Penn State Cooperative Extension Capitol Region Dairy Team TESTING SILAGES Tim Beck Capitol Region Extension Dairy Program Coordinator Silage harvest will begin soon in some areas. It’s time to be thinking about how you’ll evalu ate the nutritional value of this year’s crop. Forage testing is absolutely es sential to provide a balanced ra tion for the dairy herd. But be yond the basic tests available, there are many other options to consider using when special cir cumstances arise. Drought conditions in some lo cations make it worth consid ering a nitrate test so that cutting height may be adjusted upward where high nitrates may be pres ent in the crop. During times when rainfall is abundant, it’s helpful to check the sugar con tent of the crop, since heavily eared corn is less likely to have soluble sugars present in the leaves and stalk as they have been used to produce grain. Many labs offer a standard analysis package that will assess dry matter, crude protein, protein fractions, acid and neutral deter gent fiber, and many of the macro and trace minerals. Fre quently producers conduct the Corn Silage Whole-Plant Dry Down Rates* Glenn A. Shirk, Extension Dairy Agent, Lancaster, Pa. Looks can be deceiving. This week, the better looking com planted on May 1 was drier than the more severely fired com planted on the same date. It appears that the droughty com was less functional and matured more slowly than the healthier com, as evidenced by milk line progression, and tended to retain more of its moisture than healthier plants that were more active and maturing more naturally. This May 1 planting is now dropping below the desired moisture levels for proper ensiling. Estimating plant dry down by the amount of firing can be deceptive. Even though the dryer com showed about 60% firing, the weight of the dry leaves represents only a small part of the plant’s total weight and is not necessarily indicative of the amount of moisture that is retained in the stalk This week a later planted sample of the same hybrid is added to the table This com looks good. It is tall, green and well eared. Whole , Predicted Days Moisture Kernel Plant Plant t to Harvest 0 Test Milk Moist Sol ■ Firing Bunker | Tower ___Date___Line____^_ i^= Su£ar ß^^^^^^^do^^^ilo^ 110-day corn planted May 1. Well eared and good ear fill: Aug 4 None 73.5 , 33 5 13 Aug 14 1/4 73.3 133 I 5 [l3 Aug 21 1/3 69.5 i 33 | -1 I 7 Aug 28 1/2 , 63.8 . 40 -10 -2 Same hybrid and field, but droughty, small ears, 75% ear fill: Aug 4 None 73.5 , 150 j 5 !13 Aug 14 1/4 , 72.8 50 ‘ 4 12 Aug 21 1/4 69.3 ' ' 50 ! -1 ! 7 Aug 28 ■ 1/3 , 65.0 ; 60 1 -8 I 0 Same hybrid planted May 25. Well eared and good ear fill: Aug 28 None /6 0 9 ' 17 Footnotes i-Conclucted at the Penn State Field Research Farm at Landisville. )-Percent of stalk fired from the ground upward -Based on 0 65 drop in % moisture from last test date 1-Based on a target moisture of 70% for bunker silos at harvest time. -Based on a target moisture of 65% for tower silos at harvest time. Tim Beck standard set of forage tests, bal ance accordingly, and still en counter poor cow performance. Many issues may be involved, but frequently poor digestibility of forage crops and overestimat ed energy values are part of the problem. Fiber digestibility varies from year to year based on how much fiber is bound to lignin and therefore is indigestible to the cow. Just knowing how much lignin is present doesn’t tell the story. We must use procedures such as in vitro (in test tube) digestibility SRBC Urges Voluntary Water Conservation HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) - In support of the Pennsyl vania Department of Environ mental Protection’s (DEP) drought watch declaration for Central Pennsylvania, the Sus quehanna River Basin Commis sion (SRBC) is calling on water users to conserve water. DEP’s current drought watch declara tion covers 23 Central Pennsylva nia counties, all of which are lo cated entirely or partially in the Susquehanna River Basin: analysis to get a picture of how much fiber can actually be di gested in a given forage sample. During in vitro testing, forage samples are incubated in rumen fluid under controlled conditions and the amount of fiber disap pearance is measured. Today’s more sophisticated rumen modeling programs, such as the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) and the latest NRC for Dairy Cattle, attempt to estimate the energy value of forages more ac curately. To use CNCPS correct ly, a producer must request some additional testing. Neutral deter gent insoluble nitrogen (NDIN) and acid detergent insoluble ni trogen (ADIN) must be included in the testing regime to use these tools effectively. Some labs offer a CNCPS package that provides the addi tional data. Kather than just using book values for energy, these programs calculate the en ergy value of forages based on more extensive test results than those used in previous ration bal ancing approaches. Enzymatic starch and sugar tests may be used to more accu rately assess the “true” nonstruc tural carbohydrate (NSC) present in a given diet. This can help the nutritionist assess and select sup plemental energy sources in the diet to achieve a balance of fast, medium, and slowly digested car bohydrates. When forages have elevated pH readings after fermentation or they have strong or unusual odors, consider a fermentation profile on the samples to assess now the forage fermented. The fermentation acids may help you identify what went wrong during the preservation process so the producer can make appropriate corrections for the next crop. Having soluble sugar checked be fore and after fermentation may tell a producer the odds for an undesirable fermentation in ad vance and just how much sugar remains in the forage when pres ervation is complete. When sug ars are depleted during fermenta tion, the resulting forage has reduced energy value and must be supplemented appropriately. Many of these testing options will require interpretation by a skilled nutritionist to properly in terpret and apply the information to a dairy ration, but producers are encouraged to discuss these options with the herd’s nutrition ist. The dollars invested in some additional testing may return themselves many times over when “just the right combina tion” of ingredients can be identi fied. More information on this topic may be found in the publication. Agronomy Facts 44, “Forage Quality Testing: Why, How, And Where,” available from the local extension office or download a copy at http:// www.agronomy.psu.edu/ Extension/Facts/AgFacts.html To select a forage testing laboratoiy, refer to DAS 99-18, “Animal di agnostic, forage, and feed testing laboratories in the Northeast” available at http:// www3.das.psu.edu/dcn/catforg/ index.html For additional information, contact Tim Beck at (717) 840-7408 or e-mail tbcck@psu.e du. Adams, Bedford, Blair, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union and York. SRBC Executive Director Paul Swartz noted that the entire Sus quehanna basin has experienced below normal precipitation in 11 of the past 13 months. March and June of 2001 are the only months when above normal precipitation was recorded. “This extended period of below normal precipitation has resulted in ground-water levels dropping below normal, streams flowing well below normal throughout the basin, and very dry soil con ditions,” said Swartz. “Each day, more and more streams in New York and Pennsylvania are drop ping to record daily low flows and the list of communities im posing water restrictions or bans on burning has begun to grow.” Swartz said, “The drought in dicators have clearly been reached and so the Commission strongly endorses DEP’s drought watch declaration. We urge water users to voluntarily con serve water to help reduce the stresses on public water supplies and individual wells.” Water conservation tips for residential water users include: • Not watering established lawns (grass goes dormant does not die during dry condi tions); • Sweeping sidewalks and driveways, not hosing them down; • Selecting more drought-tol- Trust Unveils New Preserved Farm Sign, Kicks Off Harvest Appeal LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) - Tuesday this week brought the unveiling of the Lancaster Farmland Trust’s new preserved farm sign. The signs, designed by Russ Cox of Smiling Otis Designs, will highlight the commit ment of farmers to the Trust. Twenty farmers who have preserved through the Trust have already enthusiastically agreed to have the signs placed on their farms. At the un veiling were, from left, Amos Funk (seated), founder of Funks Farm Market, first Ag Preserve Board president, leader of agricultural preservation in Lancaster County; Debbie Schattgen, assistant to the executive director, The Lancaster County Foundation; James B. Sabino, ex ecutive director, The Lancaster County Foundation; Gene Garber, former mejor league baseball pitcher, first farmer to preserve farms through LFT, current Ag Preserve Board president; Tom Stauffer, Lancaster Farmland Trust president: and John Moose, vice president of the agricul tural banking division at Fulton Bank. Moose chairs the Trust’s fall 2001 Harvest Appeal to help Lancaster Farm land Trust achieve their goal of $225,000. erant vegetation and plant spe cies for landscaping and using mulch to retain soil moisture; • Taking short showers in stead of baths; • Using dishwashers and washing machines only when filled to capacity; • Not letting the water run continuously while shaving, brushing teeth or washing dishes by hand; • Inspecting and repairing all leaking faucets, pipes, hoses and toilets; and • Installing water conserva tion devices. Water conservation tips for industrial/commercial facilities include: • Inspecting plumbing fixtures for leaks and repairing all faulty piping; • Installing water conserva tion devices and updating outdat ed plumbing fixtures; • Implementing a water re-use program; and • Installing best available water conservation technology. For more water conservation tips and for SRBC’s most recent Hydrologic Conditions report, look on SRBC’s Website www.srbc.net. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is the governing agency established under a 100-year compact signed on Dec. 24, 1970 by the federal govern ment and the states of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland to protect and wisely manage the water resources of the Susque hanna River Basin. The Susque hanna River starts in Coopers town, N.Y. and flows 444 miles to Havre de Grace, Md., where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay.
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