Industry, Farmer, Scientist Working Together
Coordinator Speaks About Economics, Benefits Of Grazing
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
FAYETTEVILLE (Franklin Co.)
- “A fellow staring out now would
lot have to invest in equipment and
lave large oveihead to get in the daily
msiness,” said Titus Martin, who
witched to grazing about five years
igo.
The Franklin County dairyman who
lelped found the Franklin County Gra
ders spoke about the advantages to a
(razing system recently at his farm.
Martin, of Ti-Lin Holsteins, spoke
it last month’s Pennsylvania Grazing
ind Forage Conference in Grantville
ibout the economics of grazing. He
lointed out the difficulties of getting
tarted as a dairy producer the tradi
onal way the huge capital invest
icnt of land, machinery, and other
osts—a lot of which can be curtailed
irough low-cost grazing.
(Look to an article on Jeff Wolfe,
anover, on how somebody just enter
g dairying has adopted grazing in
tis issue of Foraging Around.)
Martin switched to grazing in 1993.
toe day, he simply got disgusted with
e old headaches of equipment and
laintcnancc costs and settled oo graz
ig, which he claims is a “more relax-
(Turn lo Page 2)
■n
DUANE E. PYSHER
. Grassland Management
Specialist
Natural Resources
Conservation Service
During the Pennsylvania Grazing
aid Forage Conference in
Irantville, as I sat and listened to
Hr. Lewis Sapp, who spoke of fenc
hg and in particular on energizers,
though about how I would share
ome of his key points with you. So
lore is a brief summation of what he
Pennsylvania Forage & Grassland Council
Newsletter Section April 18,1998
Pennsylvania Forage and
FORAGING
Titus Martin, Franklin County dairyman who helped found the Franklin County Graziers, spoke about
the advantages to a grazing system recently at his farm.
❖ Pasture Ponderings ❖
shared with us
His first point was that you need
to think about the two reasons you
are fencing, which are for control or
for profit. Control means to keep
animals in or out of an area, to sep
arate classes or types of animals, to
fence out sensitive areas, or to
improve pastures. The issue of for
profit involves getting more forage
production form a piece of land,
thereby producing more milk, meat,
or animal product per acre.
Power fences enable the grazier
*
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\< r
(Turn to Pag* •)
•* H *****
GRANTVDJLE (Dauphin Co.)
Several award-winning forage and
grazing supporters were honored for
their work in promoting forages and
grazing last month at the 1998 Pen
nsylvania Grazing and Forage Confer
ence here at the Holiday Inn.
The Outstanding Pasture Producer
Award was presented to Jimmy Gar
ner, Montrose, Susquehanna County.
Gamer has been intensively grazing
Last month, Jim Garner, Montrose, was recognized with the Out
standing Pasture Producer Award from the Pennsylvania Forage-and
Grazing Council at Its awards ceremony In Grantvllle. The Garner fami
ly, from left, Melinda, Andrea, and Justin. See story page 24.
Grassland Council
AROUN
Toward A Sounder Grassland Program*
PFGC Honors Producers,
Educators At Conference
his 70 dairy cows on 3S acres for near
ly seven years. He has been actively
involved in the Chesapeake Bay Prog
ranj and the use of grazing to meet the
program goals.
“This accomplishment speaks for
itself in highlighting Jimmy's grazing
management skills.” noted Dr. Marvin
Hall, extension forage specialist, Penn
State. “Mr. Gamer is always willing
(Turn to Pago 8)