ElB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 5,1993 * «IS> * * Don’t Let Pastures Go To Head Timothy J. Fritz Montgomery Co. Extension Agent During the spring months, pas ture growth is very rapid and diffi cult to manage. Typically, production is at least twice as much in the spring than summer production. Consequent ly, stocking rates must be twice as high in the spring months to pre vent pastures from becoming too mature. Your goal with cool season grass legume pastures should be to have the crop grazed when it is six to eight inches high in an intensive system. Once the grass starts to get taller than eight inches, quality starts to decline. If the pasture grasses go to head, the pasture should be clipped to maintain quality and active growth. If you are understocked in the spring, instead of trying to graze everything, make hay or haylage off part of your grazing land. Tall grasses are the easiest to harvest for hay or haylage. In particular, if you have predominately timothy or smooth bromegrass pastures/ hayfields, they should be consid ered for haying. Timothy and smooth bromegrass should not be grazed during stem elongation. The growing point is exposed at this time and stand life will be reduced. Ideas To Help Reduce Mud And Erosion On Lanes Wet soil in the springtime can cause problems on farms using lane systems. • Agricultural • Commercial • Residential • Retaining Walls • Bunker Silos • Manure Storage, Etc. LET OUR EXPERIENCE WORK FOR YOU ESTABUSHED SINCE 1979!. WE ORIGINATED THE CONCRETE SYSTEM! Sizes And Layouts To Your Specifications We Work Hard For Customer Satisfaction! in particular, daily faims with cows moving to and from the bam twice a day can have a real mud problem. Mud not only slows down milking due to extra cow prep time, but also increases environmental mastitis and ero sion on lanes. Some techniques that can reduce mud and erosion on lanes are: • Avoid low ground. • Avoid running lanes down slope. Try to follow the contour if possible. If you must go down a long slope, put in small diversions to channel water off the lane. • Have more than one major lane/exit from bam. • Mound your lanes. In south eastern Pennsylvania, with all the development pressure, clean fill can be found very easily. You may also be able to plow a mound in for a lane way. Avoid fill with rocks due to possible foot injuries. If you are mounding lanes, some culverts may be needed. • Wood chips can be put on heavy traveled lanes. Many land scapers and tree trimming/ removal companies have lots of wood chips. If you negotiate right, you might even be able to get paid a tipping fee. • Crushed stone can also be put on lanes. Avoid sizes that will cause foot problems. A course material covered with a fine material will probably work well. • Close to the bam, if the prob lem is severe and herd size is large enough to justify cost, consider a paved or a grooved concrete main lane. Commodity Bins And Trench Silos Authorized Dealer For KEYSTONE CONCRETE PRODUCTS • Hog & • Trench Cattle Silo Slats Walls • H-Bunks • J-Bunks Consider Low Alkaloid Varieties Of Reed Canarygrass In Montgomery County, many soils are wet in die spring and fall months and drought in the sum mer months. Reed canarygrass mixed with both red and ladino clovers should be considered by the grazer on these soil types. Reed canarygrass, once estab lished, is high yielding and highly tolerant to wet and doughty soils. In addition, its persistence is very high. Reed canarygrass does, howev er, have low seeding vigor and does not establish well with com petition. Palation and Ventor are two high-yielding, low-alkaloid varieties that should perform well. Varieties with high alkaloids have reduced palatability as its growth matures. For more information. “Agro nomy Facts 26, Reed Canary grass,” is available from the exten sion office. Frost Seeding Of Clovers Look Good So Far I have looked at several frost seedings of clovers spun on in late February and early March. All of the seedings appear to be coming along very nicely. One caution, however, to assure continued survival of the see dlings is to make sure the grasses do not shade the clovers excessively. In other words, don’t let the grasses in an intensive system get much taller than six inches and allow the animals to graze the grass a little shorter (maybe to I.S inches). INC. 430 Concrete Ave., Leola, PA 717-656-2016 I . te/c