A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 31, 1999 Drought Shortages Stretching Forages QUESTION; What can we do to stretch forage supplies since our farm is in an extreme drought area? ANSWER: Finding alternative sources of forage for a dairy herd takes some planning and prepara tion. Now is the time to address the needs of the dairy animals on the farm until feed harvesting season next year. Step one is to estimate the total feed inventory that you will have on hand going into the fall and winter. Next examine the total feed needs for the cur rent and projected number of animals in that same period. Most dairymen already know what these figures are, by needs of the past For those that do not, Penn State Extension can provide worksheets and assistance in establishing this estimate. The focus of this column will be on the milk cows only and some feeds and concerns that have cropped up in similar circumstances over the past few years in at least some parts of Pennsylvania. Com silage shortage can be overcome most effectively and safely by purchase agreements with growers of shelled com. With grain prices at levels as low as they are, the dollars generated from selling com silage may be greater than that of the grain. As an example, silage yields of 20-ton per acre and a selling price os $25 per ton would gross $5OO per acre. The same acres at yields of 120 bushels grain per acre would have to sold at $4.16 per bushel to gross the same. Yields of 150 bushels per acre would gross out the same, at $3.33 per bushel. The question of how dry grain harvesting and drying compares to silage chopping and transport needs to be answered farm to farm. Low grain prices currently make this look like a possible option for both the dairyman and the grain grower. Those plans and agreements need to be initiated now. Hay crop shortages can be addressed by con tracting hay from areas where weather risk is minimized with irrigation. If this is to be your plan, then do so early enough to lock in quality at the best possible price. Another reason to start this plan immediately is the concern with your designed feeding management. You need to aske questions concerning your current equipment and your capabilities of hand ling a feed in a much different form. FOR SALE - MANURE ► 20-25 ton trailer loads A S 7 to S9/per ton depending * k on distance A ► VINTAGE SALES STABLES, INC. 1 Paradise, PA 17562 \ ► (717) 442-4181 A L. Robert Frame, President Can your equipment process long hay adequately? Will more dry feeds in the diet encourage or allow separation? If so, what changes would avoid this? Depending on how you answer these, you may want to start feed changes now and avoid complete restructuring of your feed manage ment once normal feed sources are exhausted. Some substitution of by-product type feeds may be the answer. Cottonseed, soyhulls, beet pulp, or brewers' grains have been util ized during past similar times. Feeding these types of feed should cany this caution; Effective fiber is needed to maintain proper rumen function. These feeds, although high in POURED SOLID CONCRETE SSS 17 Years Experience In Pouring Concrete Manure Pits! Far Left; 1-Million Gallon Circular Manure Storage Tank Far Right: 2 Silage Pits In-Barn Manure Receiving Pit - .* ~ .* » *•** 300’ Long Manure Pit For Hog Confinement All sizes available round or rectangular PREPARE NOW for the FALL HARVEST SEASON Model 98C Gathering-chain Unloader handles even more silage. FOUR IMPELLER BLADES ADJUST for close tolerance and efficient blowing. STAINLESS STEEL blower is available. Proven cutter-and-claw gathering chain provides high volume delivery in frozen and hard packed silage. FULLY AUTOMATED UNLOADING because the 98C is self propelled on the silage surface without ca support. No winch watching! 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Straw is one forgotten alterna tive to forage shortages. When for age supply is low and we change diets to include more grain or byproducts in the following months, straw can supply the needed long fiber to maintain milk production and component makeup. The nice thing about straw is that we can process it very uniformly. Liquid Manure Tank - 400,000 Gallons 425,000 Gallons lonal independent iotor rotates the „.id distributor while filling NEW Chain guide wheel mounted to track silo wall closely. NEW Big 9-foot drive ring flanged to the inside for added strength Ideal replacement unioader for your suspension; 1 tripod I • 3-cable hexapod 'W Distributor to deflect feed when filling for iproved packing. For larger silos, a motorized kicker ;an be added lEW The Polar Claw is ideal for frozen and hard lacked silage. The cutters-and-claws chain jgressively tears silage loose and quickly moves it the blower. Fast (634 ft/min ) chain speed for high ime delivery. / iafetvi\ WBB Goftf Sponsor This reduces sorting and does a good job of stimulating rumen activity. The addition of liquid molasses to straw can go a long way in mini mizing our feeding woes during times of inadequate forage supply. There are things that we can do to stretch normal forage supplies. Our priority should always remain focused on diets that are rumen healthy. This is the time to seek some outside help to solve current forage supply dilemmas. Extension service, nutrition advisors, and veterinarians can help plan to overcome this problem. Look to the cows as changes to feeding management is necessary. They are the only ones that we need to please. CONCRETE PUMPING SERVICE AVAILABLE it'.'! 'T , 4ky The New Model 2100 Ring Drive SILO UNLOADER wer for easy servicing ible lower blower band thick, 1/4-mch steel, ig, adjustable, cupped paddles with stainless steel pins.