A34-Lanca*ter Farming, Saturday, April 30, 1994
(Continued from Pago A 32)
discharge from the wetland, we
were dissatisfied with the results.
Review of the data suggested that
the concentration of phosphorus in
the spring and field drain might be
inadeauate to promote root
growth.
“In June of 1993, a phosphorus
fertilizer was added to the wetland.
Within three weeks, the nitrate
concentration in the wetland dis
charge dropped from 24 milli
grams per liter (mg/1) as N to 9.24
mg/1 as N.
“Also the dissolved oxygen fell
from 2 mg/1 to essentially zero.”
What that means is that the lack
of phosphorus in the groundwater
limited the ability of bacteria,
microbes and plants to grow and
thus use the nitrates as energy.
That has implications that more
research is needed on the construc
tion and maintenance of artificial
wetlands, among other things.
However, the technique of
recovery of groundwater for treat
ment is similar to the systems used
at landfills to collect leachate.
This year, the SRBC plans to
expand its study by developing a
similar research plot on a Lancas
ter County farm, according to Lar
ry Taylor, a hydrogeologist with
the SRBC.
Taylor is one of three authors of
the study sponsored by the SRBC,
“Water Quality and Hydrogeology
of Two Small Agricultural Basins
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) A new Center for Pasture
Research and Education has been
established in Penn State’s Col
lege of Agricultural Sciences.
A collaborative effort with the
USDA Pasture Research Labora
tory on the University Park Cam
pus, the center brings together 18
agricultural scientists and several
extension educators dedicated to
improving the sustainability and
profitability of animal agriculture
through better use of grassland.
“Feed costs account for SO to 60
percent of expenses in a dairy en
terprise,” said Steven Fales, pro
fessor of crop management and
co-director of the center with Lar
ry Muller, professor of dairy sci
ence.
“Pennsylvania farmers raise
Penn State Pasture Researchers Test Concentrate
HUNTINGDON (Huntingdon
Co.) A computerized concen
trate feeder developed and tested
at Penn State may help farmers to
feed well-timed supplements to
cows on pasture. The mobile feed
er is designed to help dairy far
mers cut feed costs through more
efficient use of pasture.
‘To sustain high milk produc
tion when a herd is on pasture, far
mers need to ensure that their
cows get adequate nutrition
through grains or concentrates,”
according to Dr. Dennis Buck
master, assistant professor of agri
cultural engineering in the College
of Agricultural Sciences. “But the
timing of concentrate feeding is
very important.”
Grazing often forces farmers to
feed cows concentrates at milking
time, because grain feeders usual
ly are kept inside the bam. "But
feeding cows two or three large
meals of grain each day upsets the
cow’s digestive system and keeps
it from using nutrients efficient
ly,” he said. “Offering grain or
concentrates to cows while they’re
actually on pasture may help sta
SRBC Reports
in Central Pennsylvania.”
The other two authors are
Robert Edwards, environmental
specialist, and Charles Takita.
sanitary engineer.
On Tuesday, Taylor and John
Graham, an SRBC civil engineer,
were at the site to explain its deve
lopment, the design of the study,
the findings and limitations of any
information derived.
The SRBC is a single, federal
interstate agency that was formed
by a compact between Maryland,
New York, Pennsylvania and the
federal government during the
19705.
Its goal is to serve as the single
water resources agency with
authority throughout the entire
Susquehanna River Basin to effect
coordinated control of the use of
water resources by governmental
and private interests.
The continuation of the existing
study areas, and the creation of a
third hinges on adequate funding.
The SRBC receives funds from the
states involved and the federal
government.
Under the Reagan-Bush admi
nistrations, according to research
ers, funding for such projects was
reduced and there is uncertainty
about public policy to fund con
tinued efforts to seek better know
ledge in the flow of groundwater
and nutrients.
This particular study was done
USDA, PSU Collaborate On Pasture Research
more than 60 percent of their feed,
but purchased forage and grain
still make up a considerable
amount of the operating costs,”
Muller said. “We hope to reduce
these costs and increase profit
ability by helping farmers make
better use of pasture.”
Because efficient pasture use
entails effective management of
plants, animals, soils and other re
sources, most of the center’s pro
jects will cut across academic dis
ciplines. The center includes ex
perts in engineering, economics,
animal science crops, soils, and
ruminant nutridon.
“We’re emphasizing a pasture’s
potential economic advantages,”
said Muller. “Producers won’t
adopt grazing technology unless
pasture systems offer a higher pro-
bilize digestion and maintain high
milk production.
“Computer feeders allow far
mers to control individual cow
rations, monitor feed intake, and
break up grain feeding into several
small meals during the day,” said
Buckmaster. “But they’re
designed to stay in the bam. The
Penn State prototype feeder can be
wheeled into the pasture, allowing
the cows to eat feed supplements
when they feel like it.”
The prototype was designed
and built by Mark Gardner, who
received a master’s degree in agri
cultural engineering from Penn
State in 1994. Gardner received
the 1994 Young Scientist Award
from the American Forage and
Grassland Council for his work on
the feeder.
The prototype feeder looks like
a short grain bin attached to a trail
er. The feeder’s stalls have sensors
that detect identification tags worn
by each cow, telling the computer
to dispense grain or concentrate
according to the farmer’s ration
plan for that animal.
The device was tested last sum-
On Groundwater Nutrients
for the purpose of furthering more
specific and reliable information
on the nature of groundwaterunder
two specific farm sites.
Sttidy May Help
Nutrient Management
But, according to researchers,
the data suggests that it may be
possible to use the information to
better design a nutrient contain
ment and/or treatment system for
use on-farm.
According to Taylor, though it
is too soon to advise the use of such
a system, this research, particular
ly that done at the study site near
Halifax, may one day serve as the
basis of a Best Management Prac
tice (BMP) for nutrient manage
ment in some farming situations.
Based on their conclusions, the
authors state in their recommenda
tions that, “Concepts developed
from the existing projects should
be utilized in a study of the entire
Armstrong Creek basin. From this,
estimates could be made of the
potential nutrient reduction that
could be obtained by collecting
and treating localized ground
water discharges using field drains
and constructed wetlands.”
It should be understood that the
goal of nutrient management is not
to reduce the proper use of
nutrients.
The goal of nutrient manage
ment is to prevent uncontrolled
amounts of nutrients, primarily
fit at reasonable risk. Efficient
pasture use could make the differ
ence between some farmers sur
viving and remaining competitive
or going out of business.
Penn State farm profitability
studies have found that intensive
rotational grazing can increase re
turns by an average of $125 per
year per cow, depending on com
modity prices, production costs,
and technology used on the farm.
Penn State studies also indicate
that pasture use is rising. In a 1993
survey of 1,200 Pennsylvania
dairy fanners, more than 29 per
cent said they use grazing as their
primary forage source during the
pasture season. About 16 percent
use a rotational grazing system.
The results also suggest pasture
use is likely to rise more than
mer in a joint effort of the agricul
tural and biological engineering
and dairy and animal science
departments. “We know the feed
er works and that cows on pasture
will use it,” said Buckmaster.
Dr. Larry Muller, professor of
dairy science, and graduate assis
tant Douglas Hongerholt currently
are gathering more detailed data
on dairy cows’ feed intake, milk
production and general behavioral
responses to the feeder.
DeFOREST, Wis. American
Breeders Service (ABS) has
recently introduced a new look to
the Alcide product lines. Designed
to aid in accurate presentation of
information, ABS and Alcide
have recently introduced new
labels for all lines of their udder
care products currently marketed
through the ABS sales network.
These new labels will be con-
nitrogen, from creating an overa
bundance of nutrients in aquatic
systems.
The difficulty in doing so is that,
while a visual inspection of a parti
cular operation in a sub-basin may
not appear to be significant in con
taminating water sources, it may
very well be a significant factor in
local or distant nutrient pollution.
The goal of the law is to reduce
excessive levels of nutrients from
getting into surface and groundwa
ters, particularly by requiring high
risk operations to develop and use
plans for the containment and con
trol of nutrients.
Manure is seen as a major sour
ces of nutrients, although feed, car
casses, and other organic matter
that could decompose into basic
nutrients arc also to be considered.
A definition of high risk opera
tions, though still legally incom
plete, would include high-density
livestock operators.
Other high risk operations could
be defined as those in which the
level of competancy or concern of
its operator to implement reason
able nutrient controls is apparently
low.
Study Isolates Flows
In general, the report showed
that nutrients being applied to the
land can be contained in “shallow
groundwater” if the shallow
groundwater can be captured
through the use of drainage pipes
18 percent of respondents said
they intend to increase grazing in
the next five years.
Not all farmers should rush into
grazing though. “Large herds and
pasture located long distances
from the bam and milking facili
ties may make intensive grazing
impractical,” said Muller.
To exchange research findings
and other information, the center
has created an advisory council
with representatives from produc
tion agriculture, financial institu
tions, the feed industry and other
organizations and agencies. “Input
from fanners and others will help
us design research projects and
educational programs that address
their concerns,” Pales said.
One project under way in the
Researchers also are looking at
ways to make the feeder more
energy-efficient. “Because it
would be used in pasture, away
from easily accessible electric out
lets, the prototype was built with
two power sources, a diesel gener
ator and an experimental solar
powered battery,” Buckmaster
said. “The solar modules couldn’t
provide enough power to maintain
an acceptable battery charge with
the current design, but if we can
make the electrical system more
Alcide Corp. Give
ABS
New
Look To Products
sistent in wording and layout, ena
bling dairy producers to find and
understand directions, and precau
tions more easily. Additionally,
the new labels are color coded to
specifically identify the different
products from one another.
With the redesign of the Alcide
product labels. ABS will lead the
industry by offering information
and directed to a single collection
site.
According to the research, the
field drain collected about 43 per
cent of the water, while about 47
percent was attributed to loss
through evapotranspiradon. About
4 percent of the rainfall actually
was surface runoff and another 6
percent of the total was attributed
to loss as getting past the collection
system.
The study notes that while mea
sures to control soil erosion have
been successful in containing sur
face water, they also aid in direct
ing water to Alter through the
ground, carrying nutrients.
A combination of drains and
erosion control devices may even
tually be prescribed as a technique
for fanning in certain situations.
Clugston said he raises primari
ly com and alfalfa, and double
crops with rye. For the last six
years he’s also been trying to raise
Sudex as an alternative ensiling
crop, which he said is a “chal
lenge” to use.
The farm soils are primarily sec
ond and third class, he said.
Ciugston said he enjoys work
ing with different types of research
because he also learns. He said he
didn’t have the educational oppor
tunities growing up, but he does
have educational desire.
“Maybe that’s why these types
of projects fascinate me,” he said.
center examines the possible im
pact of grazing practices on
groundwater quality. “We’re
evaluating how various grazing
systems, livestock densities, fer
tilization schemes and soil types
affect nitrate contamination of
groundwater,” Pales said. Penn
State researchers also are evaluat
ing different plant mixes to see
which provide the most nutrition
and the longest growing season
for the least money.
For more information about
Penn State’s Center for Pasture
Research and Education, contact
Steven Fales, 248 Agricultural
Sciences and Industries Building,
University Park, PA 16802, 01
Lawrence Muller, 316 Henning
Building, University Park, PA
16802.
Feeder
efficient, solar power could be a
very viable option.”
Buckmaster is a member of
Penn State’s Center for Pasture
Research and Education, a colla
borative effort with the USDA
Pasture Research Laboratory on
the University Park Campus. The
center brings together 18 agricul
tural scientists dedicated to lower
ing feed costs on Pennsylvania
farms by improving the utilization
of pasture.
in both English and Spanish.
“With the growing interest
globally and the fact that much of
the world speaks Spanish, we are
excited to be able to provide this
key product information to the
users of the ABS/Alcide products
in their native language, without
having to segregate product pack
ages,” said Jim Winter. ABS
director of animal care products.