A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 7,2001
Penn State Cooperative Extension
Capitol Region Dairy Team
FEEDING PRACTICES
THAT REDUCE
HEAT STRESS
Tim Beck
Capital Region Dairy
Program Coordinator
Hot summer temperatures
with high humidity have reduced
dry matter intake in many herds.
Previous columns have ad
dressed evaporative cooling, body
sprinkling and good air move
ment to improve the feeding area
and entice cows to eat during hot
weather.
Feed intake can be reduced
8-12 percent or more during hot
weather, with production losses
of 3-20 percent or more when
temperatures go above 90 de
grees. Cattle sweat only 10 per
cent as much as man, so the cow
is challenged to reduce body tem
perature, and the panting behav
ior she exhibits increases her
Mm
APPEARS IN
SECTION C
See the latest in
equipment and
material news,
promotions and
new hires, and
burgeoning ag
ventures on the
business news
page located in
Section C this issue!
Cattle
Workshop
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Penn State Cooperative
Extension and several cattle ori
ented agribusiness companies in
vite interested people to partici
pate in the annual Cattle Feeders
Summer Workshop scheduled for
Thursday, July 26 at Yoder’s
Restaurant, New Holland. The
event begins at 6 p.m. with a free
ice cream social catered by the
workshop sponsors, while the ed
ucational meeting gets under way
at 7 p.m.
Because of the serious situa
tions of respiratory sickness expe
maintenance requirement by 20
percent.
Increased maintenance re
quirements and reduced volatile
fatty acid production in the
rumen during hot weather cause
the cow to experience energy de
ficiency.
Feeding adjustments are
needed to increase the nutrient
density of the cow’s diet without
overfeeding starch or underfeed
ing fiber and minerals to main
tain energy intake and electrolyte
balance.
Because the cow is eating less
dry matter, maintain adequate
fiber intake to prevent acidosis
problems. Neutral detergent fiber
levels should be maintained at
28-30 percent of TRDM (total ra
tion dry matter).
Watch butterfat test levels
closely to avoid fat test depres
siona classic sign of acidosis
problems often resulting from in
sufficient NDF intake or exces
sive nonstructural carbohydrate.
Consider feeding two to three
pounds of good quality grass hay.
Since the cow is losing miner
als, compensate for higher body
losses. Potassium should be
maintained at 1.5 percent of
TRDM (total ration dry matter).
To avoid excessive chloride (no
more than .30-.35 percent
TRDM), potassium carbonates
may be the ingredient of choice.
Magnesium should be at .30
percent of TRDM and added so
dium should be .50 to .60 percent
of TRDM. This added sodium
level can be achieved from salt
Feeders Summer
Scheduled For July 26
rienced by Pennsylvania cattle
feeders last autumn, this year’s
workshop will focus on “Protect
ing the Health of Feeder Cattle.”
In preparation for the work
shop, Penn State Cooperative Ex
tension conducted producer in
terviews on six Lancaster County
farms to evaluate feeder cattle re
ceiving and processing practices.
Reports from the field during the
last quarter of 2000 indicated un
usually high mortalities and labor
intensive treatments. So what
went wrong?
fed at .50-.60 percent TRDM
(39.3 percent sodium) or when
less concentrated materials like
sodium bicarbonate (27.3 percent
sodium) or sesquicarbonate (28.2
percent sodium) are fed, the feed
ing rate must be .80 to 1.00 per
cent TRDM.
When dry matter intake is
below 90 percent of normal in
take, feed a higher fat ration to
increase energy density. Do not
exceed 5-7 percent of TRDM
from all fat sources. Use unpro
tected fat such as oilseeds to
reach the five percent fat level,
and then consider protected fats
to reach the higher seven percent
fat in the TRDM.
Water is always the most es
sential nutrient, so consider add
ing extra water to the TMR, si
lage, or haylage if dry matter
intake drops seriously. Cows pre
fer to drink warm water, but
chilled drinking water can reduce
body temperature when offered
as the only source of water. Chil
ling water is probably unneces
sary except where weU water ex
ceeds 86 degrees or where water
can’t be kept cool by shade.
Feeding times may also need to
be adjusted during hot weather.
Offer feeds during early morning
hours from 4 a.m.-6 a.m. or late
from 9 p.m.-lO p.m. Feed smaller
amounts more frequently during
the day.
Remember ensiled forages
have shorter bunk life during hot
weather. Do not remove forages
from the silo in advance of feed
ing, and feed more frequently to
prevent dry matter losses and
heating in the bunk.
Finally, feed additives have
been effective in some studies.
Yeast culture or live cell yeast,
niacin, dried brewers yeast, fat
soluble vitamins (A, D, and E)
and Aspergillus oryzae have all
shown positive milk respoMs ia
some studies. " '
For additional information, re
quest DAS 96-24 “Reducing Heat
Stress On Dairy Cows” from
your local Extension Office, or
visit http://www.das.psu.edu/
dcn/catnut/DAS ndex.html and
download a copy. Also see the
April 25, 2001 issue of Hoard’s
Dairyman, page 305 for tips on
reducing heat stress.
At this year’s summer work
shop, the survey findings will be
presented as “case scenarios”
evaluating the differences, simi
larities, and effectiveness of feed
er cattle receiving programs. Dr.
Arlen Mills, Penn State Coopera
tive Extension Veterinarian
based in Lebanon County, will
present the “case scenarios.” Be
fore coming to Pennsylvania, Dr.
Mills practiced veterinary med
icine for 20 years in Ohio work
ing with many beef producers.
An additional presentation on
immunology will be offered by
Dr. John Lynch, veterinarian
with the Technical Services
Group of Intervet, Inc. Dr. Lynch
has 20 years of experience as a
veterinary consultant with beef
cow/calf, stocker, and feedlot op
erations in both the U.S. and
Mexico.
Join us for a fun and educa
tional evening! Yoder’s Restau
rant is located on Route 23 north
east of New Holland.
Penn State encourages persons
with disabilities to participate in
its programs and activities. If you
anticipate needing any type of
accommodation or have ques
tions about the physical access
provided, please contact Chet
Hughes at (717) 394-6851 in ad
vance of your participation or
visit.
Brent Landis
Agriculture Services Coordinator
The
Lancaster
I jMtj Chamber
I » f I - Iruhistts
Phono (717) 397-3531 ext 62
E-mail;blandis@lcci com
NEW INFORMATION
AND TECHNOLOGY
ENHANCING
AGRICULTURE
A key component in achiev
ing optimum yields in your
fields is soil quality. Although
Lancaster has rich soils and
obtains high yields, we can not
become complacent when new
information and technology is
discovered that enhances soil
quality.
In an effort to highlight the
latest fanning practices, tech
nology and equipment needed
to help farmers positively im
pact their bottom line while
respecting the environment,
Cedar Meadow Farm has
partnered with The Lancaster
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, the Lancaster Con
servation District, and the
Pennsylvania Association of
Sustainable Agriculture to
offer the free Bth annual Farm
Field Day Wednesday, July 25
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
Cedar Meadow Farm.
This year’s theme is “Be
yond Conservation Explor
ing the Soil Food Web.” The
event will focus on how the
suiljpn fttnction at its optimal
pWfflffißhSpccifically on nfldto
management levels.
The event is hosted by Steve
Groff, owner of Cedar Mead
ow Farm, a nationally recog
nized expert on soil conserva
tion and no-till farming. Along
with the many local and na
tional agriculture experts that
will be sharing the latest farm
ing techniques, there will be
equipment demonstrations fo
cused on conservation prac
tices.
Three specific areas that
will be highlighted at the event
are: tillage and carbon loss,
high tech irrigation scheduling
and the unveiling of remote
image sensing of crops, fields
and farms.
Intensive tillage, primarily
moldboard plowing, has
caused significant decreases in
soil carbon on a significant
number of farms, which de
grades soil properties vital for
sustainable crop production.
Donald C. Reicosky, Soil
Scientist for the USDA-ARS,
North Central Conservation
Research Laboratory, Morris,
MN, will be speaking during
the field day on conservation
tillage tools and carbon diox
ide loss.
Reicosky’s research demon
strates that as soil carbon de
creases, erosion and compac
tion increase, while infiltration
and water-holding capacity
decrease. Consequently, soil
fertility decreases resulting in
reduced crop growth.
Conservation tillage equip
ment is an important manage
ment tool for producers. It im
proves residue management
and lowers carbon dioxide re
lease when compared to mold
board plowing.
I
Jk ■
Reicosky will share his re
search data during the event
along with local equipment
companies that will be demon
strating conservation tillage
and no-till equipment that
preserves carbon in the soil.
The 21st century has
brought about the use of
electronic real-time soil mois
ture probes, real-time evapo
transpiration and rainfall sen
sors to accurately schedule
irrigation for optimal plant
growth.
This technology can then be
tied into real-time irrigation
water control sensors, which
automatically irrigates crops
precisely when needed. Paltin
International Inc., a company
dealing with real-time water
monitoring systems for irriga
tion scheduling, has been
working with Steve Groff in
monitoring soil water profile
dynamics under irrigation and
tillage methods using real-time
soil moisture probes, real-time
evapotranspiration and rain
fall sensors.
The results of Cedar Mead
ow Farm’s research and the
equipment used will be on
hand duiingtbc event. ,
The unveiling of a unique
pilot project that utilizes wire
less remote control helicopters
and parafoils to shoot images
of crops, fields and farms will'
be a new feature at this year’s
Farm Field Day. This aerial
video photography can be
used to detect the specific lo
catiori of crop stress, insect in
festations and nutrient defi
ciencies.
This technology will enable
farmers to treat these affected
areas, rather than the entire
field. Bolar Heli Systems and
Nutrient Solutions in Agricul
ture will conduct this exciting
demonstration.
Some other learning sta
tions that will be at the field
day include; a rainfall simula
tor to determine soil erosion
rates and phosphorus runoff,
two soil pits, cover crop re
search, small scale organic no
till equipment, backhoe exca
vations immediately following
deep tillage passages and a
fiber crop research plot.
There will be over 30 exhibi
tors from the ag industry to
showcase products and serv
ices. There will also be a
stream exploration for chil
dren and fresh vegetables and
food will also be available.
The Bth Annual Farm Field
Day will be held on July 2S
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at
Cedar Meadow Farm, Holt
wood, PA. There is no cost to
attend and registration is not
required. For directions or
more information on the
event, visit www.cedarmea
dowfarm.com, or contact
Brent Landis at The Lancaster
Chamber at blandis@lcci.com
or 717-397-3531, ext. 134.