Balancing Rations To DES MOINES, lowa Feed ing strategies can help prevent a common disease of cows with newborn calves, according to a U.S. Deportment of Agriculture researcher. “Managing the diets of preg nant cows is a very practical means of overcoming milk fever,” said Ronald Horst, a researcher at the USDA’s National Animal Dis ease Center in Ames, lowa. Research at the center has re cently shown a connection be tween high levels of potassium in rations for pregnant cows and the occurrence of milk fever, a disease that results from a deficiency of calcium in the cow's blood stream Effects Of Grain Prices (Continued from Pago A3S) really calls for is a serious hard business look at the operational costs. ‘They really have to monitor which cows get that (quality) feed and which are giving a response for the extra feed they ate consum ing,” he said. Shirk said he does expect that many will put heifers and dry cows BALE CHOPPING MADE EASY - agfe' >V * • ' ’ • Reduce feeding waste and increase payability. • Do the job fast with a tractor-powered Patz® Big-Bale Chopper. • Models for 4-foot to 6-foot diameter round bales or several rectangular bales. • Patented horizontal chopping method requires less horsepower. • A spinning rotor with knives chops as the tub rotates. • Easy start of chopper knives with freewheeling lifting disk. • Two side-discharge ports. • Optional high vertical-discharge chute. • Optional flexible hose for restricted access and mulching. Ask to see the Patz® Chopper video. Then ask for a demonstration. SEE YOUR NEAREST PATZ DEALER ALEXANDRIA MAX ISENBERG 814-669-4027 BALLY LON6ACRE ELECTRIC 215-845-2261 BEDFORD BENCE'S FARM EQUIP. 814-623-8601 BELLEFONTE LUCAS BARN EQ. 814-383-2806 BELLEVILLE MILLER-LAKE INC. 717-935-2335 Patz soon after calving. Horst said re searchers also discovered a similar link between milk fever and high levels of sodium. He outlined the research at the joint Midwest meeting of the American Dairy Science Associa tion and the American Society of Animal Science in Des Moines March 19. Horst and his colleague, Jesse Goff, have shown that producers can use certain feeds or additives tp prevent the problems. Typically the substances added include forms of sulfur and chloride which make the cow's blood slightly acidic. “As a result, we seem to over- on pasture and that some will dry off some marginally producing cows early and put them on pasture to reduce feed costs. He cautioned dairy farmers not to keep too many replacement heifers, and to be careful with grazing, to use a nutritionist in alf feeding decisions and instead of wringing hands, to sit down with pencil and paper and get down to hard facts. LEBANON CEDAR CREST EQUIPMENT 717-270-6600 MECHANICSBURG JOHN JONES 717-766-8582 MIFFLINTOWN ZUG FARM & DAIRY EQUIPMENT . 717-463-2606 ORANGEVILLE FRANKLIN D. HESS FARM EQUIPMENT 717-925-6939 Battle Milk Fever Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 4, 1996-A39 ride the detrimental effects of sod ium and potassium,” Horst said. A careful analysis of the feed ration will show if there are enough sul fur and chloride compounds to offset the sodium and potassium in the diet or if additives should be used, he said. But that approach has limita tions. Horst said once potassium and sodium makes up more than 2 percent of the diet, the additives are difficult to use effectively be cause of palatability problems. That’s when producers should make more significant changes in their dairy rations. “Producers may need to look at alternative feeds,” Horst said. “Al falfa, for example, is high in po tassium, while com silage is rela tively low.” Horst said most laboratories that provide dairy ration analysis can provide information produc ers need to make the dietary ad justments. The researchers also state that producers could use urine pH to determine if they’ve balanced their rations correctly to minimize the effects of potassium and sod ium. ‘This will give producers an other measure to use to see if Mixing T.M.R. the Way You Want Open-Top Mixers • Four notched augers mix fast-even square-baled dry alfalfa in limited amounts. • Self-aligning auger bearings mounted outside. Flanged auger tubes for easy removal. • Planetary gear reducer and roller chain reduction power the augers. Roller chains operate in sealed oil bath. • On trailer and truck models, the discharge door and discharge'ktgers are controlled hydraulically. • 8 sizes frojp 190 to 575 cubic feet. Tumble Mixers • Tumble mixing plus a central spiral circulator moving ingredients to the back of the drum while filling moves ingredients toward. • No internal bearings. • Low maintenance -- only 3 grease fittings • 4 sizes from 135 to 290 cubic feet. Affordable financing from Patz Financial Services “36 Years of financing farmers needs.” All Mixers Manufactured By Patz QUARRYVILLE UNICORN FARM SERVICE James E. Landis 717-786-4158 SHIPPENSBURG WITMER EQUIPMENT SERVICE 717-532-6139 HAGERSTOWN. MD TRI-STATE FARM AUTOMATION 301-416-7340 A /SAFETY! \ mwmi<m j they’re on the right track. If they test seven to 10 days before calv ing and the pH is between 5.8 and 6.2, they can be reasonably sure that their dietary regimen will be successful,” Horst said. Horst said milk fever costs PES MOINES, lowa —Finish- ing cattle benefit when fed distill ers grain, a product of ethanol manufacturing, according to re- search at lowa Stale University. “The bottom line is that it is an excellent feed and based on the performance of cattle has a higher apparent energy value than com,” said Allen Trenkle, a dis- tmguished professor of animal sci- ence at ISU. Trenkle presented his research restilts at the Midwest meeting of the American Society of Animal Science in Des Moines, March 18-20. Distillers grains are produced by ethanol plants when com is converted to fuel-grade alcohol. Trenkle refers to distillers grains Increasing the amount of wet distillers grains in the diets decreased feed intake, re duced gain and unproved feed conversion. Trenkle reported, The calculated net energy for gain values for dry and wet distillers grains were .92 and I.S times the energy value Of com, respectively. Economic returns declined slightly as the percentage of wet distillers grains increased in the diet, but remained above the two diets without distillers grains, he added. ‘The economic advantage of including dis tillers grains in rations depends on the cost,” Genkle said. The price charges by the ethanol plant used in the study was a third of the price of the com purchased/Transportation costs are critical, he said, adding that finishing operations should be located within 20 miles of an ethan -9I plant Many ethanol plants use income from sell ing distillers grains to increase returns to the plant. Trenkle said some plants dry distillers grains to transpat them long distances to dairy cattle areas for feed. The problem with drying, he said, is that it results in a loss of feed value from solubles re moved with the liquid. Researchers are un clear about the reason for the loss, but there is less energy in the dry distillers grains, result ing in a less valuable feed for finishing cattle. Stationary auger mixers KENNEDYVILLE. MD FINDER SERVICE CO. 410-778-0799 WHITEFORD, MD ENFIELD EQUIP. 410-838-0480 POUND, Wl PATZ SALES, INC. 414-897-2251 JDISTRICT MANAGERS: Agri Bee Inc. James Bilski, Pres 814-696-9447 Fax 814-696-2606 James Smith 717-485-9585 Distillers Grain Has Potential Public Auction Register Closing Date Monday 5:00 P.M. of each week’s publication MAY SAT. MAY 4 - O:ISAM Automobile & Truck Auc tion, Keystone Public Auto Exchange, Rt. 22/322 between Dauphin & Clarks Ferry Bridge. SAT. MAY 4 - 9:3OAM Mahclnery, household items, antiques. Of the late Hilda P. Pack, Fort Hill. Travel W on Rt 40 top of Negro Mt turn at the Key stone lime Co. sign 754 miles to sale. Matt Luce, Frank Murray, aucts. FRI. MAY 10 - 7PM Mlddle- dairy producers millions of dollars each year. “The full impact of milk fever is difficult to measure because it brings on many sec ondary problems such as mastitis and reproductive and digestive problems.” as a co-product, rather than a by product, of ethanol production be cause of its value as a feed. Trenkle’s study evaluated the performance of finishing cattle fed rations that replaced cracked corn with dry or wet distillers grains. Six diets were compared: com and urea; com, soybean meal and urea; com, 16 percent dry distillers grains and urea; com. 16 percent wet distillers grains and urea; com and 28 percent wet distillers grains; and com and 40 percent wet distillers grains. “High-gain cattle need more protein,” Trenkle said. “The ration with 16 percent distillers grains provided about the same protein as the soybean meal ration.” burg Auction Monthly Dairy Sale. Info Clarence Shirk 656-8793, Harold Fraley 546-6807, Sale Barn 637-2222. SAT. MAY 11 - 9AM Trac tors, farm & orchard equip., 2 Chevrolet Blazeers, 1066 Cadillac, Lawn & garden equip, huge amount tools, antiques, household. Julian N. Cluck Estate. From Square in Biglervllle, PA - take Rt 34 N. approx. 2 miles, turn onto Quaker Valley Rd. and go 2 miles to sale site. 1 Redding Auction Service.
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