[ (Continued from Page El) that the strength of sustained civilization is based on for ages. Most of us just take it for granted. Do you take PFGC for granted? We need your support and participation! Over the dec ades, PFGC has achieved many successes. Probably the most notable was its Forage Progress Days, started in 1963, which has evolved into Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. Forages continue to be at the center of this wonderful event. The amount of inform President’s Comer ation that can be obtained by attending is overwhelming. Exhibits, equipment demos, plots, and tours are just a few of the items to be taken in. PFGC has had a team ap proach from its inception in 1960. It takes a partnership between Farmer, Industry, and Education sectors all working together for forage based agriculture to advance. PFGC is made up of all three sectors and is working togeth er so that forage progress can be made. “Farmers, industry and educators working togeth er for better forage programs” has been the Council’s trade mark from the beginning. What is PFGC doing these days? The following is a par tial list: • Foraging Around, this section of the paper, is one ef fort that I am very pleased to contribute to. By the way, you too can contribute articles to be included. • A quarterly newsletter. • Hay Show at Ag Progress Days. • Co-sponsor of annual Pennsylvania Forage and Grazing Conference in Grant ville. • Annual picnic during Ag Progress Days. • Sponsor of the Penn sylvania Grassland Evalu ation Contest. • Various awards. The Grassland Evalua tion Contest is the newest activity that we are sup porting. This is a contest for youth groups includ ing FFA and 4-H. The participants are chal lenged in their knowledge of pasture management. The end result will help develop critical skills for the future workforce of agriculture. We can do more but need your involvement. Your membership in our organization is appreciat ed, but more importantly your active involvement in our activities is critical for success. If you are not a member, why not join and add your strength to the forage industry. Lancaster Farming,. Saturday,. September ,13, 2003, Foraging Around-E3 Quackgrass Makes Good Forage (Continued from Page El) . ... leic acid (CLA), known to pre good pasnire- es P ec,al1 !' °™ r venl certain types of cancer In Heather*!) humane, which are in grazing Heather D. Karsten, assistant ii vestoc k The reason: the professor of ap-oecology, De- leafy parts of a plant provide partment of Crop and Sod more unsaturated fats for the Sciences at Penn State. animal, which are readily con- Karsten was a speaker dur- verted to CLA in the rumen, mg the crop management seg- The objectives for every ment of the first Penn State- ier should a sponsored Agronomy-Indus- drought . tol e r a„t species with , , a lot of biomass, with taller, The field day replaced the i ea fy ) m ore highly digestible traditional seed business weed f ora g e> Forage needs to have day normally conducted at the more mater iai per bite, same time at the Penn State Bluegrass and quackgrass Southeast Research and Ex- bave their carbohydrates, nec tension Center m Landisville. essary for regrowth, stored in More than two dozen agen- rhizomes below the surface, cy and agri-industiy personnel with good management, the were on hand during the seg- rhizomes help provide the po ment conducted by Karsten tential for a lot of tillering and during concurrent sessions at potential leafy regrowth, the field day. Karsten focused The plants, however, can on managing orchardgrass n ot be grazed down too far, and mixed species pastures for otherwise regrowth can be se productivity and high animal verely affected. If the stem intake. base is grazed off, regrowth The key to successful graz- can be in jeopardy, ing forages, according to Kar- Orchardgrass can be grazed sten, is managing species to higher and still recover be provide “erect, upright cause of its drought tolerance, growth, and to select species Poultry on pasture benefits with a higher harvest index,” greatly. One test measured 30 she said. “Manage for vegeta- percent more omega-3 fat in five, leafy plants.” pastured poultry than from A species such as quack- traditional chicken commer grass provides animals with dal mash. There is also about optimum intake, because the 40 percent more vitamin Ain grass is drought tolerant with pastured hens than in corn more productivity and more merdal chickens, and as photosynthesis, even during . much vitamin E.i Bo£luVfta drought. This contrasts v#h ‘ mins ate antieftijlants.bendi bluegrass, with low drought dal to humamacdhvesioGk. tolerance and a grass more Caged pastured poultfy can likely to shut down as nttjjK or ture levels plummet. P?-.snee^^d^ing^^T^n' i ‘add Fresh pasture improves some income,” said Karsten, overall levels of omega-3 (the to a grass-fed operation. good fat) and conjugated lino-
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