'age B—Foraging Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 12, 2000
Pi
Beginning Grazier’s School
(Continued from Page 8)
The gate helps move cows into a
swing, double-16, herringbone
parlor, open on both sides. The slid
ing doors can be closed in the
wintertime, where the floor is
heated from a forced-water, oil
charged heating system.
Thirty-two cows can be milked
at a time, Moyer noted. It takes
about 50 minutes to milk 107 cows.
The total cost of the Grade A sliding
door parlor system including the
feed pad, manure management
system, equipment, and parlor
was $213,000, Moyer noted. Some
work was done by the Moyer family
and employees. Construction began
in August 1997 and the first cows
arrived in the facility in March
1998.
Milk is moved to a 1,500-gallon
tank. Moyer sells milk to the
Maryland-Virginia Milk Producers
Cooperative.
Moyer uses the facilities to
ensure the cows stay clean.
“If you keep a clean cow, from
start to finish, preparation is mini
mal,” he said.
Also, with the sliding doors, the
temperature can be about 10-15 de
grees cooler inside than outside
during the summer.
In the pasture area, an exten
sive drain tile system manages water
flow. Surface water is tested regu
larly by the USDA-ARS. About 200
acres are in pasture. The rotation
ally grazed areas measure 5-10 acres
apiece, subdivided into paddocks.
The pastures composed of a
variety of grasses including fescue,
timothy, orchardgrass, reed canar
ygrass, and some clovers are en
closed with 16-gauge high-tensile
fence. The paddocks are divided by
six-strand polywire supported by Vs
inch fiberglass corner posts and Vs
inch fiberglass spacers.
Pasture
Perfect
■ ,-The Brand o( Choice
Improved Palatability
Higher Feed Value Digestibility
Hearty/Long-Lived
:ttin
Each Pasture Pefect™ Mixture must
contain at least 70% improved varieties.
Improved varieties are defined as
varieties in their species classification in
the fields of palatability, feed value,
digestibility, and/or yield. Varieties must
have results proven by independent
testing agencies.
Varieties must be suited to grazing.
Pasture Perfect™ Mixes contain varieties
that have proven to be well fit for
grazing. Many mixes can be used for hay
production as well, but this criterion
ensures graze-ability.
• Highland Pasture Mixture
• Lowland Pasture Mixture
• Horse Pasture Mix
• Triple Purpose Hay & Pasture Mixture
• Intensive Grazing Mixture
• Hay Diversion Mixture
& BRO., INC. J
Smoketown, PA PH.717-299-2571
Hours- Monday-Frlday 8:00-5PM, Saturday CLOSED
After March t - Saturday 8:00 AM-12 Noon
ier Si
A crossing over the Little Cove
Creek was constructed in April. The
bridge is made of Virginia pine and
maple at a cost of $25,000. The
creek crossing is made of a geoweb
plastic cell system, Petrucci noted.
The system can be moved so cows
can graze as near to the creek as the
creek crossing is made of a geoweb
plastic cell system, Petrucci noted.
The system can be moved so cows
can graze as near to the creek as the
producer chooses.
Water is supplied to each pad
dock through 160 psi black water
lines running on top of the ground.
Moyer is originally from Som
erset County (which he claims have
milder summers). Moyer, who has
been operating the AFT farm since
early 1997, has a 12-hour rotation
on the paddocks.
“The key to rotational grazing
is to give the cows fresh grass and to
keep things as vegetative as possi
ble,” said Petrucci. At the summit,
Petrucci noted that more legumes
should be applied.
Hesston Disc Mower Conditioners Model 1340
Take a 12-foot swipe through
your toughest crop Cut square
corners Cut on either side of
the tractor Maneuver around
obstacles You can do it all
while making quality hay with
the Hesston® 1340 Disc
Mower Conditioner
Quick moves for quick
hay making-
While the center pivot
design of the 1340 gives you
unmatched maneuverability,
16 high speed swmgaway
knives keep you moving
through damp hay and tough
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
C.J. WONSIDLER BROS.
Finland Rd , Quakertown, PA
215-536-1935 / 215-536-7523
Rts 309 & 100, New Tripoli, PA
610-767-7611 / 570-648-2088
Bryan T. Petrucci, center, urged those who attended the grazing
school to “consider adapting a grazing-based system as an alter
native to high-capital farming,” he said at the start of the school.
From left is Kurt Achenbach, farm employee. At right is Glenn
Moyer, farm operator.
Nate Leonard, grazing consult
ant from Pastures Unlimited, Little
York, N.Y., said that he would “like
to see about 30 percent clover in
here with the orchardgrass,” point
ing to the benefits of ladino or white
clover as an additive to the pastures,
Cut comers
without
cutting
quality.
at the summit.
Leonard spoke about the bene
fits of frost seeding clover. In New
York, frost-seeded clover took well
but the state experienced a dry
spring. Consequently, “not much
took,’’ he said.
spots You’ll cut drying time
too, with the long 110-mch
conditioner rolls
Save maintenance
time. too.
From the specially
designed gearbox to sealed
cutterbed bearings to
reversible knives, the 1340 is
designed for low maintenance
Come m today and see
how the 1340 cuts tough
haying jobs down to size
~~A 1 Nobody knows hay Ilk*
*HESSTON
MARSHALL MACHINERY, INC.
Honesdale, Pa.
570-729-7117
HERNLEY’S FARM EQUIPMENT. INC.
2095 S. Market St., Elizabethtown, Pa.
717-367-8867
STANLEY’S FARM SERVICE
RD 1, Box 46, Klmgerstown, Pa
717-648-2088
UMBERGER’S OF FONTANA, INC.
RD 4, Box 545, Lebanon, Pa
717-867-2613
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