A22-Lanca*ter Farming, Saturday, August 17, 1991
Herdsman
(Continued from Pag* Al 9)
them; they arc now researching
them to seek better profit for the
Pennsylvania dairyman.
Although specific recommen
dations will be a little time in com
ing, Hoover said some things
dairyman are widely practicing
which can be changes now are
increasing stocking rate in pas
tures, starting cows on pasture
sooner in the year, so that they
don’t get overrun with too tall and
too mature plants of little value and
interest from the cattle.
In the first experiment Hoover
showed the group, a 38-acre area
was seeded with 22 varieties of
grasses, both forage and turf
varieties.
Researcher Dwane Pysher, dis
cussed the project.
Included were 10 varieties of
perenial rye five tetrploid and
five diploid four tall fescues,
reed canary grass, orchard grass
The 9-foot, by 90-foot strips of
sowed grasses were alternated and
repeated four times over the
acreage. That was done to increase
the randomness of the experiment,
which was to determine what cows
preferred, and how well it held up,
under the conditions of utilization
and management indicated by
other studies.
The grasses were planted in the
fall of 1989. In May of 1990, the
grazing began.
Forty-eight cows were pastured
in paddocks which were fenced off
to ensure that the cows had equal
access to similar amounts of the
various forages.
The acreage was also managed
for spring and summer use. About
two-thirds of the pasture was cut
and used for haylage.
Prior to the cows being alowed
in, the researchers sampled the
plants to down within an inch of
the ground to determine nutrient
value.
Pysher said il is clear that Ihe
plants which were grazed grew
back faster than those plants which
were mechanically cut.
Also, the manure was left in the
field. No dragging, as is suggested
for parasite control.
The cows were allowed to enter
the paddocks from the top of the
hill. In all cases, the cows started
grazing straight through, from top
to bottom. When they got to the
bottom, Hoover said they “remem
bered the better tasting stuff,” and
returned to it.
In this case, they devoured the
orchard grass and used the rye for a
bathroom, Pysher said. According
to Pysher, 92 percent of the
orchard grass offered was eaten.
However, the cows did eat the
rye later in the year and the tetra
ploid rye had the highest nutrient
value. But Pysher said that all spe
cies were of high quality. They
tested out above 20 percent pro
tein, up to around 25 percent
protein.
The fescues, which Hoover said
are considered “a no-no” for a pas
ture lived up to their reputation, in
that only 65 percent of the tall
fescue was used by the cows
except for Barcell tall fescue, of
which the cows ate 88 percent
The dry matter content of the
forages are very important There
fore PSU is looking at the prefer
ence of the cow, the amount util
ized, the quality of the forage and
the amount of dry matter (DM)
produced by a forage. Included
were aspects also, such as digesta
bility, protein content and percent
fiber.
The study was mostly con
ducted last year, when the region
received its expected 27 inches of
rain from May to OcL 16. This
year, however, the pastures are at a
growth standstill. Hoover said that
with the rain deficit as great as it is,
Pennsylvania may not see 27
inches of rain during the entire
year.
“From my standpoint, it’s fortu
nate,” Pysher said. “I can look at
how the forages react under stress.
For a farmer’s immediate appli
cability to modifying a pasture for
use, Pysher suggested planting a
well-rounded variety of forages
and going with a program using the
plant varieties that offer the most
benefits.
The answers Penn State are
seeking will provide farmers with
the ability to better utilize stocking
rate on paddocks, how long an area
should be grazed, and which spe
cies of plant should be nurtured.
“We feel, based on preliminary
information, we will be able to turn
a 20,000 pound (of milk product
ing herd) and maintain that 20,000
pounds,” Hoover said.
(Turn to Page A 26)
□wane Pysher explains his
pasture studies dealing with a
variety of pasture grasses, both
forage and turf varieties.
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