f 6 Farm Calendar (Contlniiad from Pag* A 10) Moiuliu, Jiiin- 20 PcnnAg Industries Annual Grain Meeting, Eden Resort Inn, Lan caster. 6 p.m. Pa. Rivers Conference, Harrisburg Hilton, thru June 22. 4-H Ambassador Conference, University Park, thru June 22. Five-County 4-H Camp, Camp Blue Diamond, Petersburg, thru June 23. Lancaster County pesticide con tainer recycling, G&G Feed and Supply. Manheim, also July 18, Schnccksville Community Fair, Schnecksville, thru June 25. Lancaster County pesticide con tainer recycling. Adams Coun ty Nursery, also July 19, Aug. 19, and Oct. 11. Grain Crop Field Day, Landisville ■KS3MBBOBE9I Crop Residue Management Prog ram, Hoss’ Steak and Seafood HDffI&SHSOEOBi Butler County Holstein twilight meeting, 7 p.m. Crop Residue Management Prog ram, York extension office, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Pesticide container recycling. Mountain View Reclamation, Greencastle, repeats July 28, WHEN SELECTING SOYBEANS. . . Don’t Settle For an Old ‘‘Hound” When You Can Buy • CX 415 Early Group IV CX 411 Early Group CX 404 Early Group CX 399 Late Group 111 CX 366 Mid-Group 111 CX 329 Early Group 111 - Double Crop Bean Just because bean season is upon us and you need soybeans quickly, don’t settle for the competitors 2nd or 3rd rate “Old Hound” DEKALB DEALERS STILL HAVE A GOOD SUPPLY of their TOP VARIETIESI See Your Local DeKalb Dealer For These & Other Seed Products Pa. Junior Holstein Association Convention, Pittsburgh, thru June 28. Beaver-Lawrence Dairy Princess Pageant and Ice Cream Social, Westfield Grange, 7:30 p.m. 14th annual Hickory Ridge Anti que Farm Show, Horace Potter Residence, Milford, Del, thru June 26. Smula\. ,luiu* 2(> M»ikl;i\, .luiU' 27 Pa. Junior Judging Schools. Butler and Franklin counties, thru June 30. 1 iKsdciv. In iu j 2H Implementing On-Farm Compost ing Interagency Conference and Tour, Penn State Harris burg, Middletown, thru June 29. Pesticide recycling program. Oyl er’s Orchard, Gettysburg, also Junior Judging School, Franklin I i id.i\. ,|nl\ I 5-Acrc Corn Club contest deadline. Lancaster County pesticide con tainer recycling, Landis Spray ing Service, Strasburg, repeats tival Grounds, thru July 10. ljncast»r Firming, Saturday, Junt 4,1994«A31 Are The Cows Eating Enough? Lisa A. Holden Project Associate Dairy And Animal Science Spring is one of the busiest times of the year. It’s easy to be swept away by all the chores to be done. Stop a minute and ask your self, “Are the cows eating, enough?” Cows with low dry matter intake (DMO may be down in milk, may be losing too much condition, and may develop breeding or health problems later. Adequate DMI is important for all animals and is especially important for high pro ducing cows. A cow’s DM requirements are determined by her body weight, level of milk production, stage of lactation, body condition, and energy expenditures. During early lactation, the cow’s DMI does not meet her DM requirements, parti cularly with high producing cows. At all other limes, feeding man agement mostly determines whether the cow’s DM require ments are met. Environmental conditions, such as hot temperatures, often affect the cow’s DMI, but many of the factors that affect DMI are more manageable than the weather. The type and quality of feed available, particularly forages, influence the cow’s DMI. Lower quality forages (high in NDF) can cause a reduc tion in DMI. Wet feed ingredients can cause a reduction in DMI, particularly fer mented ingredients such as silages. Since the moisture content of sil- TOP DOG! Penn State age affects its fermentative proper ties, silages too high in moisture may be lower in quality than prop erly fermented silage. During spring, when sources of forage may be changing or silos are being emptied, changes in moisture or forage quality can have a big impact on DMI. The availability and quality of water also impact DMI. If water is not available when cows are turned out on pasture or exercise lots, DMI may be reduced. If water quality is poor, either chronically or because of an acute situation related to spring rains, cows may respond by eating less DM. Finally, facilities can impact the cow’s ability to obtain enough DM to meet requirements. Overcrowd ing at the bunk leads to decreased DMI. particularly for smaller or more timid cows. Changes in housing or milking routines that the amount of time cows have xSSUE lAL RT hs- access to feed may also affect DMI. Stalls or feed bunks that are out dated or poorly designed may affect the cow’s ability to reach feed or eat comfortably, thereby influencing DMI. Making high quality feed available to the cow in a comfortable environment with access to clean water will help to ensure that adequate DM is being consumed. The physical and physiological forces within the cow that govern DMI are complex and somewhat fixed. In early lactation, these for ces significantly impact DMI, but optimizing DMI is always a good goal. The external forces governing DMI feeding management are more controllable. So this spring, amidst all the uncontroll able weather and seasonal changes, amidst all the busy hours and hurried tasks, ask yourself, arc the cows eating enough?
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