WARREN (Warren Co.) Two Warren County 4-H fami lies hosted Japanese visitors this past month. Shown, from the left, is Wendy Gllkinson who hosted and Rie Kato of Kyoto-fu Japan, and Jamie Salapek who hosted Hlroko Yamanashi of Kanagawa-ken, Japan. The visitors are shown donning Japanese traditional dress at an exhibition at the 4-H Center in Pittsfield. Troy Onlnk, an exercise physiologist from Sugar Grove, is shown giving instruc tion to several 4-H’ers at this year’s 4-H Summer Camp. According to Sanford Smith, Warren County extension agent and 4-H camp direc tor, each summer, two one-week 4-H Camps are conducted for 4-H*club members from from a 10-county area in northwestern Pennsylvania. In line with this year’s camp theme of “The Summer Olympics,” Onink sentatlon to the 4-H’ers on the Importance of maintaining good throughout life. This year, nearly 400 4-H’ers attended camp, jrren County h programs are open to Warren County residents ages 8-19 years of age. 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Come in today to see our entire line of quality John Deere commercial products. A 0 Nothing Runs LikeaDeere \ ' # *1 s re a Lancaster Arming, Saturday, September 12, 1992-825 v & i ' * f’ * 4 * / ¥ Moisture Content Crucial In Silage UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) A few weeks before harvesting com that will be used for silage, growers should start monitoring its moisture content, recommends a Penn State com management specialist “Moisture content at harvest time is one of the most important factors influencing com silage quality,” said Dr. Greg Roth, assistant professor of com management in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. When com silage is too dry, it creates excessive air space in silos and encourages mold to grow. When it’s too wet, it leaches nutrients, sours, and becomes unpalatable for livestock. “As harvest time nears, com plants begin losing mois ture by adult one-half of one percent each day,” said Roth. “By checking the moisture content every few days, you can estimate the ideal time to harvest” Growers can check moisture content by chopping up a sample com plant and drying it in a forage moisture tester or microwave oven. Information about obtaining and using a forage moisture tester is available at Penn Stale Cooperative Extension offices. When using a microwave oven to check moisture, weigh a portion of the chopped plant then place it in the microwave with a glass of water. Heat the com at the high setting for two-minute intervals until the com feels com pletely dry. “By weighing the dried sample, you can tell how much of it was water,” said Roth. The difference between the two weights can be con verted into a percentage. “Recommended percentages vary depending on the type of storage,” said Roth. “For upright silos, 63 to 68 percent is recommended. For hori zontal silos, 6S to 70 percent is recommended, and 55 to 60 percent is recommended for limited-oxygen silos.” Moisture content also can be estimated by examining com kernels. Kernels have a milk line, a separation between the hardened starch at the crown and the milky portion near the base. As com matures, more of the kernel hardens, and the milk line descends toward the base. “For bunker or upright silos, com should be harvested when the milk line is about one-third of the way from the crown to the base,” said Roth. “When the milk line is mid way, the plant’s moisture content is ideal for storage in air tight silos.” When the milk line reaches the kernel’s base, a black layer forms there, and the digestibility of the stover is reduced. “Com at this stage should be harvested without delay,” said Roth. “It still can be ensiled, but the risk of abnormal fermentation is increased.” Weather can affect the rate of corn’s moisture loss. “After an extremely dry growing season, moisture content may be 5 to 10 percent lower at any given stage of maturi ty, and com may be ready for harvest a lot sooner,” said Roth. “Excessive rainfall may slow down moisture loss and delay harvesting.” Com was late developing this year due to the cold spring. Because of this, farmers in some areas may need to delay harvest or harvest after frost. “Frosted com tends to have too much moisture,” says Roth. “If this is the case, allow the com to dry out as much as possible before harvesting. “In all cases, use the condition of the crop, not the ealen- * r- * * I^l
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