-Com Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 19,2002
204
Harvest Height Study
Shows Yield And
Quality Differences
Greg Roth
Penn State Agronomy
Associate Professor
Harvesting corn for silage
at a higher than normal level
will reduce yields. But will
the increase in forage quality
be enough to offset the yield
losses. We conducted a trial
at our Landisville research
station this year to study this
issue. We harvested a grain
hybrid, Mycogen 27991M1, at
either six or 18 inches from
the ground. Each plot was re
plicated four times and
Cumberland Valley Analyti
cal Services conducted the
forage analyses.
The increased harvest
height reduced yields by
1 ton per acre and increased
the dry matter of the silage.
The starch content, Net
energy, the fiber digestibility,
and crude protein were in
creased with the increased
harvest height, however. This
could offset the loss in yield
in some cases.
6 inches 18 inches
Ijsi 4 1(53 6
I|o 72 Ho 75
[DM %
iNeL (Mcat/lbf
H\Z9 7 j
[s9 |[
j? 8 [(
Milk/ton DM (lbs) 1|2412 |[
$ Milk/ton DM ||2B9 ||
Milk/Acre (lbs )
[17725
$ Milk/acre
[2127
To assess the impact of the
improved forage quality we
evaluated the potential milk
per acre and milk per ton
using the new Milk 2000
equation from the University
of Wisconsin.
This analysis showed in
crease in the milk/ton value
of the higher cut silage as you
might expect, that was about
seven percent higher that
more than offset the yield re
duction of five percent. This
is reflected in the slight in
crease in milk/acre of the
higher cut silage.
These results are very simi
lar to those achieved in trials
conducted by the University
of Wisconsin and Pioneer Hi-
Bred International. Pioneer
researchers and others have
reported that the improve
ments in forage quality with
increased harvest height
might be less with some spe
cialty hybrids or where the
crop has been drought
stunted or killed by frost.
This suggests that in some
cases it might pay to harvest
corn for silage at the higher
height. The Milk 2000 eco
nomics estimates are depend
ent upon greater milk
production from the higher
quality silage. In situations
ORN BITS
where the crop yields are
high, storage is limited, the
haul distance is great, the
higher harvest height should
be considered. The increase
in dry matter content could
be a plus if you want to start
harvesting earlier, but it
could be a minus if the crop
was already dry, as it was in
our study.
HFCS Developments
In Mexico
Under pressure to pass a
new budget and revenue pro
vision for the year, the Mexi
can Congress passed a bill
that would place up to a 20
percent tax on soft drinks
that contain sweeteners other
than cane sugar. “The meas
ure taxes High Fructose Corn
Syrup out of the market, and
severely hurts U.S. corn ex
ports,” said NCGA President
Tim Hume.
Use IRM To
Protect Bt Technology
Bacillus thuringiensis, or
Bt, corn has proven to be an
important technology to help
the nation’s corn growers
control damaging insects and
produce higher yields and
better quality grain. To pre
serve the benefits of Bt corn
technology for growers, the
NCGA recommends the im
plementation of Insect Re
sistance Management (IRM)
practices.
31 1
64
79
2589
310
18122
2174
Oil And MTBE
Groups Attack Ethanol
The NCGA is expecting
the new session of Congress
will implement a nationwide
renewable fuels standard
(RFS). In 2001, NCGA’s
Ethanol Marketing Commit
tee, the main force behind the
Corn Growers’ push for an
RFS, witnessed a year filled
with optimistic talk of such
legislation.
However, the group knew
that the petroleum industry
would fight the RFS every
step of the way, and it looks
like the battle is heating up.
In a recent letter to Senate
Majority Leader Tom
Daschle, D-SD, and Minority
Leader Trent Lott, R-MS.
several oil industry repre
sentatives attacked ethanol
and a renewable fuels stan
dard. These organizations
claim that implementing an
RFS would adversely affect
the economy, environment
and fuel supply.
The letter portrayed a
mandated ethanol standard
as being disruptive and ill
conceived, and urged the
Senators to oppose an
ethanol standard. Those sign
ing the letter include a group
of refiners and MTBE pro
ducers. However, the Ameri
can Petroleum Institute
(API), which represents the
major oil companies, did not
sign the letter.
Corn Growers Applaud
Ethanol Production Record
For the third month in a
row, the ethanol industry has
set an all-time monthly pro
duction record. “Ethanol is a
growing industry,” said John
McClelland, NCGA’s in
house expert on ethanol.
“Production records indicate
that demand is high and that
our ethanol supply will read
ily expand to meet any in
creases in demand.” The
previous record, set in Octo
ber 2001, was shattered in
November as production
reached 126,000 barrels of
ethanol per day that is a
rate of 1.93 billion gallons an
nually. The production infor
mation is based on data
released by the U.S. Energy
Information Administration.
The Renewable Fuels As
sociation reported No
vember’s production was up
almost 16 percent from the
previous year when only
109,000 barrels of ethanol
were produced per day in No
vember of 2000. With record
levels of production through
out the year, experts predict
nearly 1.8 billion gallons of
ethanol were produced in
2001.
A recent study released by
the NCGA revealed that in
creasing the total gallons of
renewable fuels contained in
motor vehicle fuels from cur
rent levels to four percent by
2016 would decrease oil im
ports and reduce the U.S.
trade deficit by $63.4 billion.
It would also create 300,000
new American jobs, and in
crease U.S. household
income by $7l billion.
Of significant importance
to corn growers the study re
vealed that if ethanol sup
plied four percent of the
nation’s fuel, corn prices
would increase an average of
28 cents per bushel. Net farm
income would also increase
an average of $6.6 billion an
nually, resulting in reduced
direct government payments
to farmers by $7.8 billion
through 2016.
Across the nation, 17
ethanol plants are under con
struction. The new refineries
will potentially add more
than 450 million gallons of
ethanol production capacity.
NCGA President
Looks Forward
The NCGA has met and
exceeded many goals over
the past year: passage of
Trade Promotion Authority
(TPA) in the House of Repre
sentatives, the successful pro
motion of ethanol to boost
energy security and proving
through sound science
biotechnology presents great
opportunities for higher
yields and higher quality
crops to farmers who need it
and have determined there is
a market for their harvested
grain.
But an organization is only
as good as what it accom
plishes in the present and
NCGA President Tim Hume
realizes this. “I’m pretty
happy with what we’ve been
able to do in 2001,” he said,
“but there is still more that
needs to be done.”
Big Victories for Big Rocks
NCGA’s Year In Review
What a year for the nation
and the nation’s corn
growers. The NCGA is clos
ing another successful year.
Many of NCGA’s “Big
Rocks” (Ethanol, Trade, Re
search, Transportation, Farm
Bill, and Biotechnology) have
seen big victories over the last
12 months as corn growers
around the country have
joined together to make their
voices heard on these mat
ters.
One of the stories that just
never seemed to go away was
the claim that Bacillus thu
ringiensis (Bt) corn harmed
Monarch butterflies. A Cor
nell report released more
than two years ago stated the
pollen of Bt corn affected the
larvae of the butterflies and
those who opposed biotech
nology picked up the banner,
using rumor and hearsay
over the facts and sound sci
ence.
NCGA’s Best And
Brightest To Attend
Leadership Training
Current and future leaders
of the NCGA will attend a
leadership training confer
ence Jan. 28-31 in Washing
ton, D.C. The conference,
sponsored by Syngenta Crop
Protection, provides training
to growers who are currently
state association presidents
and those who are just begin
ning service on a state associ
ation board.
Sierra Club, Others,
Want Alternative Fuel
Vehicle Rule Enforced
Several environmental
groups have filed suit against
the federal government
hoping to enforce the Energy
Policy Act, a 1992 law that
mandates the government to
buy a certain percentage of
alternative fuel vehicles. The
suit was filed in federal court
in San Francisco, Calif.,
against 18 federal agencies.
The plaintiffs contend that
the agencies failed to comply
with the vehicle purchase re
quirement, which mandates
that 75 percent of new pur
chases be of alternative fuel
vehicles.
The purchase requirement
was based on a desire to help
wean the U.S. away from
total dependence on foreign
oil supplies. The plaintiffs
claim that the agencies have
failed to meet the law’s re
quirement, and they expect to
use the suit to compel agency
compliance.
World Corn Production
In 2000, world corn pro
duction totaled 23 billion
bushels. The U.S. produced
about 43 percent of this or 9.9
billion bushels. China was the
second largest producer, a’c
counting for 18 percent of the
world crop followed by the
European Union at seven
percent and Brazil at six per
cent. Mexico and Argentina
each produced three percent
of the world’s corn that year.
Total world corn consump
tion in 2000 exceeded pro
duction and totaled 23.8
billion bushels.
Grower Testimony Calls
For Upgrades In GPSA
Grain Standards
As a grower who is directly
impacted by work of the
Grain Inspection, Packers
and Stockyards Administra
tion (GIPSA), Mike Clark,
president of the Illinois Corn
Growers Association, testi
fied recently to the U.S.
Senate Committee on Agri
culture, Nutrition and For
estry that the government
should review GIPSA’s
standards and the manner in
which they are enforced.
Clark testified on behalf of
the National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA), Ameri
can Soybean Association
(ASA), and the National As
sociation of What Growers
(NAWG).
“As we enter the new cen
tury, we should take the time
to review how our govern
ment operates and ask our
selves: Is there a better way?”
Clark said, noting that while
GIPSA is to be commended
for its efforts in modernizing
in its operation, little has
been done to bring grain
standards into the 21st Cen
tury.
“As you well know, U.S.
producers must export a sig
nificant portion of their crop
each year to remain solvent.
This requires us to compete
on a world market against
well-positioned competi
tors,” he said.
“Across the globe, world
grain buyers have grown
more sophisticated in their
buying requirements, yet we
continue to rely on standards
that largely only describe ex
ternal characteristics.”
Current U.S. grain stand
ards measure only volume
and outward appearance,
and very few inspection
standards exist to give grain
buyers the information they
really want: The end-use
characteristics of the crop.
“We need to harness the
continued advances being
made in technology to bring
about a reliable and quick
test that will predict the in
trinsic qualities desired by the
end user,” Clark said. “In
addition, we must retain the
flexibility to adapt such
standards as new technolo
gies are developed.”