(Continued from Page E 2)
two are suitable only for produc
tion of pasture and forage.
The movement back to pasture
systems in the dairy industry has
caused us to refocus on the effi
cient production of human food
from pastureland. In some of our
Penn State grazing research, we
found that cows produced 13,000
pounds of milk/acre during a six
month grazing season, with a
stocking rate of 1.3 cows/acre.
This was more than 400 pounds of
milk protein per acre, the majority
of which came from pasture. In
comparison, a 100-bushel-per
acre com crop provides only about
120 pounds of protein for human
consumption, and the biological
value (protein quality) of com is
inferior to that of milk.
Only 20 percent of the solar
energy transformed into chemical
energy by plants is used directly by
humans. Dairy cows can convert
the other 80 percent into high
quality foods.
We can use our 100 bushel/acre
com crop as an example. One acre
of com produces 12,000 pounds of
dry matter 6,000 pounds of com
grain and 6,000 pounds of stalks,
leaves, and cobs. Not all of the
6,000 pounds of grain would be
available for human consumption,
since 3,000 to 4,000 pounds may
be inferior kernels and mill feeds.
Thus, this single acre of com can
provide 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of
human food but 9,000 to 10,000
pounds of animal feed.
A dairy cow could consume (as
com silage) the entire 12,000
pounds of the dry matter from this
acre of com and with minimal sup
plementation produce 12,000 to
14,000 pounds of milk (and more
than 400 pounds of milk protein).
Alternatively, the land could be
used as pasture to produce the
same amount of milk protein at an
even lower cost or for other forage
crops.
The dairy cow’s ability to con
vert cellulose from forage and by
products to food energy also must
be considered. The hypothetical
acres’ 100 bushels of com grain
contains about 4,000 megacalories
of energy, but only about 1,500 to
2,000 megacalories are directly
available for human use. The milk
produced from this same acre,
however, contains more than 4,000
megacalories of energy available
for human use.
What does this mean? A dairy
cow can use the entire com crop
produced on one acre of arable
land to produce more protein and
energy for human consumption
than would be available if humans
were to consume the com grain
directly. She can use the 75 to 80
percent of the crop not available to
humans and produce food to com
plement the protein and energy
consumed directly by humans.
Is the dairy cow really compet
ing with humans for our food supp
ly? No! Remember that the total
pasture land area worldwide suited
only for use by ruminants is twice
that of the total arable land area.
And this is only part of the story. In
recent years, we have begun feed
ing more waste and by-products—
from the rendering and grain pro
cessing industries; feedstuffs such
as brewers grain, distillers grain,
animal protein, and wheat mids;
and candy and bakery waste. Not
only is the dairy cow efficient, but
she is also good for the environ
ment because the by-products fed
to her don’t end up in a landfill.
Furthermore, the animal waste can
be returned to the soil to enhance
soil fertility.
The dairy cow, with her unique
ability to transform otherwise use
less plant material and waste pro
ducts into high-quality human
food, is truly nature’s “high-tech
animal.”
SPißaagaao g?ißßamama
The unique ability of the dairy
cow to transform nonedible mater-
fzM
GATES and FENCING
HR*
tr
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• Super tough fmish • Protection from rust & corrosion
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Hinge lor 3/4' pin
welded to gele
Standard Heights For Gates & Fencing:
(38” High - 4 Bar) (48” High - 5 Bar) (54” High - 6 Bar)
NOTE:
• 13 Ga. steel 15% heavier than 14 Ga. steel
• 13 Ga. steel 45% heavier than 16 Ga. steel
• 13 Ga. steel 85% heavier than 18 Ga. steel
All Sates & Faneing Mo 4» Of 1.9" Outside Die Meter
High Yield Steel Tubing Wftrii 13 6e. Wall
SLANT BAR FEED THRU FENCE
Custom Built To Any Length
PAUL B. ZIMMERMAN,
Call or Writ* For Hours
Additional Information Mon. thru FH.
And Your 7 to 5
Naarasl Daalar Sat. 7 to 11
SPiaaanaßia 9?iiaaanana SPuaaarama SPiaaanaiiia gPißßagnma
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 16, 1994-E3
ial into high-quality edible human'
food with a relatively high effi
ciency enables her to make valu
able contributions to human wel
fare, including:
• Adding to the amount of avail
able food
• Raising the quality of the food
• Improving human health by
supplying high-quality protein
products
• Using products which cannot
be used by humans
• Using material that would
have been sent to landfills
• Using feed from land not
appropriate for growing crops for
human consumption.
Plant and animal cultures are
complementary. A viable agricul
ture to feed the increasing world
population will require efficient
use of all plant and animal
resources.
me. \\
/* **"l
Vertical bracing
295 Woodcorner Rd.
LltltZ, PA 17543
1 Mile West of Ephrata
717-738-7365
Round comers lor
safety and strength
Stub welded to gate
lor automatic latch
INC.