Walter Wurster
Chester County Dairy Milk Lines
for Lancaster Farming issue August 6, 1994
Your Pasture -- Green Profits Under Your Feet
Dairy farmers over the years, myself included, have turned their cows into
Urge, lush pastures each spring and watched their milk production increase for a
short period of time. After a few weeks, however, the good pasture is all eaten
or trampled down and production returns to the foimer level. The cows have
made hogs out of themselves, they won't eat their notmal grain ration, and they
waste a lot of good feed. This column will address how to use your present
pasture more wisely. A complete intensive grazing program for a farm is
another topic and will not be covered here.
Here are some steps to consider:
1. Make a sketch of your present pasture, preferably from an aerial photo,
and include present fencelines, cow lanes, water sources, and shaded areas.
2. Using this map, sketch new lanes for cows to get to different areas of your
pasture. The lanes should avoid veiy wet areas to prevent future mud holes.
3. Decide how water will be made available to the cows. It may require
installing a surface water line along the lane with watering facilities at the
Advertisement
MOYER & SON CELEBRATES 125-YEARS OF
QUALITY PRODUCTS AND PERSONAL SERVICE
When Christian, Jonas and
Enos Moyer first started
tending shop in their small feed
store in Souderton in 1869, it's
unlikely they could have
envisioned how their then ■
modest operation would
eventually evolve. But contin
ued growth tjecame the norm
for the Moyer Brothers who
were to gradually acquire larger
facilities in order to accommo
date their ever-increasing
product and service lines.
Today, that same family
business is Moyer & Son, now
in its fifth generation, with 180
employees-many of whose
families have been with the
company for generations
themselves. Moyer & Son still
provides the highest degree of
quality agricultural services and
products to the company's
farming, residential, and
commercial customers.
Over the years, Moyer &
Son has carefully measured
each stage of its growth to
eventually concentrate on three
major areas of operations:
fertilizer, feed, and fuel. In
1987, the company purchased
the Honey Brook Farm Center
in Honey Brook, PA which
Chester County
Dairy Milk Lines
Extension
Dairy Agent
enabled it to increase its
agricultural capabilities while
maintaining a balance of proper
nutrient management, field
mapping, and other field
services for its customers.
This year, Moyer & Son, is
paying tribute to the thousands
upon thousands of loyal
customers it has served over the
years. Since our beginnings in
1869, Moyer & Son has
recognized that doing business
is a two-way street, which is
why we set out to make our
service personal. It's a philoso
phy that has served us well
from generation to generation,
as we've continued to provide
our customers with the quality
products and personalized
attention they deserve.
As Moyer & Son commemo
rates its 125th anniversary, we
dedicate 1994 to the many loyal
friends and customers that have
made Moyer & Son the industry
and community leader it is
today.
Moyer & Son is proud of its
company history-and looks
forward to another 125-years of
"Making Service Personal
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This four-wheel drive compact tractor is powered by a
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paddocks. If you are planning to use a stream, the cows should be fenced out of
the stream and certain stoned access points should be created where the cows can
drink without destroying die stream bank.
4. Divide your pasture into paddocks. The size will depend on the n.imW „f
animals being pastured, bu ideally they should be able to graze a paddock in one
to two days. If possible, each paddock should have a direct access to the lane.
However, a long, narrow series of paddocks can have one access with the cows
grazing the nearest one first, and then walking through that one to get to the
second and third paddocks. When they have pastured the series, they are
removed so that the grass can recover.
5. Can you provide shade for the animals? A grove of trees, trees inside the
fenceline along a stream, or a roofed sun shade is needed if cows are going to use
the pasture during the day.
6. You may have too much pasture in the spring, so some paddocks can be
mowed for hay or silage.
7. You need to constantly monitor and manage the pasture. To get the most
benefit from the pasture, walk through the Helds daily and determine the best
time to open a paddock to the herd and when to change paddocks to avoid
overgrazing.
8. Lime, fertilize and clip your pastures. Many times doing these three things
will regenerate a pasture and avoid a major reseeding effort.
This approach to using your present pasture wisely does not do away with
stored feed use. What it does do is decrease the amount of stored feed that is
consumed during the pasture season and allows the dairy farmer to sell extra feed
or buy less forage than normal.
Cows were created to eat grass and turn it into milk. The dairy farmer's job
is to make it available to the cow as economically as possible.
Chester County DHIA - July 1994
Cows producing over M 2 lbs. protein are:
Joseph & Sandra Lusby
Gail
Jonas E. Stoltzfus, Jr.
Rose
Marilyn & Duane Hershey
Apple II
Ardrossan Farms
FG Rose
Merle J. King
Rivi
Gail
Walmoore Inc, # 2
436
Dunwood Farm
Sweet
Chris & Chester Stoltzfus
Pam
Ridge Star Farm
60
Tim & Phyllis Barlow
Golda
Lucy
MONDAY-
s ™"“ ¥
S.rvlng Ctntral PA Sine* 1921
PI LOTS 1 KELLER BROS.
AIRPORT
wr m*mv m nw
Lancaster Firming, Saturday, August 6, 1994-A33
3-07
26,868
4-02
24,243
24,007
3-01
3-04
25,287
4-01
3-02
25,190
24,847
2-09
26,367
8-04
30,966
6-04
25,533
4-04
24,571
H 6-11 26,529
H 4-11 25,713
(Turn to Pag* A 34)
FRIDAY
7;30-S;00
ftHMIMMitIMa
Tiy-W-MOO
886
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983
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972
804
1037
845
823
832
985
849
995
840
1216
919
872
811
955
834
907
954
832
904
Annual
District
Meeting Set
KINGSTON (West
moreland Co.) All
dairy farmers in the
American Dairy Asso
ciation and Dairy Coun
cil’s District 19 market
ing area, are invited to
attend a dinner meeting
at the Mifflinburg Com
munity Park on Wed
nesday, August 31.
Dairy farmers can re
serve two free dinners
per farm by calling one
of the following district
committeepeople by
August 23: John Walter
at (717) 523-6315. Rob
ert Pardoe at (717)
524-7625, Lee Shaffer
at (717) 743-82%, or
Fred Lovell at (717)
398-3924. Reservations
are required.
This important meet
ing is held to inform
dairy producers how
their promotion invest
ment benefits the sale of
milk. In addition, the
new national advertis
ing campaign for milk
will be featured. Pro
ducers will also have
the opportunity to share
their views on dairy
promotion and elect
new officers for their
local district.