Page 20—Foraging Around, Lancaeter Farming, Saturday, April 17, 1999
(Continued from Page 18)
Here’s another example. If the mix
is down in yield mid-summer, and the
fescue plots are noticeably exceeding
the other plots, Martin will know that
if he is to increase summer yields he
may need to plant more fescue. We
haven’t even addressed the possible
evaluations of nitrogen uptake from
manure water or a host of other con
clusions these trials will give Martin.
But you get the picture. A simple mix,
plus a few plots of the individual com
ponents is an easy source to invaluable
information for the Vanßeeks.
By the way, I was out at Martin’s
the second week of March. I have nev
er seen his dairy look so pretty as it
does now. And to think it will look so
nice for years.
The Rupert Ranch
My small hobby farm is host to a
small but growing herd of daily goats.
Past fall, I wanted to experiment with
overseeding to learn more about the
benefits of annual tetraploids vs. per
ennial tetraploids. I divided one acre
into six strips and overseeded as
shown in Diagram 2.
Cost? Three bags of seed and a cou
ple hours on a Saturday.
BUY,
SELL,
TRADE
OR
RENT.
THROUGH
THE
CLASSIFIED
ADS
IN
Lancaster
Farming
PHONE
717-626-1164
OR
717-394-3047
FAX
717-733-6058
Mon., Tues.,
Wed., Fri.
8 AM to 5 PM
Thurs.
7 AM to 5 PM
-^=^=flb=->
Abundant Annual Ryegrass
Abundant/Tonga
Tonga Perennial Ryegrass
<NO CHANGE"'"
Abundant Annual Ryegrass
Abundant/Tonga
Tonga Perennial Ryegrass
Benefits? First, I added seed
seed that will turn into grass, grass
which will improve my pasture den
sity and available feed. (By the way,
this is of utmost non-research import
ance, because my two daughters have
almost got me convinced to buy a
horse . . . and you know what they do
to pastures!)
Second. I will leam some important
answers to questions such as:
• How much faster will annual grow
compared to perennial?
Maximize Yield Potential
When it comes to improving Relative Feed
Value and maximizing the Crude Protein in
hay, nothing outperforms the New Idea® 5209
Disc Mower Conditioner Its high-speed disc
cutterbar glides through fields with ease,
even in extreme conditions And the unique
Ti-Cor® Conditioning Rolls gently condition
the stems, speeding drydown
DIAGRAM 2 - RUPERT RANCH
MA New Idea
AGCO
built fob t-ie bottom like
*
j i l ',
I' i £ ► M** * * 1
• How much longer will perennial
last than annual?
• Will the combination of the two be
better than either individually?
• Will the animals prefer one over
the other?
• Did overseeding pay for itself, or
should I have done nothing at all?
Look at that last question again. It is
a very important question. Always, al
ways keep some of your old pasture
around to compare with the new. By
evaluatin'* »he old to the new you will
The 5209’s reliable design keeps you
mowing and conditioning year after year
With the segmented cutterbar dnveshaft, a
New Idea innovation, the cutterbar is truly mod
ular, which makes for easy maintenance
To see the disc mower conditioner that’ll
exceed your expectations not your budget,
visit your AGCO® New Idea dealer today
i 4
be able to determine a great deal more
than if you completely revamp the old.
Third, I committed myself mentally
to checking out my pasture more of
ten. Over and over again, I hear profit
able grazers reminding one another to
get out and walk their fields. The dir
ect benefits of this arc enormous and
usually obvious.
Well, in addition to the great direct
value of seeing how your pastures are
performing, I have discovered that
such attention will result in what I re
fer to as “hidden benefits.” For in
stance, the day I started writing this
article, I went out and examined my
plots. While staring at my grass, one
of my momma goats stole my atten
tion. Soon, I found myself on all fours
watching her vigorously graze on
spring grass. Know what I discover
ed? I discovered that she can really
chomp up a storm! Of course, while I
was down on all four, her 10-day-old
kid kept trying to jump on my back!
But then, another distraction and
the greatest discovery of the day: I
found a new place to hang a tree swing
for my girls. Yes, these are but a few
of the hidden benefits yet to be discov
ered by many a farmer who has check
ed out of the pasture rather than
checking out the pasture!
(Turn to Pag* 21)
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