D6-Lancntar Firming, Saturday, March 19, 1994 Livestock Notes Managing Pastures For Optimum Production Pasture season is just around the comer. Sheep producers need to have productive pastures to pro vide a cheap source of feed for six to eight months of the year. Well-managed pastures can greatly reduce feed bills. Poorly managed pastures can lead to nutritional deficiencies, poor reproduction,'and fields that look like deserts. The first step in managing your pastures is to get a soil test every two or three years. We have no way of knowing what your pasture needs in the way of lime and fertil izer unless the soil is tested. All Penn State Extension offices sell soil test kits. The cost is only $6, and it’s the best six bucks you’ll ever spend. Follow the directions on taking your sample and sending it off to the lab. You will receive a report that indicates how much lime and fertilizer your pastures require. You might also check with your fertilizer dealer, as some will test your fields for you. Most soils require limestone every few years. Lime changes the soil pH by reducing acidity. For pastures, we like to see a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. This pro vides an environment in the soil where the proper chemical reac tions can take place to allow the plants to absorb the nitrogen, pho sphorus, potassium and other nutrients required for growth. When the pH gets too low, the nutrients tend to be bound to the soil particles and are not available. Pastures need to be fertilized every year. Preferably, they should be fertilized twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Pastures need nutrients to grow and compete with weeds. If you don’t supply those nutrients, your pasture grasses and legumes will eventually be crowded out by weeds and other undesirable species. If your pastures are mainly grasses, you will need to supply nitrogen as well as potassium and FARMRS AgCREOTT CORP. grass, legume mix (clovers), you may be able to get away without supplying any nitrogen. Some soils may have a large amount of phosphorus and potassium in them and need little supplementation. The only way to know is to take a soil test Lime and fertilizer are only part of managing your pastures. Another consideration is stocking rate. The stocking rate is simply the number of animals your pas tures can support without being over grazed. Stocking rate is expressed in animal units. One animal unit is one cow or one horse or S sheep. If you have old pastures that have never been renovated and you don’t lime and fertilize, you may have to plan on 3-4 acres per animal unit. If. on the other hand, you have renovated pastures that are highly managed, and you use a good pasture rotation system, that Stationary Mixer mm. 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When you rotate sheep out of a pasture, go in and mow that pas ture to clip the weeds and allow the grasses to compete. You may also find it necessary to spray her bicides at times to control weeds. There are some excellent pasture herbicides on the maiket. While you may not be equipped to spray the herbicide yourself, there are commercial companies who will do it for you. Contact your county agent or feed or fertilizer dealer for the names of those companies. Pasture is a crop, just like com, soybeans or wheat, and it needs to be managed as such. The success of your pasture management will have a very large impact on the overall success of your sheep operation. Ten Medication Use Tips It seems like every time you pick up the newspaper or turn on the television, you find a story about contamination in our food chain. While lamb is not a major player in the nation’s meat con sumption, it still behooves us to WSSLER- ) -TMR MIXERS S 219 DAIRY SUPPLY Berlin, PA 15530 114-445-8842 ART DETWEILER Oanboro, PA 18916 215348-3117 FRANKUN FARM SERVICE Laceyvllle, PA 18823 717-869-2407 GRAHAM DAIRY SUPPLY Graensburg, PA 15601 412-834-3162 HESS EO. SALES A SERVICE MlHllnburg, PA 17844 717-966-2720 make sure that our meat is safe. Every once in a while you may find it necessary to medicate your sheep. It may be as simple as treat ing for internal parasites, or as complex as trying to clear up pneumonia or mastitis with anti biotics. Whenever you use medi cations, follow these simple rules. 1. Read the label carefully labeling directions change frequently. 2. Use drugs only in animal spe cies listed on the label-drugs used in other species may cause adverse reactions or illegal residues, and possible animal deaths. Only your veterinarian can prescribe “extra label” uses. 3. Use the proper dose for the species and size of animal to be treated - overdosing can cause illegal residues. 4. Calculate pre slaughter drug withdrawal times accurately withdrawal time begins with the last drug administration. 5. Use the correct route of administration giving drugs incorrectly can lead to drug inef fectiveness. adverse reactions, illegal residues, and possible ani mal deaths. TMR HYDROSTATIC FEED CART • Power Steering With Joystick • 7.9 Kawasaki With 2 Year Warranty • Electric Start • No Moving Parts In Drive Train • Beam Scale With Beeper • 5 Year Warranty On Box • Dual Wheel Swivel • Magnets On Discharge Chute • Hour Meter • 8 Models For Your Convenience NOUGHT AUNGS GARAGE Mlddlabury Center, PA 16935 717-376-2525 JOHN JONES Machanlciburg, PA 17056 717-766-8582 MAM BARN SALES Waetflald, PA 16906 814-334-6452 MARTIN EO. Chantoarsburg, PA 17201 717-263-3505 JOE MARKOVITCH Montrose, PA 18801 717-278-3637 MeMILLEN BROS, loytvllle, PA 17047 717-7853961 6. Do not “double does” using the same drug in the feed and by injection can cause illegal residues. 7. Select needle size and injec tion sites carefully misuse can lead to tissue damage, reduced effectiveness, and/or illegal residues. 8. Allow proper withdrawal times for feed containing drugs during the withdrawal time, stor age bins and feeders must be com pletely free of medicated feed and only drug-free feed should be used or illegal residues may result. 9. Keep accurate records of drugs used and animals treated poor records can be costly if drug residue violations occur. 10. Seek the advice of your vet erinarian your records will allow him/her to provide safer and more effective treatment and save you money by preventing illegal residues. Ivermectin And Reproduction Ivermectin is a potent anthel mintic (dewormcr) which was approved for use in sheep in 1990. Since then, producer concerns McDOWELL FARM EQ. Qrovo City, PA 16127 814-766-7265 MENDENHALL DAIRY SUPPLY Brookvllt, PA 15625 607-735-2656 DONALD NWSLEV Willow Strati. PA 17564 717-766-7654 ORNDORF FARM SERVICE Howard, PA 16641 814-625-2606 PRINGLE FEED STORE, INC. Qraanvllla, PA 16125 412-566-7050 In Ewes (Turn to Pago D 7) ED RtSSLER MFC. Now Entorpriaa, PA 166 M 814-766-2246 WILUAM ROMBEROER Pitman, PA 17264 717-646-2081 SHERMAN FARM SERVICE Abloo, PA 16401 614-756-4143 R.E. SMELTZER Stata Collaga, PA 16801 814-238-8275 TOM ZARTMAN Ephrata, PA 17522 717-733-1050 IVAN ZOOK A SONS Ballavllla, PA 17004 717-035-2158
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