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WI FORAGING AROUNDW
‘lndustry, Farmer, Scientist Working Together Toward A Sounder Grassland Program 9
Beginning Grazier’s School Focuses On Grass Selection, Herd Health
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
SYLVAN (Franklin Co.)
What’s good for tall fescue can
simply make cows sick, according to
a leading grazier.
Burning down and removing
the grasses from the rotationally
grazed farm operated by the Glenn
Moyer family has been “one of the
hardest decisions I’ve made since
I’ve worked with grazing systems in
13 years,” he said.
Moyer, host for the Beginning
Dairy Graziers School in mid-
October at the farm owned by
American Farmland Trust (AFT) at
the foot of the Tuscarora Mountain
near Sylvan, looked over the brown
grasses destroyed by Roundup.
Speaking to a group of two
dozen producers learning how to
graze, Moyer shook his head, realiz
ing that it was awkward to have to
get rid of the fescues hardy
grasses that can withstand drought
and recover quickly but he be
lieves they could be responsible for
health problems at his dairy.
Fescue endophyte toxicity, and
possible nitrate problems resulting
Cattle, Equipment Can Move Efficiently, Safely With Good Laneway Design
Project Grass Coordinator J.B. Harold, center, and Lou Kopceyk,
right, review different types of grasses at the farm of Dale
Bracken, left.
Pennsylvania Forage & Grassland Council
Newsletter Section February 12,2000
from quick regrowth from rains fol
lowing a drought emergency, could
be responsible for a drop in milk
production, respiratory problems,
lameness, “fescue foot,” and a “lots
of symptoms of things,” said Moyer.
Fescue can be tolerant of dry
weather. At the more than 300-acre
AFT farm, the fescues were the first
to green up well when rains fell after
the drought. The persistent plant
has genetics that makes it hardy and
vigorous, readily surviving cold
winters and prolonged drought.
Fescues, dating back 30 years,
can experience a green flush after a
drought. But that flush can be ac
companied by nitrate toxicity
leading to lots of problems in cows.
“What 1 found out about fescue
is that almost everyone has a
theory,” said Moyer. But ridding the
farm of fescue which they are
doing, gradually is contrary to
“the way I was trained and how I
was taught to graze,” he said. Re
placing it is “uncharted territory.”
In Octobeivßryan T. Petrucci,
director of farms division for AFT,
introduced the graziers who at-
(Turn to Pag* 6)
The AFT farm uses a concrete feed pad measuring about 100
feet long by 22 feet wide, with an additional area measuring 65
feet by 12 feet, comprising a feed area for 108 cows with two feet
of room per cow, Moyer noted. The pad can accommodate about
130 cows. Moyer hosted the Beginning Dairy Graziers School in
mid-October at the farm. Photo by Andy Andrews
INDIANA (Indiana Co.) If a The field day, sponsored by
laneway is designed correctly, Project Grass, the Indiana County
herdstock managers can move live- Conservation District, and the
stock and equipment quickly, safely, Mabis Mekenna Foundation,
and efficiently, noted several ex- focused on laneway design and
perts who spoke here last year. maintenance. J.B. Harold, Project
Late in the spring, about 70 Grass coordinator, Allan Wood,
people, including herd managers, Natural Resource Conservation Ser
graziers, and agri-industry experts, vice (NRCS) state engineer, and Bill
spoke at a grazing field dale and Stout, Pasture Lab, University Park,
tour of Dale Bracken’s stacker cattle spoke about laneway construction
farm near Indiana
Pa. Grazing, Forage Conference Set
GRANTVILLE (DauphinCo.)-The aSes
-2000 Pennsylvania Grazing and Thls conference is co-sponsored
Forage Conference, March 1-2 here by the Pennsylvania Forage and
at the Holiday Inn, will feature Grassland Council and the Pennsyl
numerous presentations and discus- vania Grazing Research and Edu
sions focusing on pastures and for-
Lebanon County Crops and
Crops Day, Limestone Fireball, „ , „ TU J
1 • : ,n-,A Dairy Day, Lebanon Valley Expo
Limestone, 10:30 a.m.-2p.m. Center 9 a m-3 n m
Crops Day, Kittaning Township ’ p^
(Turn to Page 22)
(Turn to Page 2)
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