(Continued from Pag* 6)
bud and bloom stage, the less forage
quality of the plant. The more the plant
matures, and the longer the season
stretches on, the more forage quality
declines.
Legumes will provide higher quality
forages overall than grasses, though
producers shouldn’t leave out the
potential for warm-season grasses in a
drought. And weeds have their forage
potential, to some extent, especially
under rough drought conditions.
“My favorite warm season weed is
crabgrass,” noted Gerrish.
But coming up with a definition of
“weed” can be difficult, since some of
the broadleaves and grass weeds have
forage merit. The question producers
need to ask themselves: is the weed
displacing productive forage? But
under drought conditions, it would
help having a legume.
In Missouri, Gerrish noted that red
clover, which can withstand drought
because of its deeper root over white
clover, is interseeded in places at about
six pounds per acre. Clover is regularly
broadcast as frost seed after the last
snow and proves to be a high-quality
legume and one of the most cost
efficient ways to boost forage quality
in existing pasture stands.
Hesston Disc Mower Conditioners Model 1340
Take a 12-foot swipe through
\ our toughest crop Cut square
corners Cut on either side of
the tractor Manemer around
obstacles You can do it all
while making quality ha) with
the Hesston" 1340 Disc
Mower Conditioner
Quick moves for quick
hay making.
While the eentet pi\ot
design of the 1340 gi\cs \ou
unmalt heel maneu\ etabilm,
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thnmgh
HERNLEY’S FARM EQUIPMENT. INC.
2095 S. Market St., Elizabethtown, Pa.
717-367-8867
STOLTZFUS FARM SERVICE, INC.
Rts 10 & 41, Cochranville, Pa
215-593-2407
ZIMMERMAN’S FARM SERVICE
School Road, Rt. 1, Bethel, Pa
717-933-4114
D. W. OGG
Frederick, MD - 301-473-4250
Westminster, MD - 410-848-4585
Cattle Learn To Select Best Forages
The additional value of the clover
component in the forage can add up to
$B-$9 of real value every year. It can
prove to be “one of the best paybacks
on the dollar in the beef cow/calf feed
ing business, just by overseeding it,”
Gerrish said.
Gerrish spoke about ways to
improve pasture stands.
There are no simple solutions to
dealing with problem pastures, accord
ing to the University of Missouri graz
ing specialist and grazier. “You need to
take a systematic approach to the prob
lems and try to correct several of these
factors,” he said.
In many cases, simply spreading nit
rogen down is a quick, easy, but ulti
mately lost payoff for turning the qual
ity of forages around. What producers
need to do is soil test and see if soil pH
using lime or bringing phosphorous
levels to optimum levels can be done
cost-effectively.
However, in many cases, the animal
returns most of the nutrients to the
land. Often those nutrients are dis
placed in shady areas, under trees, or
near water sources. So managing that
distribution of manure is key.
Gerrish noted that a 1,100-pound
beef cow puts out about $lOO pounds
Cut comers
without
cutting
quality.
About two-thirds of that is dropped
near a water trough or a shade tree
nonproductive areas of a grazing
operation.
Gerrish resumed speaking about
improving pasture quality through
interseeding legumes. But when doing
so, producers need to select a legume
spots You 11 cut cluing lime
100 with the long 110-inch
conclitionei rolls
Save maintenance
time, too.
From the spcuall)
designed goat box to sealed
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designed loi low mamtenanu
Come in loda\ and see
how the 1 340 cuts lough
having |obs down to size
A Nobody knows hay like
HESSTON
STANLEY S FARM SERVICE
RD 1, Box 46, Klmgerstown, Pa
UMBERGER’S OF FONTANA, INC.
RD 4, Box 545, Lebanon, Pa
717-867-2613
C.J. WONSIDLER BROS.
Finland Rd , Quakertown, PA
215-536-1935 / 215-536-7523
Rts 309 & 100, New Tripoli, PA
610-767-7611
717-648-2088
Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 17, 1999—Page
Speakers at the Pennsylvania Grazing and Forage Conference
included, from left, Bill Stout, John Caldwell, J.B. Harold, and Steve
Ford.
of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potas
sium per year.
Il
& 'V*
mbflu
that fits the soil environment and
“slowly build up the fertilization over
time,” Gerrish said, “in small incre
ments over a long period.”
To do so, control competition
growth by grazing, clipping, burning,
tillage, or by chemical methods.
Interseed legumes, frost seeding effec
tively, using broadcast and harrow, or
no-till drill. “Hoof and tooth” methods,
using cattle to tramp seed in, can take
100 long.
Manage grazing through the appli
cation of the proper stocking rate, pro
vide a rest period so the plants can
recover, and don’t graze too short or
too late in the fall. Gerrish noted that he
stops grazing 30-40 days before frost.
For legume interseeding, spring
works better. For grass, late summer
interseeding is besj.
*-n
e
Mt
rr.
201