(Continued from Page Cl)
and a paralyzed vocal cord. I am
doing physical and speech thera
py to improve both of these losses
and I am pleased to report that
my balance control has improved
substantially. However, my vocal
cord has a long way to go, but
I’m getting there.
Now, to - report on Project
Grass’s Grassland Evaluation
Contest The Cambria County
team was the first place winner
and represented Pennsylvania at
the Mid-America Contest in Mis
souri. I am so pleased to report
that the team placed eighth over
all out of 19 teams from all over
the country. Of the nine 4-H
teams competing, they placed
second. This is a fantastic show
ing for Pennsylvania’s first year.
I would like to say thank you to
all the team members for their
hard work in preparing for the
contest and congratulations for a
job well done. I would also like to
say thank you to those conserva
tion professionals responsible for
Pennsylvania’s contest (particu
larly NRCS conservationist
Bobbi BaiJey-and our NRCS
Project;.Grass coordinators) and
those' whg .helped the teams pre
pare jUrcompetition. They are
helnttlg to prepare Pennsylva-
Kv
x.
■i _ , Round Taarup discs reject stone
J' 'W" Benefits:
['Jilil Round discs reject stones more smoothly It is impossible for a round disc
Ik. 10 impact with a stone as it has no corners or leading edges Foreign
t. ii objects jammed between counter rotating round discs are never seen
See our extensive family of hay tools which
includes disc mowers, rakes and tedders
mEErK-.sge
HI
Kvemeland
- The Number One selling round bale wrapper in The United
States and the World!
- Keverneland pioneered the wrap system in 1986
- Complete range of machines to suit every need three trailed
models, two mounted self-loading, three mounted
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made expressly for large square bales up to 4'x4'xfv in size
McConnellsburg Motors
McConnellsburg, PA
717-485-3181
Hess Farm Equipment Glenn Beidler
Canton PA
570-673-5143
nia’s future graziers.
The sunshine was so wonderful
on the day of this writing. It
makes all those days of rain and
no sunshine seem far away. But
we know they are not. I have spo
ken to a few folks who were com
plaining about the weather be
cause they did not know how
they were going to get baleage
made, let alone hay. I also talked
to some people who were not
complaining about the rain be
cause they remembered last
year’s drought. These folks were
basically graziers. They were not
relying on the sun to dry or wilt
forages. They were using their
“four-legged” mowing machines
to harvest their forages. That’s
right, their livestock were able to
consume the wet forage even in
the rain.
When you think about it, there
are several reasons that grazing
has advantages over mechanical
harvesting and feeding stored
forages. Several are very obvious
but I will list them anyway. I al
ready listed the first reason
which is that regardless of the
weather, livestock can harvest
the forages. The second reason is
a matter of economics. We make
more money on livestock prod
ucts because we have lowered our
feed costs, thereby increasing the
nd excellence
Kvemeland Kidd KD 825 Silage Chopper
- PTO driven discharge conveyor decelerates the chopped
material ensuring an even and positive flow of feed
without an excess of dust or loss
- Four other models are available for dry hay and straw
applications
- Hydraulic bale lifter and slip clutch protected PTO together
provide safe, smooth, low torque starts
Kvemeland
P where farming means business
Freeburg, PA
570-539-8993
bottomline. The third reason is
lower machinery needs because
of less planting or harvesting and
> jtffe*he associated costs. The
' fourth reason is that livestock
helplo spread their own manure
which reduces hauling and stor
age costs as well as provides envi
ronmental benefits. The fifth rea-
son is a better personal and
family life with less stress and
more enjoyment.
Let’s first discuss the weather
concern and the fact the forage
harvest is not overly affected by
it. Livestock will not destroy a
pasture that is soaked and soggy
because of a lot of rain if they are
only allowed to have a very short
grazing period. You give them a
small plot that will meet their nu
tritional needs for just a few
hours. A pasture is generally ru
ined if animals are allowed to
camp in field for a longer period
of time. They can also find stock
piled forage under the snow.
When the hay fields only grow
six inches or so because of the
lack of rain, it is almost impossi
ble to mechanically harvest, but
livestock can easily graze.
Therefore, it is important to in
stall the perimeter fence around
the farm so all the fields may be
grazed. This is especially true in
dry periods as long as you consid
er heat stress. Ideal weather af
fords the best grazing time and
also benefits crop growing. We
must consider how much ideal
weather we do enjoy and remem
ber that if we do not have it, the
livestock will harvest the
forages anyway through
grazing.
The second reason we
listed was increasing the
bottom line. You can imag
ine that through the live-
motion
jar flotation
iual suspension
reacts to
jpendent of the
■jhme
• Lower ground pressure
improves reliability and
reduces crop stubble
damage
• Tool-free cutting height
adjustment
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 12, 2003, Foraging Around-C3
stocks’ grazing and keeping the
tractor parked that feed costs are
reduced. When we put fewer
acres under annual crop produc
tion, we are saving money. The
forage crop is planted for many
years of harvest and the cost of
establishment is spread out over
several years. Excess forages are
harvested for winter-feed. Graz
ing reduces veterinarian costs
and utility costs. In general graz
ing reduces input costs thereby
increasing profits.
Grazing improves the lifestyle
of the producer. This is a very in
tangible factor but is very impor
tant. The reduction of stress can
Bale Wrapper Technology
In Use On Plain Dairy
ELIZABETHTOWN (Lancaster Co.) plain dairy farmers have
been making use of special bale wrapper technology that aids in the
fermentation process for silage.
An Amish farmer from Honey Brook spoke about his operation
during a special Lancaster County pasture walk at the Garber Dairy
Farm in Elizabethtown in May.
The Honey Brook farmer manages about 70 acres, all Holsteins. He
uses a sicklebar mower.
Using a regular baler, about 16 tales are compressed and wrapped.
A cylinder press compresses them and a device wraps them in thick
plastic.
“The cows have been eating (the baleage). It feeds nice,” he said.
The bales are compressed and wrapped when they are fairly'’dry.
They cannot be wrapped too wet, noted the dairyman.
The Amish farmer is a member of DFA. He cares for about 40 milk
cows and is not on DHIA.
Gutters to meet
S7®QDGr“ QDQOCaJa
Land Pride Rotary Cutters offer fast, clean, dependable
mowing and have been extensively tested to ensure operating
safety. Our cutters are designed with safety in mind and have been
tested using rugged industry standards. High blade tip speeds assure
a clean cut in a variety of field conditions and standard stump
jumpers and safety guards keep you up and running.
With Land Pride, you’re assured a product that delivers top
quality performance.
Detlan
Equipment, Inc.
141 East Mam St
Silverdale, PA 18962
215-257-5177
Thomas L. Dunlap
Rt 220, Mam St Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-1391
Eckroth Bros
Farm Equip.
Rd 2, Box 24A
New Ringgold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
Eckroth
Equipment Co.
4910 Kernsville Rd. uc w
Orefield, PA 18069
610-366-2095 W«t Chester, PA
_ 610-696-2990
Pikeville ™* rr f n County
E R%t oSale Road
Oley, PA 19547 Blairtown, N J.
www.landpride.com 610-927-6277 908-362-6916
improve the grazier’s family and
personal daily life. He/she gets
more time to enjoy the family
and to do off-the-farm activities.
By reducing overall stress, there
is a tendency for younger family
members to remain on the farm.
If you would like information
on grazing you can contact me by
e-mail at HYPERLINK mail
to:duane.pysher@pa.usda.gov
duane.pysher@pa.usda.gov; tele
phone me at (717) 237-2221 or
write to me at home at 320 N.
Walnut St., Wemersville, PA
19565.
Until next time, happy graz
ing.
Pennsylvania
Hines Equipment Stoltzfus Farm
RT. 220, Bel wood, PA Service
814-742-8171
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
and
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
Lehigh Ag
Equipment, Inc.
6670 Ruppsville Rd ,
Allentown, PAIBIO6
610-398-2553
800-779-3616
Cochranville, PA
610-593-2407
Stouffer Bros Inc.
1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA
17201
717-263-8424
Valley Ag Turf
817 Tobias Road
Halifax, PA 17032
717-362-3132
New Jersey
Rodio Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N J 08037
609-561-0141