Extended Grazing - Ohio`s Country Journal

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OCTOBER 2003 27 Ohio’s Country Journal LIVESTOCK Extended grazing From page 1 “Extending the grazing season is not new. We’re just trying to improve on what’s been done in the past and bring new awareness to the concept,” said Allen Gahler, agriculture and natural resources agent at the Fairfield County office of OSU Extension. The goal is to come up with a protocol using a combination of forages to get a herd of cows through the entire winter without feeding hay, Gahler said. Three other Fairfield County farms are experimenting with extended grazing practices as part of the same cooperative research. Doug and Cheryl done in recent years backs this up. “I think you can make more than $100 per acre grazing beef cattle, versus $50 to $60 per acre, which is the best case scenario for corn and soybeans. The challenge is figuring out how to graze cattle 365 days a year,” Ballard said. Tim (left) and Phillip Leitnaker of Farifield County are excited about their “We’ve got farm’s potential to graze beef cattle all year long. In search of the best a world of method to do so, they’re allowing their county offices of OSU Extension, potential Soil and Water Conservation, and Natural Resources Conservation Service out there in to conduct nearly 200 acres of cooperative extended grazing research on their Leitnaker Angus Farm. the Midwest. I think we can raise three times the cattle Aerial seeding we have now.” Aerial seeding oats and rye onto One of his research farms saw a net standing corn and soybeans is gaining profit of $200 per acre winter grazing popularity, and Smith expects more cereal rye in 2000 and 2001. farmers will do it next year. Flying Feed cost is the most important faceither oats for fall/winter grazing or tor that affects profitability in a comrye for spring grazing onto standing mercial beef cow operation. The avercrops in August allows the forage to get age beef producer in Illinois spends up to a six-week head start in growth, $1.25 to $1.50 per cow per day for feed compared to seeding after the corn or during the winter, a period of 120 to 150 soybeans have been harvested. days. If grazers are able to feed cows “We know oats and rye will get over winter for 50 to 60 cents per day, down through the canopy of corn withthey can reduce the costs to keep a beef out a problem, and that was an initial cow between $90 and $140 per cow, concern,” Smith said. Ballard said. Majors had treated oats aerial seeded onto standing corn on Aug. 26. Wolfinger Farms no-tilled bin run and treated oats into wheat stubble on Aug. 15, and broadcast turnips onto the same field on Aug. 22. Bob Winter of Cedar Hill Land and Cattle no-tilled bin run oats into wheat stubble and seeded BMR sorghum into wheat stubble on July 27. He also aerial seeded cereal rye at 112 pounds per acre onto standing corn on Aug. 26. The grazing research in Fairfield County began last year, and so far has yielded more questions than answers, said Stan Smith, agriculture program assistant for OSU Extension. Some of the questions include: when’s the best time to plant oats for fall/winter grazing; will aerial seeding work and if so what are the benefits; what types of forage best fit the different weather patterns throughout the year; and are the grazing practices economically worthwhile. “We think by this winter we’ll start to provide some answers,” Smith said. “We think oats might be the missing link to being able to graze 365 days.” Early results in the county and reports from similar research in other states have been positive. The key is getting more farmers to give extended grazing practices a try, said Curt Stivison, Fairfield SWCD engineering technician. Some other economic considerations, techniques and concepts discussed at the Ohio Extended Grazing Conference were: Economics Butch Fisher of Fisher’s Ag Service demonstrates aerial seeding of oats onto one of the Leitnakers’ standing cornfields during the Ohio Extended Grazing Conference in Fairfield County. The plane holds about 1,000 pounds of seed and can aerial seed about 12 acres with each fill. It costs roughly $9 per acre to have a field aerial seeded. Although cash grain crops account for about 80% of farm income in Illinois, Ed Ballard, a University of Illinois animal systems educator and a conference speaker, believes Illinois farmers can make more money grazing cattle than they can growing corn and soybeans. The grazing research he’s 60th Annual Fall Graded Feeder Calf Sale Friday, Oct. 31 7:30 p.m. • Muskingum Livestock Yards • Zanesville, OH Calves & Yearlings Producers of quality feeder calves since 1944 For information, write or call: Katherine Stiers 12920 Shriver Lane, Pleasant City, OH 43772 740-685-3177 • • • Male calves hand examined — no bulls. Cattle delivered and penned by breed. Graded, weighed and sold the same day. Aerial seeding early rather than seeding after crop harvest saves time during the busy harvest season, he said. It also allows producers who typically seed rye into cornstalks before grazing the fodder to get more value from the cornstalks. With the grass already estab- lished when the corn is harvested, cattle can be put into the field quicker, avoiding potential stalk rot. The cost is also quite reasonable, particularly when farmers cooperate and have a good number of acres to aerial seed, spreading out travel and fuel costs. Typical aerial seeding costs are about $5 per acre for the plane and $4 per acre for the seed, Smith said. “We’ll see what kind of stand we get from the aerial seeding,” Phillip Leitnaker said. “But for $9 per acre, I can’t afford to go out and drill it for that, plus we get an earlier start.” Grazing oats On Aug. 15, the Wolfinger family in Fairfield County no-tilled oats into a field of wheat stubble to provide forage for their beef cattle over winter. As an added twist, turnips were broadcast over the oats on Aug. 22 to provide additional forage and hopefully get some regrowth from portions of the field grazed in late fall and early winter. A small turnip plant is pictured on Sept. 6 growing among the oats. The successful winter oats grazing trial conducted at the Wolfinger Farm last year, was a hot topic. The bin run oats were no-till seeded into 30 acres of wheat stubble on Aug. 5 and grazed from Nov. 8 until March 27, except for a three-week period in late February when 20 inches of snow prevented adequate grazing. The actual cost to graze the oats was about 20 cents per head per day (not including land and labor), compared to 80 cents per day if they’d been fed hay all winter, Stivison said. Saving 60 cents per day on 45 cows for 120 days, the trial saved the Wolfingers about $3,240. Forage analysis also showed the Wolfinger oats provided 12% to 18% crude protein and 63% to 64% digestible organic matter throughout the winter. This was well above the typical cow’s requirements of 5% to 8% crude protein and 45% to 53% digestible organic matter during this period. From Ballard’s experience, fall-planted oats provide more growth than any other forage type. “We get twice as much growth with oats compared to rye,” he said. “You can plant oats as late as Sept. 20 and they’ll still work well as long as you get 60 days growth.” Fencing tips These oats on the farm of Doug and Cheryl Majors were aerial seeded onto standing corn on Aug. 26. This photo was taken 11 days later, on Sept. 6, and the plants are already several inches tall. Two fencing items drew interest. The first was a tip several people mentioned to combat problems with frozen soils when trying to move fence for grazing. The suggestion was to drill holes in the ground using a battery-operated drill, and then the poles easily slide in the ground. The second was a $99 Directional Fault Finder that Dave Dailey of Dailey Fence brought up during his discussion of fencing systems. When testing electric fence, the hand-held device gives a voltage and amp reading, and, if there is a short somewhere in the fence, the Finder indicates its direction. Hillsboro-ChillicotheGallipolis Area Feeder Cattle Association Ohio’s #1 Feeder Cattle Sales Hillsboro Route 50 W 937-393-3424 Wednesdays at 7 p.m. October 1 Ohio Approved Graded Feeder Cattle Sale October 22 Ohio Approved Graded Feeder Cattle Sale Angus/Angus Cross Gallipolis Old 35 W 740-446-9696 October 18 Ohio Approved Angus Influence Feeder Calf Sale October 29 Ohio Approved Angus Influence Feeder Calf Sale *These are Graded Sales Dan Fristoe, Sec./Treas. 937-587-2488 28 Livestock Ohio’s Country Journal • October 2003 Oats for Forage BY BOB HENDERSHOT, USDA NRCS, GRASSLAND CONSERVATIONIST Oats can be used for both hay and grazing and can be planted in both the spring and fall. Oats can provide a very palatable, high quantity and moderate quality forage. Planting oats in August into harvested wheat fields or unplanted acres can provide some excellent grazing into the winter months. Oats will keep on growing long after they would need to be cut for hay. Unlike cereal rye, wheat and triticale that go dormant in the fall, spring oats will keep on growing until they are killed by several hours of below 27 degrees. Oat forage is nutritious enough for sheep, dry dairy cows, beef cattle and horses. Typically they will contain 25% to 30% crude protein level from green up until jointing. The plants need to be at least 8 to 10 inches tall before grazing. The protein levels will drop to 14% to 16% as the plants start heading out. Hay yields at this stage will typically be 3 to 5 tons per acre. Turnips can be added to the seeding to provide more energy for acres that can be grazed. Spring planted oats for forage can be harvested and the field planted to a summer annual for another crop. Seeding rates should be 2 to 3 bushels per acre. The best oat forage production is going to occur when soil pH and fertility levels are adequate. A soil test can determine the current fertility levels. Oats can also use carry over fertilizer applied for a crop not planted or not totally used by an existing crop. Oats can use nutri- New Spreader Models Are Here! ! W E N Forage farming economics Experienced grazers realize each year is different, and sometimes there will be setbacks, said Daryl Clark, Noble County OSU Extension agent. The key is keeping capital costs down to maximize profitability. At the Ohio Extended Grazing Conference, Clark offered these keys to increasing grazing profitability: • Minimize land ownership and resulting land costs. Too often producers make good money grazing, but not enough to cover land costs. • Minimize equipment ownership, because machinery often doesn’t have enough useful work to do to offset its depreciation and capital cost. For example, most producers should buy their hay instead of producing it, because the fertility costs per ton to maintain a hay field alone are often equivalent to the cost of buying a ton of hay. • Increase stocking rate. A “full” pasture will nearly always increase profitability, and capacity grazing also controls weeds and brush. • Keep production costs low. It takes a lot more work to increase production 10% than it does to lower costs 10%. Lowering production costs will help make each unit sold more profitable. • Major investments should increase in value. A high percent of “for sale” livestock should be young and growing, and longevity of brood cows should be stretched. A brood cow requires at least two years to become productive and 2.5 to 3 years before she adds income to an enterprise, so once productive, she should remain as long as she produces a calf. • Stay on the cutting edge. Always think beyond the operation’s current status to take advantage of new profit opportunities. • Graze in synch with nature. Lactation of female breeding animals should coincide with spring and fall, when the highest quantity and quality of forage is available. ents from manure applications and stabilize them from being lost into the environment from leaching or runoff. Nitrogen will increase vegetative growth and encourage more plant tillering. The nitrogen rates should range from 30 to 50 pounds per acre. Phosphorus and potassium should be applied according to soil test levels before planting. Another option to increase forage production is interseeding small grains like oats into existing pastures. The best results from this practice occur in dry summers and falls when pasture growth is slow. This practice is quite successful in the southern United States. It works best in pastures with abundant warm season annual grasses like crabgrass and foxtail. Seeding oats into these types of pastures can provide an additional 60 to 90 days of highquality forage for grazing. Arcanum Southwest Automation Archbold (Pettisville) Eicher’s Repair Center, Inc. Ashland Ashland Implement, Inc. Mansfield Shearer Equipment 8100 Series ProTwin Slingers ® • • • • • • • ® Through-Hardened Universal Hammers Hydraulic Deflector Now Standard Redesigned Front Oil Bath Door New Hydraulic Slurry Lid (8118 & 8124) Heavier Sectional Flighting (8118 & 8124) Heavier Bottom Hoppers (8118 & 8124) . . . and much more! Contact your local Kuhn Knight Dealer for details. Brodhead, WI • Phone 608-897-2131 Greeley, CO • Phone 970-351-0444 World-Wide Leader in Innovative Manure Spreaders! 90 Ohio’s Country Journal • October 2003 www.kuhnknight.com Mechanicsburg Mechanicsburg Implement Co. Minster Prenger Implement Store, Inc. Republic Gary’s Equipment Spencerville Max McMichael Wooster Shearer Equipment Livestock 29 Dealing with poor quality hay achieved just by matching forage quality with nutritional needs of the cow. For March/April calving cows, the poorest quality hay should be fed first during the winter. After weaning, the cow’s requirements are the lowest. When grazing can no longer be accomplished, feed your poorest quality hay. During late January, February and March (before calving) energy requirements are on the rise. This is also when cold weather taxes the cow’s energy status. For example, a 1,300-pound cow requires 9.3 Mcals of NEm during the dry period after weaning (October into January), 11.5 Mcal during the last eight weeks before calving (late January and February), 16.8 Mcal during the first three months of lactation (until mid July) and 13 Mcal after breeding and during the last four months of lactation. Hay quality factors and the cow’s energy requirements should dictate what hay gets fed when. The best hay should be saved for late gestation and early lactation (before spring pasture turn-out). Sorting cows into groups based on their nutritional needs is another good way to save supplement costs. If half of my cows are in good condition, there is no point in wasting supplement on them just to meet energy needs of my thin cows. You can save supplement costs by pulling out thin cows and feeding them with your replacement heifers. Cows will usually start showing the effects of poor quality in late January and February. Keep a sharp eye on body condition score during these last eight weeks BY STEVEN LOERCH, OSU ANIMAL SCIENTIST The wet cool spring and summer has led to many questions regarding hay quality and the factors beef producers should consider when planning their cow wintering programs. The best article I found covering this topic was a fact sheet on our OSU Beef Team Web page: ohioline.osu.edu/as-fact/0001.html. Below I have listed some additional ideas that weren’t covered in the article by Steve Boyles and Clif Little. To me, there are two main reasons for forage testing. First, it allows you to predict deficiencies in energy and protein for a particular stage of cow production. Cows can’t eat as much poor quality forage and it is lower in net energy for maintenance (NEm). This is a double whammy. Hay that is more than 70% NDF will not meet energy needs the last eight weeks of gestation or during early lactation. This causes all kinds of production problems (loss of Body Condition Score, more dystocia, lower milk production, and delayed return to estrous and difficulty rebreeding). All of these are magnified in first and second calf heifers. Protein is probably not as big an issue for our forages, although some supplementation may be necessary during early lactation if you have good milking cows and hay is less than 10% protein. This brings me to the second reason for forage testing: to help in the decision of what hay to feed when. Perhaps this is the simplest and most effective step a producer can take. Great efficiency can be Muskingum Livestock Auction Co. 944 Malinda Street, Zanesville, OH Feeder Calf Sale Listing for 2003 Guernsey Noble Feeder Cattle Association State Graded Consignment Sale October 8 - 1 p.m. October 22 - 1 p.m. Classifying-inventorying your hay BY STEVE BOYLES, OSU EXTENSION BEEF SPECIALIST Last year we had drought conditions. Hay that was produced was pretty good in quality but lacked in quantity. This year we have a lot of hay but how much did you get put up before it got more mature than you wanted it? Therefore the challenge this year is not so much quantity but quality. The following forage analysis is from a predominately orchard grass hay field cut on June 24, 2003, in Fairfield County: Dry Matter: 83.72 Crude Protein: 8.47% Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF): 45.35% Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN): 56.39% Net Energy Gain (Neg): .333 Mcal/pound The first quick glance was at the Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF). ADF consists of cellulose, lignin and heat damage protein. It is closely linked to the indigestibility of a feed and is used to calculate things like Net Energy Gain (Neg). The lower the ADF, the more energy the feed contains and the more digestible it will be. It also determines the amount of the forage escaping breakdown in the ruminant digestive system. Excess ADF may be caused by forage being mature at harvest, forage too hot during fermentation or certain kinds of forages. The 45% here is a little high but it initially did not send off fireworks of alarm. The Net Energy System was developed as a way of determining how much of the energy in the diet is available for production. Energy fed to cattle is not used with 100% efficiency. For example, of the energy consumed in the daily diet of a cow, 40% can pass through the animal undigested in the manure. This would be reflected in the 56.39% number to total “digestible” nutrients or the energy that is not passed through the manure. The TDN value and the NEg numbers looked pretty good for early pregnancy. Now the crude protein number of 8.47% caused me to pause. This crude protein level would perhaps just meet the requirements of a cow in good body condition, during mild weather and in the middle third of gestation. This judgment will depend on which nutritional requirement tables you look at and the condition of your cows. This same hay may benefit from .25to .5-pound of a protein supplement during the last one-third of pregnancy. Nutritional requirements of a cow increase slightly during the last third of pregnancy due to fetal growth. Actual intake of hay can alter how much, if any, of a protein supplement would be required. Harsh weather could increase energy requirements. Now during lactation, the cow’s requirements change a lot more. With average milking cows, there might be enough energy in the hay but not enough protein. With higher than average milking cows or young cows, there does not appear to be enough energy or protein. In fact as much as 3.5 pounds of a 30% crude protein supplement may be required to meet the increased energy and protein requirements of lactation. Last year it was important to count how many bales you had. This year it is important to know how many bales of different quality you have so you can have a strategic winter hay feeding program. Feed the low quality hay first and save the good stuff. Don’t forget about extending the grazing season by using strip grazing (ohioline.osu.edu/b872/b872_5.html) to reduce the labor of hay feeding and to reduce winter feed cost. Coshocton • 22 • • SR 13 US US 22 • • • I-70 60 • I-70 SR Lancaster 60 Somerset SR 34 5 New Lexington St. Henry, Ohio • Phone 419-678-4198 FABRAL® Grandrib 3 STEEL ROOFING & SIDING Muskingum Livestock • Columbus SR 36 I-77 SR December 3 - 1 p.m. • SR 16 SR 13 Newark SR 16 • McConnelsville SR Cambridge I-77 November 19 - 1 p.m. 60 • Dennis Ruff, Feeder Calf Sale Manager, (740)452-9984 www.muskingumlivestock.com 30 Livestock One effective option producers rarely consider is hay chopping. Chopping hay allows the cows to eat 25% to 30% more energy. Costs of chopping hay (equipment, labor, etc.) should be compared to costs of purchasing supplemental energy. There are several options for producers who need to increase energy intake because hay quality is insufficient. Be creative and sharpen your pencils! October 31 - 7:30 p.m. November 5 - 1 p.m. December 17 - 11 a.m. before calving season. Management intervention to maintain cow body condition during this time is more effective and profitable than letting cows get thin and then trying to recover later. Five to 8 pounds of corn per day is a cost effective energy supplement during late gestation and early lactation (corn will likely be a much cheaper source of calories than purchasing good quality hay). Marietta 40'x64'x14' 48'x80'x14' 30'x40'x12' 1-16'x11' Slide Door 1-20'x14' Slide Door 1-20x126 Slide Door 1-30x66 Walk-in 1-24x140 Slide Door 1-30x66 Walk-in Rafters 4' O.C. 1-30x68 Walk-in Rafters 4' O.C. 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Because markets eventually may require producers to follow welfare guidelines, SWAP is intended to give producers the ability to show they are practicing science-based production practices. According to Kathy Chinn, a pork producer from Missouri who serves as chairman of the pork checkoff’s animal welfare committee, the program incorporates the latest scientific production principles into a program that is practical and user-friendly to any producer as it can be applied to any production system, regardless of size, type or location. Therefore, swine producers now have a tool to assist in measuring and tracking welfare on the farm to use that will help them produce pork humanely and efficiently. “The pork checkoff identified and addressed the importance of developing a producer-implementable program rather than being given one from groups not familiar with pork production,” said Anna Johnson, director of animal welfare for the National Pork Board. “It is also vital to the program’s credibility that it was designed in an objective, scientific manner. Thus, we tapped the knowledge of a diverse group of expert advisors and incorporated the latest research.” SWAP was developed by a panel that included international welfare experts, veterinarians and pork producers, and mirrors the Pork Quality Assurance Program in its use of nine care and well-being principles for pork production that provide guidelines for evaluating on-farm welfare in two phases — gilts, sows, boars and neonatal pigs, and nursery and finisher pigs — in the following areas: herd health and nutrition, caretaker trainer, animal observation, body condition score, euthanasia, handling and movement, facilities, emergency support, and continuing assessment and education. Certified SWAP educators (CSE) who have been trained and tested on evaluating animal welfare to assure they are familiar with the program and how it applies to pork producers will perform on-farm voluntary assessments. To locate a CSE, contact Steve Moeller ([email protected] or 614-688-3686) or Gary Bowman (614-292-9453 or [email protected]), swine specialists with OSU Extension; the Ohio Pork Producers Council (614-882-5887 or [email protected]); or the pork checkoff service center (800-456-PORK or www.porkboard.org). Caring for Dairy Animals is a self-audit and dairy management team discussion guide that will serve as the first step in becoming a verified on-site or quality assured dairy. The self-audit is designed to help dairy pro- Ohio’s Country Journal • October 2003 ducers ask the right questions of themselves and their herd health veterinarian, nutritionist or other dairy consultants (management team). Quality control points evaluated in the program include producer and employee attitudes, animal health care, environment, facilities, nutrition, milking procedures and equipment, transportation and handling of animals, birth and management of calves, sick, hospitalized, non-ambulatory and dead animals, and an annual review. APPLE CREEK Maysville Elevator, Inc. 330-695-4413 BLUFFTON McBee Grain 419-358-5931 BREMEN Rush Creek Feed & Supply Co. Inc. 740-569-4105 BUCYRUS West Side Feed Service, Inc. 419-562-6806 CEDARVILLE Kent’s Feed Barn 937-766-5570 DRESEN Dresden Feed & Supply, Inc. 740-754-2391 Upon completing the self-audit, participants will be asked to register their efforts with the DQA center. After that, the next step in DQA’s five-star dairy quality assurance program is to ask for verification by a third party, which will assure buyers, processors, retailers and consumers that the animals are receiving science-based animal care. For more information about the program, contact DQA at 800-553-2479, [email protected] or www.DQACenter.org. FARMERSVILLE Brubaker Grain & Chemical, Inc. 800-328-6564 HAMILTON Brubaker Grain & Chemical, Inc. 800-589-6640 HILLSBORO Master Feed Mill, Inc. 937-393-4424 MT. STERLING REITERMAN FEED & SUPPLY 740-869-3817 NOVA Nova Farmers Supply, Inc. 419-652-3200 PLAIN CITY ASE Feed & Supply, LLC 614-873-4621 Livestock 31 C O M F O R TA B L E • R E L I A B L E • E F F I C I E N T • C L E A N • V E R S AT I L E Gas Grill Hibernation — While many Americans continue to use their grills year-round, dropping temperatures sometimes mean the end of the barbecue season and time to store the grill for the cold winter months ahead. The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) and the Ohio Propane Gas Association (OPGA) offers these maintenance tips for winter-proofing your gas grill. Step One: Clean the briquettes and cooking grids. To clean the briquettes, flip them over so the greasy side faces the burner and place the cooking grids in the usual place. Light the grill, close the lid and set the flame on 'high' for 15 minutes. The heat will burn the grease off the briquettes and grids. When the barbecue grill cools, remove the grids and briquettes. Using a brassbristle brush and warm, soapy water, scrub the grids clean of any remaining grease, rinse and towel dry. Set the briquettes and grids aside. Step Two: Clean the burner and tubes. Greasy food drippings can clog the burner's gas ports and short out the igniter's flame. Begin by making sure the gas is turned off at the tank. Following the instructions in your owner's manual, unfasten the burner, slip the venturi tubes off the gas lines and remove the unit as a whole. Clean off any dirt or grease accumulation on the unit using the soft cloth and soapy water. Towel dry the unit and then clear out each gas port on the burner unit with a toothpick. Clean the venturi tubes with warm, soapy water and then set the entire assembly aside. Step Three: Clean the grill housing. To prevent grease buildup and check for corrosion, clean the inside and outside of the grill housing. Before you start, cover the gas orifices beneath the control panel with aluminum foil to keep water from causing corrosion. Scrub the inner and outer surfaces of the grill with a brass-bristle brush and soapy water. Rinse the grill thoroughly with a garden hose and towel dry, remembering to remove the aluminum foil. Reattach the burner, venturi tubes and igniter. Then put the briquettes and cooking grids back in place. Step Four: Check the fuel supply system. Although propane tanks will last as long as your grill, dented or seriously rusted tanks must be replaced immediately. Step Five: Determine the grill's storage location. For a stationary grill that will be left outside for the winter, the propane tank is kept connected in its customary position with a protective cover over the whole grill. If the grill is stored indoors, the tank must be disconnected and left outside in an upright position. 32 Livestock There are three types of connection devices currently in use: * A POL fitting, which uses rubber O-rings and requires a POL plug in the valve opening; * A quick connect (Type 1), which has large threads on the outside of the valve and a large plastic cou- Grill Storage Tips for Winter pling nut that screws onto the valve threads; * A quick disconnect (Type 2), which uses a spring-loaded sleeve on the valve. Covering the gas line openings on the grill with a plastic bag taped over the ends will keep insects out. Store the tank in a shady location away from dryer and furnace vents and away from children's play areas. Never store the tank in the garage, house, basement or any other enclosed space. For additional information on grill safety, contact NPGA at [email protected] and your local propane supplier. Propane Water Heaters Cost 30% Less To Operate Than Electric Ones. (Which makes switching to propane an easy way to repair a leaky budget.) For efficiency and value, nothing beats a propane water heater. W ant proof? Visit usepropane.com and try the Energy Savings Calculator.Then call your local propane dealer and stop getting soaked by the electric company. Ohio Propane Education & Research Council www.OhioPropaneGas.org (614)221-1900 ext.224 [email protected] Ohio’s Country Journal • October 2003 Update on corn silage harvesting practices BY BILL WEISS, OSU DAIRY SPECIALIST As corn silage harvest approaches, important decisions must be made regarding silage harvest. The quality of the silage made this fall will have an impact on the herd for the next 12 months. When to chop The decision to chop should be based on the dry matter (DM) concentration of the corn plants. Corn silage that is excessively wet can reduce intake when fed to dairy cows and can produce effluent (seepage) during storage. Silage that is too dry has poorer digestibility and can heat in the silo and feed bunk. The ideal DM concentration for corn silage is between 30% and 38% (bunkers should be at the low end of this range, bags in the mid portion of the range, and upright silos at the upper end of this range). Although kernel milk line is related with DM concentration of corn plants, milk line is not accurate enough to make harvesting decisions. Based on a study from Ohio, average DM concentration of corn plants was 35% at one-quarter milk line (milk line onefourth of the way down from the tip to the base of the kernel) and 39% at onehalf milk line stage. Planting time and hybrid affected the relationship between milk line stage and DM concentration. A sample of corn plants from the field should be chopped and analyzed for DM using either a microwave or Koster tester before filling the silo. Monitoring DM should begin at the full dent stage. Likewise, averaged across studies, milk production is not greatly increased by kernel processing, but some individual studies have reported large increases in milk production. Hybrid appears to be one factor affecting the response to kernel processing. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not know which hybrids are likely to respond to kernel processing. Inoculation Conventional corn silage inoculants provide specific lactic acid producing bacteria. Inoculated corn silage usually has a higher lactic acid concentration and lower fermentation losses than uninoculated corn silage. Milk production is seldom affected greatly by corn silage inoculation. On average, the use of lactic acid producing inoculants on corn silage probably has a slightly positive return on investment. A newer type of inoculant (Lactobacillus buchneri) promotes increased acetic acid concentrations in silage. Acetic acid is inhibitory to many yeasts and mold, and silage inoculated with L. buchneri is much more stable when exposed to air than untreated silage. This should reduce storage losses and prolong bunk-life of TMR containing inoculated silage. Driving Your Business Toward Financial Success One Stage At A Time Kernel processing Kernel processing allows corn silage to be chopped coarsely without decreasing digestibility of the kernel (i.e., starch). The goal of processing is to damage or break most (more than 90%) of the kernels. If more than a few whole kernels are found after chopping, the processing rolls were not set close enough. Most studies have reported increased starch digestibility by dairy cows when fed kernel-processed corn silage; however, digestibility of DM (an estimate of the energy value of the diet) is often not affected by kernel processing. Achieve your financial goals through leasing for building, equipment and vehicle purchases. You may be able to: • • • • Dairy CIDR approved An intravaginal device that should improve reproductive efficiency in dairy cows has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Darrel Kesler, University of Illinois professor of reproductive physiology in the Department of Animal Sciences. “This is extremely important news for dairy producers,” Kesler said. “The product is safe for both the cows and consumers of milk products.” Marketed by Pfizer Animal Health, the device known as the Eazi-Breed CIDR helps regulate estrus in lactating dairy cows. This allows producers to make better-informed breeding decisions, a major factor in dairy profitability. “The device releases natural progesterone that synchronizes estrus,” Kesler said. The product has previously been approved for use with beef cattle and dairy heifers. 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