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‘lndustry, Farmer, Scientist Working Together Toward A Sounder Grassland Program’
Virginia Grazier Sold On Bermuda Grass
GAY BROWNLEE
Virginia Correspondent
HARRISONBURG, Va.—
Michael Phillips has some-'
thing to prove. On July 27
during the Second World
Feeder Bermuda Grass Field
Day, some 145 persons learned
what it is.
“My goal in an average year
is to graze year around and
not make hay,” Phillips said.
“I’m gonna do it.”
The progressive grazier
didn’t predict when this would
happen, although he warned
he’s been known to “talk the
ears off a stalk of com.”
Phillips invited field day
participants to walk through
the tender Bermuda grass
without their socks and shoes.
He spoke about the benefits of
this versatile grass on which
Lehigh Hay Exporter Keeps Delivering In Drought Year
From Field To Ship, The Finks Maximize Hay-Handling Efficiency
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
GERMANSVILLE (Lehigh
Co.) For three decades, David
Fink has been a leader in innova
tive hay marketing.
Even through drought years
like this one, the nature of his
business allows him to keep ship-
David Fink shows off the final product of his hay
processing operation. These compressed bales
weigh about 35 and 80 pounds, respectively. While
later alfalfa and grass cuttings have suffered from
drought, the Finks have harvested more than 3,000
tons so far this year, Including an excellent crop of
timothy in June.
he grazes a variety of live
stock, including beef cows.
“The cheapest machine you
can run has four legs and a fly
swatter,” he said.
For every person who is
willing to listen and bold
enough to try something new,
there are scores of non-believ
ers when it comes to Bermuda
grass moving north from the
deep south where it is general
ly grown.
“Some say it’s too cold here
for Bermuda,” Phillips said.
He reported being laughed
at so much that he tries to
plant where the neighbors
can’t see.
Phillips and his wife Susan
operate a rotational grazing
system diversified with 80
brood cows, 40 ewes and two
ping large volumes of high quali
ty hay to horse and dairy farms
as far away as the Carribean Is
lands and Europe. Dry weather
has also increased demand for
hay on the East Coast.
Fink first began compressing
hay on Heidel Hollow Farm here
in the mid-19705. Even today,
poultry houses that, so far,
have survived unscathed in
the 2002 avian influenza out
break.
Bit by bit, Phillips continues
to kill off the fescue on his
farm in order to plant more
Bermuda grass. The preferred
time for this is in the fall, just
before the first bitter frost hits,
he said. He then seeds winter
rye rather than ryegrass
prior to planting Bermuda
grass “sprigs” the following
year.
“I will not use ryegrass,” he
said. “It continually wants to
come back.”
The Bermuda sprigs can be
planted by hand or by ma
chine for larger areas. Phillips
uses a machine converted
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this enterprise is still relatively
rare in our region, though more
common in the northwest part of
the country.
Much of the manual labor in
Fink’s operation has been elimi
nated over the years, but the
principle remains the same:
cured hay is compressed into
super-dense packages that can be
shipped as efficiently as possible.
With the help of wife Sonia,
sons Travis and Mike, and a staff
that includes about 18 workers
during harvesting season, Fink
markets 5,000 tons of hay per
year. About 75 percent of that is
harvested from 900 acres of timo
thy, alfalfa, orchardgrass and
mixed hay stands on the home
farm and nearby rented land.
Beside minimizing freight
costs, the Finks also strive to de
liver a top-quality product. Hei
del Hollow Farm hay, in fact,
posted three first-place winners
in this year’s Hay Show at Ag
Progress Days.
“The key to marketing hay is
getting the right product to the
consumer at an affordable price,”
Fink said. And the cost of trans
port can “make or break the abil
ity to get into the market,” he
pointed out.
The hay processing operation
on Fink’s farm converts
800-pound square bales (3 X 3 X
8 feet) into compact square bales,
22 inches long. Don’t expect to
grab one of these little bales,
however, and toss it into the hay
rack with the ease you would a
regular small bale. These bales
have been packed together with
about a million pounds of hy
draulic pressure in a compressing
Aged and new Bermuda grass is pictured at the World
Feeder Bermuda Grass Field Day, conducted at the farm
of Michael and Susan Phillips, Harrisonburg, Va.. The
roots of Bermuda grass go deep into the earth to pull up
moisture. Experienced growers of Bermuda can’t say
enough about its potential to make money for the farmer.
The versatile grass is high in digestibility, protein, and
tonnage; starts earlier, grows longer, and stays tender
the whole year, they claim. According to growers, all
breeds of livestock love it, but especially horses.
machine. The result is a bale
weighing 70-90 pounds, depend
ing on the type of hay.
The Finks harvest large quan
tities in a short period of time, as
close to the peak of production as
possible. For timothy, that gener
ally means the pre- to early flow-
NRCS Grassland
Management Specialist
I find it hard to believe that
my grandchildren have gone
back to school and summer is
drawing to a close. My oldest
grandson is playing football
this year, so that makes him
part of the team. Well, just like
my grandson, I too have be
come part of a team. Webster
defines a team as a group of
people working together in a
coordinated effort.
By now, you may be wonder
ing what team I am part of.
Pennsylvania Forage & Grassland Council
Newsletter Section September 14,2002
er stage, between June 10 and 20.
Alfalfa harvest begins in the third
week of May.
Once the season begins, “we
just go,” Fink said. Harvest is
continuous through the summer
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Pasture Ponderings ❖
f\ t
Well, I am pleased to say I am
part of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service’s (NRCS)
grazing team.
What could a grazing team
do? Is it a group that is grazing
as a team? The grazing team
that has been put together by
Robin Heard, Pennsylvania’s
State Conservationist, has been
charged with the job of provid
ing technical assistance to the
people of Pennsylvania to plan
and install grazing systems.
This team is made of up six
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