CB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 8, 1991
Beef Briefs
mk
KEYS TO
MAKING AND
FEEDING QUALITY
HAY FOR
BEEF COWS
For most of the productive year,
an average-sized beef cow can
meet most of her nutritional needs
with some good quality hay. This
is particularly true if there is a
small percentage of legume mixed
with grass in the hay.
Most producers are aware of the
proper stage of these grasses and
legumes for harvesting. The key
component is that, if the plant is
mature, there is a reduction in feed
value.
We often hear about tons of hay
produced per acre. If we are selling
the hay by the ton, this would be
appropriate. If we are feeding beef
cows, we should be more con
cerned about the TDN and protein
production per acre, and these fac
tors can be improved by proper
harvest.
Mother Nature will often dictate
when we will harvest hay in Pen
nsylvania, but give some thought
to harvesting a little early this year
to capture more feed value instead
of waiting for tonnage.
For example, the energy value
of alfalfa hay will be reduced by
almost 20 percent when cutting at
full bloom instead of at early
bloom. Similar differences in ener
gy value also exist for grass hays
cut at a later maturity.
Many of the hay-treatment pro
ducts are effective. Propionic acid
treatment of hay at moisture levels
of 20-30 percent will effectively
eliminate molds and reduce dry
matter losses by a half.
Bale wrapping is another alter
native for some producers. A far
mer recently told me it costs him
about $3.50 per bale to wrap them,
but he was able to get a cutting in
late October that would not have
iTnrSssj
[ 1 I 30th Anniversary
; ! FARM BUILDING
il(i{!iiilillil llillllllll l|l
For a limited time - Special “At Manufacturer’s Cost” Prices
on the following farm building sizes:
FB 25x30x9 RF 50x100x16
20:25 Load 20:25 Load
$4,800 00 $20,700 00
This Offer Is Available Through July 5, 1991
HEY EQUIPMENT
COMPANY, INC.
by
John Comerford
Penn State Beef Specialist
been possible from a conventional
harvest since he was able to bale
within hours after cutting. In addi
tion to reducing harvesting losses,
the bale wrap also provides a stor
age advantage to maintain the hay
quality.
We can make some of the high
est quality hay possible, but in con
ventional big bales stored outside,
we can expect to throw away one
of every three of the bales frotr
storage losses. A recent summan
of several hay storage trials indi
cated there will be a 29 percent
greater feed value in bales stored
inside than those stored outside
with no cover, and there will be 27
percent more hay in those stored
outside with a plastic cover and
elevated off the ground.
It docs not take much of an eco
nomist to determine some kind of
cover will be cost-effective for big
bales of hay. A big bale of hay is in
the form of a cylinder, and, for a
bale with a 3-foot diameter, the
outside 6 inches of the bale repre
sents about 30 percent of the vol
ume of the bale. The damage from
weather does not have to penetrate
very far into the bale to represent a
large loss in hay.
Elevation off the ground will
generally reduce storage losses by
about 10 percent Most water dam
age to big bales stored outside on
the ground is on the underside of
the bale, not on the top. Rock,
wooden pallets, and small trees
can all be used to elevate the bales.
Store the bales at the top of the
hill on well drained soil. Feeding
losses with hay can be consider
able. For example, it has been
determined that unrolling big bales
in the pasture with no feeder will
result in a loss of 50 percent of the
bale. While this practice is often
used for soil conservation, it is a
very wasteful way to feed hay.
A small ring-type feeder is a
wise investment for feeding hay.
Losses will be about 30 percent
SYCAMORE IND PARK _ „ w
255 PLANE TREE KOUteaOWeit
DRIVE „ « the
Lancaster, pa 17603 Centerville Exit.
(717)393*5607
greater in feeding big bales with
out using some type of feeder. In
years of short hay suppjy, this
becomes an essential practice.
The beef producer can effective
of beef cows if there is high
quality hay available. Proper
harvest timing, some unconven
tional harvesting methods, and
proper storage and proper feeding
of the hay can help increase quality
and reduce losses.
Fly Control
I have encountered numerous
questions recently about fly con
trol in beef cows.
To summarize, the most effec
tive control may still be the
insecticide-impregnated ear tags.
There is some indication hom flies
have built up some resistance to
the pyrethrin class of chemicals, so
you may wish to change to another
chemical class such as diazinon or
primiphos-methyl tags.
If you have not used tags or a
pyrethrin spray on your farm, there
is a good chance you can still do a
good job with this product. To
determine which class of chemical
is in any given tag, simply look at
KEN CLUGSTON
(717) 665-6775
CRAFT-BILT
CONSTRUCTION INC.
FARM-HOME BUILDING
1242 Breneman Road
MANHEIM, PA 17545
PH: (717) 655-4372
BUILDING & REMODELING FOR
DAIRY RESIDENTIAL
SWINE POLE BUILDINGS
BEEF STORAGE
CONTACT US
For
DOUBLE CHAIN
PIT ELEVATORS
HYD. TILT AVAILABLE
COMPACT ROTO BEATERS
WISCONSIN & ALLIS
CHALMER POWER UNITS
HAND-O-MATIC BUNK
FEEDERS
COMBINATION MOWER
AND CRIMPER UNITS
455 AND 456 MOWERS
NEW IDEA CRUSHERS
LARGE SHOP LATHE
40 TON PUNCH PRESS
CRIMPING ROLLS TO FIT
YOUR NEW IDEA CRUSHER
NOTICE
CONTACT US FOR PROPER
LUBRICATING YOUR
CRIMPER BEARINGS
200 HP VM AIR COOLED DIESEL,
COMPLETELY REBUILT
$4,500.00
YALE 4000 LBS. FORKLIFT
EXCELLENT CONDITION $5,500
SMUCKER
WELDING & MANUFACTURING
2110 Rockvala Road
Lane., PA 17802
the label on the box. Follow the
instructions for their use very
closely.
I was in Missouri some years
ago when the tags were first being
tested, and the original studies
showed there was no real advan
tage to lagging the calf as long as
the cows were correctly tagged.
However, use your own judgement
based on conditions at your farm
on how many tags to use in each
cow and whether to put tags in the
calves.
Some of the tags can last up to 5
months, so you can determine the
Radio, Behavior Training
Keeps Dog In Line
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) —
Dog Watch, Inc. announces that G
& G Industries is an authorized
dealer of their Dog Watch™ Hid
den Fence System.
The Dog Watch ™ Hidden
Fence System is a dog contain
ment system that uses a combina
tion of radio technology and beha
vior training to keep dogs in a yard
or out of a garden.
economics for yourself of spraying
cow's weekly or tagging them.
Oral larvicides can be used for
fly control. By this method, the
insecticide is added to the mineral
or protein available to the cows.
The compound is such that it is not
digested by the but remains in
the manure and kills the fly larvae
when the eggs are deposited in it. It
is only effective against the larvae,
so if there is another source of flies,
such as other cows across the fence
from yours, the flies will not be
controlled.
A thin wire is buried around a
specific area and emits an AM
radio signal. The dog wears a
receiver collar that picks up the
radio signal and activates an audi
ble warning and a mild electrical
stimulation.
For further information, contact
Jim Gehman, G & G Industries,
242 Buchanan Drive, Ephrala, PA
17522, (800) 869-5641 or (717)
733-9396.
FRANK A.
FILLIPPO, INC.
- WANTED -
DISABLED & CRIPPLED
COWS. BULLS & STEERS
Competitive Prices Paid
Slaughtered under
government inspection
Call: Frank Fillippo -
Residence - 215-666-0725
Elam Cinder - 717-367-3824
C.L. King - 717-786-7229