COLLEGE PARK, Md.
Alfalfa appears destined to be the
star feed crop that beat helped
dairy and beef cattle producers
weather the drought Qf 1993
throughout much of Maryland’s
northern Piedmont area.
Adequate rainfall last winter
produced bountiful first-crop
alfalfa cuttings this spring, noted
Lester R, Vough, forage crops
specialist for the Cooperative
Extension Service, University of
Maryland at College Park.
And August rains resulted in
one of the tast fourth-cutting
yields in recent memory at the uni-
Farmers
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Hunter’s Moon May See Alfalfa Bonanza
vcrsity’s Central Maryland
Research and Education Center
near Clarksville, Vough said.
Additional rains during late
September have now set the stage
for a fifth cutting of alfalfa at the
time of the Harvest Moon around
Oct 20 that may be nothing short
of spectacular in both quality and
yield.
This promise applies particular
ly on those fields where farmers
followed the recommended prac
tice of applying fertilizer in late
August Vough said.
He reminds farmers that the
Cooperative Extension Service
STAR SILOS
Myaratown, PA 17007
717-866-5708
now recommends that central
Maryland farmers split their annu
al fertilizer applications on alfalfa
spreading one-half of the year
ly recommended amount after the
fust cutting in the spring and one
half in late August.
Normally, the August applica
tion occurs after the fourth cutting
of the season. But this year's
fourth cutting was delayed on
many farms because drought con
ditions in July delayed growth.
In extreme western Maryland,
where growers are limited to not
more than four cuttings of alfalfa
per season, Vough recommends
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applying all of the fertilizer after
the first cutting.
This year’s alfalfa outlook is
good news for many Maryland
livestock producers who found
their cornfields with stunted
growth brought on by summer
drought and a shortage of well
filled ears due to hot weather at
tasseling time.
Vough notes that fall is a good
time for alfalfa growers to take
soil samples for submission to the
University of Maryland soil test
ing laboratory. This permits time
over the winter to make applica
tion plans on both lime and fertil
izer for next year. Soil-testing kits
arc available from county Exten
sion offices throughout the state.
Many Extension offices in
Maryland also have reprints of an
article that Vough co-authored for
the spring 1992 issue of Better
Crops With Plant Food, published
by the Potash and Phosphate Insti
tute at Norcross, Ga. The article is
tilled “An Alfalfa Management
Program for Optimum Yields and
Quality in Maryland."
Cattlemen
Benefit
From Program
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. If you are a
commercial cattleman, imagine what it
would be like if the person you bought your
bulls from came to you and said, “I believe in
the genetics you’re buying from me and I
believe you and I could both make more
money if we teamed up and took them on
through the feedlot”
What would you do? Especially if this
same supplier went on to tell you he already
had a feedlot lined up that wanted to be a
partner in the calves too. And, between the
two of them, they’d give you approximately
9S percent of the value of the calves up-front,
then give you back 25 percent of any profits
they make on their share of the calves, while
you keep all the profits on your share.
Sound too good to be true? It’s reality. It’s
just one option the North American Limousin
Foundation (NALF) is offering as part of its
new Commercial Marketing Program
(CMP).
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,”
said Don Schiefelbein, NALF director of
breed programs. “With this program, the
commercial cattleman has an opportunity to
realize the full value of his calves while get
ting about 95 percent of the cash value up
front The feedlot spreads ownership risk,
and the seedstock producer is in a position to
offer tremendous customer service. Most
important of all, each one of the partners has
the chance to find out exactly how the gene
tics perform beyond the pasture.”
If the last two years in the beef industry are
any indication, such information will be the
key to survival for the industry and the indi
viduals who comprise it.
Initial results from the Strategic Alliance
Project recendy pointed out the industry
could improve and recover some $2 billion in
quality losses annually. The secret; each seg
ment of the industry has to know what the
product is specifically, and then share that
information with the next industry segment.
“If the beef industry is to remain strong,
producers must be more aware of how their
product works past the pasture,” said Dr.
John Edwards, NALF executive vice
president
Edwards said, “Competition these days
means seedstock producers must know how
the progeny of their genetics perform in the
feedlot and on the rail. Competition today
means commercial consumers of those gene
tics must also know the same information if
they hope to maximize their profits.”
That’s why Limousin, the second largest
beef breed in the nation, via NALF. is work
ing to help Limousin breeders and their cus
tomers gather specific feed lot and carcass
information through the CMP.
Other program options include a partner
ship between the commercial cattleman and
the feedlot where the commercial producer
gets approximately 85 percent of the value of
die calves in cash up-front, assumes SO per
cent risk in the percentage of calves he keeps,
but receives 60 percent of the profits on his
share.
In all program options,*!! partners receive
complete feedlot and carcau data on the
caliS.
• Sohicfclbcin iald, “This commercial prog
* rim 4s the most exciting opportunity, we can
offer our members and dieir customers. It’s
mrictly business and everyone stands to
benefit-"