Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council mf WfORAGING AROUNdW ‘lndustry, Farmer, Scientist Working Together Toward A Sounder Grassland Program’ Erie County Dairy Is Rooted In Orchardgrass George Helntz is spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council (PFGC) who believes strongly In orchardgrass. He stands with his dog, Nicky, a Golden Retriever mix. W c(lnes(l;i\, 1i hi u;ir> II Northwest Pa. Livestock and Grazing Management Workshop Series, Wesley Grange, Baikeyville, 7 Management Workshop Series, Weekly Grange, Baikeyville, 7 Pennsylvania Forage & Grassland Council Newsletter Section February 7,1998 ! *,'Mt ■* \# > v ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ JW f V'V^V- <v Xv , , } if<- *. - y'.'. v^..v. George’s County Extension Office, Conference. Grantville Holiday Inn, Grantville, thru March 5. !g PFGC Annual Meeting and Awards Reception during Grazing ference, Indianapolis, Ind., thru iagi (Turn to Page 6) i CAROLYN N. MOYER Bradford Co. Correspondent UNION CITY (Eric Co.) As the spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council (PFGC), dairy farmer George Heintz has a message for all farmers, espe cially those living in the northern United States. “If you can grow alfalfa, alfalfa is a good crop. But our grasses are for the northern part of the whole country,” said Heintz. The grass he speaks most highly of is orcbardgrass. “We’re a small farm. We’ve been here about 20 years and we grow high quality grass forages because we can not grow alfalfa. We try. but it’s usually a failure. Now we manage our grasses to give us high quality for- LOOKING AHEAD Dick Kaufftnan PFGC President This issue of “Foraging Around” kicks off the new year for PFGC. The articles that appear in this issue and the issues to follow in April, July, and October will cover a wide range of in terests. You will discover different forage production practices that may be use ful on your farm. Included will be re- Grazing And Forage Conference To Feature Irish Grazing Specialist GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.) Dr. Sinclair Mayne, a scientist at the Agri cultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, will be the keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Grazing And Forage Conference here at the Grantville Holiday Inn March 4-5. Mayne’s grazing research with dairy cattle and beef is some of the strongest in the world. Sinclair Myne’s research has emphasized im proving grazing management to in crease intake and utilization of pas ture. In addition, he has been involved in a long-term study to evaluate the optimum genetic merit of different cow breeds for grazing management systems. In additon to Sinclair Mayne, the program includes presentations on Focusing on grasses instead of leg umes often puts Heintz on a different schedule then most of his fellow dairymen. While they are planting com or waiting for their legumes to reach the right stage of maturity, Heintz is sitting on his tractor with the mower ready to go. “The biggest problem is the men tality or attitude change that is needed. You need to get out there and cut it when it needs to be cut,” Heintz said. Between May IS and May 30, Heintz isn’t looking at the stage of maturity or the height of his grass. In stead, he’s watching weather patterns very carefully. “When we start to get a good cycle of weather, I get out there and mow. If the yield is low, it just means I’m get ting better quality forage, and the sec- (Turn to Page 8) 1 ' ' iw s'%, r,' , 'Vs ■ , hi ''> K< ❖ Presidents Corner ❖ a' search reports from industry and uni versities, feature articles on forage producers in Pennsylvania, special in terest articles from around the country and around the world, and of course, upcoming events and past happenings sponsored by PFGC. If you are not a member of PFGC, now is a good time to join. The article in this issue by Dr. John Baylor summarizes the Alfalfa Grow (Turn to Page 2) Dr. Sinclair Mayna
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