not bless you.
The use of hay additives is cer
tainly one approach to reducing
losses and preserving hay quality.
Hay additives include drying
agents which speed the drying
process in the field, and organic
acids which inhibit aerobic activi
ty in hay and permit safe storage at
moisture contents greater than 20
percent. Both have been shown,
when used properly, to be profit
able. Yet their use has been
limited.
Drying agents for hay are water
based solutions that are sprayed
on the legume crop at mowing to
hasten the drying rate. They usual
ly consist of potassium carbonate
and/or sodium carbonate and a
surfactant to help spreading. They
217 S. RAILROAD AVE.
NEW HOLLAND, PA. 17557
Hay Additives
are not corrosive and are relatively
safe to handle. They act by dis
turbing or dissolving the waxy
cuticle on the outside of the stem,
allowing stems to dry at about the
same rate as leaves. The process
works best during second and
third cutting harvests, but can
improve drying rate during the
first and fourth cuttings. And they
are not effective on most grasses.
As with any management tool,
drying agents must be used
according to recommendations
and with good judgment. And
while the reduction in curing time
depends upon drying conditions,
you can expect to see reductions
about as follows:
Alfalfa
Cutting
Buckmaster’s studies suggest
that the consistent use of additives
does improve farm net return.
This, he says, is a result of
increased hay quality and yield
which can reduce feed costs by
about $6 for each ton of hay fed.
Organic acids such &s propion
ic acid or propionic-acetic acid
blends have also paid off for the
producer who uses them properly.
Their effectiveness is largely
dependent on the uniform applica
tion rate of active ingredient and
the moisture content of the hay.
Recently available buffered acid
products appear to be more effec-
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live. These acids are dangerous to
skin and eyes, and must be hand
led and stored carefully.
Today aerobic bacterial inocul
ants, not to be confused with
anaerobic bacterial cultures, are
receiving more attention and do
show promise. Limited research
has suggested that when applied to
alfalfa hay at moisture levels of
20-25%, the aerobic bacteria
allow for greater leaf retention,
palatability and improved visual
hay quality. But more studies are
needed before their true value will
be known.
But, hay making aids such as
those listed above are not a substi
tute for other good management
practices. And to sum up, here are
a' number of other management
Drying
Time
Reduction
0 - ‘A day
'A - 1 day
'A -2 days
0-1 day
Wayne County
HONESDALE (Wayne
Co.) The 1991 Wayne County
Dairy Day is to be held March S at
the Wayne County Veterans
Memorial Armory.
Jointly sponsored by Penn State
Cooperative Extension and area
farm businesses and organizations,
it is held each year to provide edu
cational programs and idea sharing
in order to help area dairymen
become more efficient and
productive.
Scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 3
p.m., the program features Dr. Wil
liam McSweeny, agricultural eco-
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practices that are considered
essential for good hay making
under our climatic conditions;
1) Maintain your hay making
machinery in good adjustment.
2) Mow forage early in the day
to allow for a full day’s drying,
3) Lay the crop in as wide and
uniform a swath as possible to
increase drying at a uniform rate.
4) Rake or ted at 40-50% mois
ture to increase drying rate and
minimize leaf losses.
5) Bale hay at 18-20%
moisture.
6) Store hay, regardless of bale
type, under cover and off the
ground.
In my next column I’ll look at
some of the recent findings to
reduce losses in silage making.
Dairy Day Set
nomist and Dr. Richard Adams,
dairy nutrition specialist, both with
PSU.
In the morning, McSweeny is to
discuss the advantages and disad
vantages to leasing equipment. In
the afternoon Adam is talk about
totally mixed rations (TMR).
Other presentations include an
overview of the outlook for the
dairy industry, alternative manage
ment, and an overview of a grass
land resources and sustainable sys
tems project currently being under
taken within the county.
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