A2O-Lanoster Farming, Saturday, April 10, 1993
GEORGE F.W. HAENLEIN
Extension Dairy Specialist
University of Delaware
NEWARK. Del. Well, it’s
still white outside and the ground
hog, on target once again, saw his
shadow Feb. 2.
His predicted six more weeks of
winter will be over soon enough,
replaced by spring work in the
fields.
Along with the eager anticipa
tion of warmer weather comes
planning for the next crops to feed
our milking animals cold-sea
son forages, grazing, green chop,
haylage, silage and hay.
Planning, supported by already
established crops, should focus on
when and how best to harvest, giv
en the almost certainty of weather
interference.
“How best,” where my plan-
DEFOREST. Wis., Six
Pennsylvania-bred Holstein bulls
recently have had their status ele
vated to “proven” according to the
approval rating system of a Mid
Western commercial artificial
insemination business.
All the bulls are graduates of the
Progeny Test program used by the
DeForest, Wis.-based American
Breeders Service (ABS), a divi
sion of W.R. Grace & Co., Conn.
Through the company’s prog
eny test program, a young test
bull’s semen is distributed within
contracted PT herds across the
U.S. As progeny are evaluated for
production capabilities, a decision
is made to promote the bull to
proven status.
Among the six bulls raised by
Pennsylvania Holstein breeders to
receive that status is 29 H6OBS
ning is concerned, means first and
last the calendar date for the most
nutritious crop (not the highest
crop yield). It also means harvest
of all the nutrition in the crop, not
just 75 percent or only 50 percent
because of the fickle dictates of
weather, plant maturity and labor.
So, how do we do it?
Grazing is ideal in many ways.
It’s certainly the most cost-effec
tive harvest if rotation and electric
fences arc well managed. Weather
and plant maturity can have only
limited influence.
In recent years intensive, rota
tional grazing has again gained in
popularity because of its low cost.
It has been called the Voisin
system, or 90 years ago, the Ho
henheim system, after the German
agricultural college that pioneered
the practice.
THIS SB WILL
MAKE IT EASY TO BUY
Intergen-I Revere-ET, bred by
Intergen I Ltd. of Pittsburgh, and
was joint sampled through Golden
Genes, Inc.
29 H 6083 Revere is a Klark son
from a good-uddered Bell daught
er. Based on 36 daughters in 23
herds, Revere is rated with PTAs
of+l9o4M, +BSF, and +7 IP. With
a PTAT 0f+1.23, Revere is a high
total performance sire (+llO4
TPI).
According to ABS, the daught
ers are slightly above average in
size, with sloped rumps, and very
high and wide rear udders.
Also joining the lineup is 29
H 6155 Pen-Col R Dauphin-ET,
bred by Pen-Col Farms of
Millville.
Dauphin is an Arlinda Rotate
son from a Very Good Ijon daught
er. His dam is backed by the fam-
Farmers in this region who
practice cold-season rotational
grazing, with rye for example,
usually laugh all the way to the
bank!
More intensive is the green
chop harvest, but weather and
plant maturity can interfere. For
this reason, it is used more in sum
mer, when these variables are less
of a factor.
Haylage, silage and haying are
the remaining alternatives. The
dual risks of weather and plant
maturity clearly favor haylage for
the first crop harvest.
Haylage harvest assures con
tents of the most nutritious crop,
and even a narrow weather win
dow is usually sufficient for good
harvest.
This is especially true with the
new technology of large bales
ous Pen-Col Bell Dream cow, an
individual known for her superior
offspring and high protein
production.
Based on S 9 daughters in 48
herds. Dauphin is rated with PTAs
0f+1426M, +SOP, and +B2F. With
a PTAT of +1.35 and an udder
composite of +0.69, Dauphin is a
type and Total Performance Sire
(+951 TPI).
According to the new release.
Dauphin daughters are tall, strong,
deep, and open. Additionally,
Dauphin sires strong udder clefts
and improved foot angle.
Dauphin should not be mated to
virgin heifers, ABS warned in the
release.
Two Holstein bulls bred by Obie
Snyder of Imler, were added to the
proven lineup. They are 29 H 6217
Singing-Brook Benchmark-ET
wrapped airtight in plastic. I have
seen and sampled large-bag hay
lage that was one year old and still
as palatable and of excellent quali
ty as when made fresh. Cows even
prefer it over com silage.
This system maximizes nutri
tional harvest with a minimum of
labor and risks.
A bonus to large-bale haylage is
the long fiber, which counteracts
the bad effects of short-cut silage
and heavy concentrate feeding.
There is no more risk of displaced
abomasum.
But what about hay? We cer
tainly want to make some: how
ever, the weather risks almost
mandate forgetting the first cut
ting or even the cold-season for
ages.
A few years ago, a major study
was published by Dr. A. Kivimae
Six Pa. Bulls Graduate To Provei
and 29 H6IS9 Singing-Brook
Nittany-ET.
29 H 6217 Benchmark is one of
the first proven Melwood sons
and, according to ABS’s analysis,
sires daughters that excel in both
milk production and confirmation.
His proof was based on 34
daughters in 24 herds. Benchmark
is rated with PTAs of +2506M,
+IO3F, and +7OP.
With a PTAT of +1.93, Ben
chmark is an extremely high Total
Performance Sire (+llBB. TPI).
Benchmark daughters are tall,
strong, deep-bodied cattle with
superior rumps and deep udder
clefts.
Benchmark is the only Mel
wood son from this elite cow fami
ly and has already used as a sire of
sons at ABS.
The company’s position is that
Crop Strategies
of the Animal Nutrition Institute
of the Swedish Agricultural Col
lege in Uppsala.
“Chemical composition and di
gestibility of some grassland crops
with particular reference to
changes caused by growth, season
and diurnal variation,” a 142-page
publication, contains tremendous
ly useful information on alfalfa,
red clover, alsike clover and timo
thy in planning the most nutritious
feed harvest. It covers changes in
protein, fiber, cellulose, lignin,
fat, carotene, minerals, nitrogen
free extract, and what was then
really new, soluble carbohydrates.
Today we hear more about car
bohydrates, which can be very
confusing.
One hundred years ago, Dr.
Max Rubber, a famous animal nu
tritionist at the Munich Agricul-
Benchmark should cross well on
many of today’s popular Holstein
bloodlines.
Benchmark’s dam is Paclamar
Marietta Bows, the Excellent-90
Bova daughter of Jackbuilt Chair
man Mandy.
Chairman Mandy has been a
brood cow to such sons as Singing-
Brook Mascot-ET.
Marietta Bows herself also has
another proven son, 29 H 6053
Marvel, who rose in some produc
tion areas this sire summary.
Marvel is the Starbuck son ranked
+lOO7 and is positive in all type
composites.
The other Snyder-produced bull
is a maternal brother to Ben
chmark, 29 H 6159 Nittany.
Nittany is an Enhancer son from
Jackbuilt Chairman Mandy
(EX-92-2E).