Page 22-—Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 11, 1998
What Do These Graziers Do When The ‘Summer Slump’ Arri
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.) —A
Middletown dairy producer with
Jersey cows summed up his equipment
needs rather succinctly: a three
wheeler to open up the gates for his
grazing cows, a forage cutter, and
cows.
That’s it.
Like many graziers who have been
operating successfully for years, Tom
Williams of Bryncoed Farm, Middle
town, and others who spoke at the Pen
nsylvania Grazing and Forage Confer
ence in March believe that with graz
ing, cows are healthier and the
owners are, too.
“We make livestock work for us
we don’t work for them,” said Lawra
son Sayre, owner of Waffle Hill Farm
in Churchville, Md., who spoke at the
conference.
“I really believe that, the longer I’m
(using rotational grazing), the more
I’m convinced that grass and short
grains are the way to go,” said Nevin
Mast, who operates a farm in Oley.
However, all the producers realize
that while rotational grazing can mean
improved herd health with less over
head costs, there are still management
practices necessary to get through the
difficult summer slumps.
Mast purchased the farm in the
mid-1970s which at the time contained
45 milk cows and 40 young stock on
the 120-acre farm 12 miles east of
Reading, Berks County. At the time,
the family planted SO acres of com and
the same in alfalfa, with approximately
20 acres in permanent pasture. They
also double-cropped 20 acres of rye.
The cows were milked in a tiestall
bam and everything was fed from
silos, including high moisture com,
haylage, and com silage for dry cows
and heifers. In 1982, the dairy milked
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INTRODUCING
Conference speakers Included, from left, Nevin Mast, Oley; Lawrason Sayre, Churchvllle, Md.; and
Tom Williams, Middletown.
23,000 pounds on their herd average
and then put in a TMR mixer.
On the suggestion of the consultant,
more inputs were added to boost pro
duction. However, Mast noted that
profits were short-lived because of the
failing health of the cattle, heart
attacks, misplaced abomasums, and
foot and reproduction problems. Feed
and vet bills were subsequently higher.
In the early 19905, Mast went to a
meeting where he found out about
grazing. Soon after, a grazing program
began at the farm with IS acres of pas
tureland with high tensile fence.
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Paddocks were set up. Additionally, paddocks,
about 5-10 acres of new pasture were To supplement feed because of dry,
added per year. droughty weather the past year, the
For the summer slump days, milk farm added several acres of sundan
cows were left in the bam during day- grass planted in mid-May at approxi
time heat and fed haylage from silos. mately 40-50 pounds per acre. They
For the milk cows, each day’s feeding began feeding about July 1 and the
came mostly from silos during the grass regrew every 10 days through
summer. During the day, dry cows and mid-September. Cows went in when
heifers were the follower group in the (j urn t 0 Pag# 2 3)
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