E6-Foragmg Around, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 19, 2003
Grass Feeding Can Pave Way For Improved Protein Use
ANDY ANDREWS
Editor
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.) Quality of forage from
hay can rival or even outdo
conventional com silage, as
proven by tests conducted re
cently in Lancaster County.
Of 49 samples taken on four
farms in 2002, crude protein
levels stood at 24.8, with net
energy, lactation levels of .724
with a relative feed value of
178.
This was set during a
drought year on land that
wasn’t even irrigated, accord
ing to Bruce Kreider, White
Oak Mills.
Kreider spoke to more than
80 producers and agri-indus
try representatives in March
at the Lancaster County Fam
ily Dairy Day at the Farm and
Home Center.
For dairy producers who
want to show real results on
potential profitability, the key
may be getting a greater per
centage of cows into a third,
fourth, or even fifth lactation,
with high-quality
forages. “Addressing
that addresses your
income,” said Kreid-
High quality for
ages, Kreider noted,
reduce purchase
protein and energy
costs. At best, he
said, “energy levels
(of high quality hay
forage) exceed com
silage and triple pro
tein.”
With a regular
hay forage invest
ment, room can be
left to focus invest
ments on brewer
grains or protein by
product ingredients
to supplement dairy
feed.
Kreider asked
producers to look at
their operations
closely to see if high
quality forages are
A lesson
well learned...
Lancaster
Farming’s
classified ads
get results!
part of the overall feed invest
ment strategies.
“Where’s the secret?” he
said, “Where’s the thing to
make opportunity for
change?”
Right now, he noted, “I
have no magic that I can pull
out of my hat.” But optimiz
ing the diet and getting optim
al pricing on feedstuffs can go
a long way.
What nutritionists have
seen, however, are the high
amounts of fecal starch in
what is wasted on convention
al com diets. There is a tre
mendous amount of bypass
starch in fecal material, which
turns into a “tremendous
profit drain,” Kreider said.
The key: getting the right
nutrients off the right crop
with the least costly methods.
And taking those considera
tions together with additional
cow lactations can help pave
the way to profits.
Using technologies such as
BST can also help maintain
You may be asking, “What does BR mean?” BR stands for a
Branched Root characteristic in alfalfa. Chemgro Seeds
Paragon BR is an alfalfa with a branching root system. In tough
wet conditions,
Paragon BR will
utilize a branching
root system in poor
areas. A taproot is
utilized under
normal conditions.
BR means longer
lasting stands of
alfalfa in fields with
less than perfect soil
conditions. More of
the root system stays
above the water
table, better
securing the plant in
the soil when
freezing and thawing occurs. This branched rooted trait will
adjust accordingly as the moisture stress intensifies. Paragon
BR is a must for those uneven fields with low wet areas. Places
where conventional alfalfas tend to die early, Paragon will
provide you with high quality, even stand of alfalfa for a full four
years. Paragon BR is a fall dormancy 3 alfalfa, with an excellent
winter hardiness of 1.6. It is well adapted to the soils, conditions
and diseases we face here in the Northeast.
Chemgro
"Quality SEEDS , at reasonable prices”
production curve at higher
levels and spread the costs
over more hundredweight of
milk.
Grazing allows dairy pro
ducers to literally “cut out the
middleman” by not only hav
ing the cows self-harvest the
nutrients but provide a way to
handle manure
Kreider provided in
formation from the Uni
versity of Maryland that
pointed out, between
1997-2000, that in a con
finement operation,
profit per cow stood at
about $477. With graz
ing, that amount totaled
$5BO. Confinement feed
cost per hundredweight
totaled $4.03, but with
grazing, totaled $3.55.
With growing com,
profits can vary tremen
dously year to year.
With grass, “you’ll
make money every
year,” said Kreider. “On
the worst years, you’ll be
Disease Resistance
Highly Resistant
Resistant
Moderate Resistance
1 ow Resistance
Susceptible
«p' ** /“ /
y//y/V
<*> «* jr 'f
P.O. Box 218
East Petersburg, PA 17520-0218
1 (800) 346-4769 (GROW)
717-569-3296
way ahead” (of com).
However, producers would
be crazy not to look at com si
lage and com grain feed to
supplement the pasture.
Grazing provides several
other advantages, too:
• It’s the “gold standard”
for cow comfort
luck^now
Vertical Mixer Feeder
Mixer Feeders, Helm Welding (1983)
Ltd. has branched into the Vertical Mixer
Feeder market. This company is equally
committed to growth and
quality, and feels that the is
the strongest mixer, of this style,
available today...
It’s a different style
with the same strength ”
GET DETAILS ON THE ENTIRE RANGE OF
LUCK^| OW MIXER FEEDERS
BELLEVILLE, PA
BIG VALLEY REPAIR
111 GREEN ST
CLIFFORD, PA
NORTHEAST
DISTRIBUTORS &
EQUIPMENT
ROUTE 106, WEST
CLIFFORD, OFF 181
GLENROCK, PA
po5 T equSnt MARTINSBURG, PA
T WINELAND
PA ROUTERS EQUIPMENT, INC.
PA KOUII 51 b RD#2. ROUTE 164 EAST
Distributed By:
[g<l] CUMMINGS and BRICKER, Inc.
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS
100-120 Lehigh Ave. - PO Box 928
Batavia, New York 14021-0928
716/343-5411
Serving Farmers Through Farm Equipment Dealers Since 1961
100 Stover Drive
Carlisle, PA 17013
717/249-6720
• High forage rations re
duce potential for acidosis, la
minitis
• Vitamin levels are higher
in fresh forages
• Cows are comfortable on
the grass
• Cows may be in better
physical condition on grass.
GREENCASTLE, PA
MEYERS IMPLEMENT
400 N ANTRIM WAY
LEOLA, PA
M.M. WEAVER « SONS
169 NORTH GROFFDALE RD
LOYSVILLE, PA
McMILLEN BROS
RD#l - BOX 134
MIFFLINBURG, PA
HESS EQUIPMENT
SALES & SERVICE
RR3, BOX 160
MASSEY, MD
JONES DAIRY SERVICE
12667 MASSEY ROAD
WATSONTOWN, PA
ROVENDALE AG & BARN
I-80 TO 1-81 /
WATSONTOWN EXIT