AFGC embraces the science
Lynn Jaynes for Progressive Forage Grower
“Embrace the science” resonated
throughout the 2014 American Forage
and Grassland Council (AFGC) annual
conference in Memphis, Tennessee,
as an unstated but apt theme. AFGC
directors, agronomists, producers
and university extension staff assisted
257 attendees in understanding and
applying research results and exploring
management practices to optimize
production.
Presentations provided userfriendly information of successes and
challenges appropriate to farmers with
as few as 10 acres and a few animals to
large land-base farmers with thousands
of animals. That’s the AFGC’s strength
– its diversity.
The kickoff session included forage
improvement (Dr. Garry Lacefield),
establishing for stand (Dr. Marvin
Hall), producing for yield (Dr. Scott
Flynn) and harvesting for quality
(Lacefield and Undersander), as well
as a producer panel featuring Clayton
Geralds (Kentucky – commercial hay),
Robert Shewmaker (Virginia – beef),
Terri Hawbaker (Michigan – dairy) and
Mark Kennedy (Missouri – goats and
sheep).
Clayton Geralds of Kentucky
stated there were five elements
necessary for his success: customers,
record-keeping, equipment, technology
and family. Geralds produces alfalfa
hay, grass hay and mixed stands for
the commercial horse markets, using
small square bales and producing
106,000 bales in 2013, which he said
“makes some people break out in
hives.” He stated simply, “Customers
are everything.”
Geralds said record-keeping is
essential to production and marketing,
and he keeps a lot of them. From 23
fields, he records dates, products,
application and planting rates, harvest
and even weather events affecting
harvests – tracking all data much like a
cattleman would for each cow.
Geralds also is a proponent of
technology and offered self-guidance
systems, variable rate sprayers and
Roundup Ready alfalfa as examples.
And bringing it all together, Geralds
said, “It’s impossible to put up
top-quality hay without top-quality
people.” He credits his family and their
dedication to the bottom line of his
success.
Robert Shoemaker has a cowcalf grazing operation in Virginia,
and as a participant in the grazing
panel, recommended investing in
CUTTING
good fencing and
watering systems.
Since grazing cattle
are the harvesting
equipment, a sound
infrastructure is
crucial to success, he
said. His principles of
grazing management
include early turnout, creep grazing,
summer stockpiling and winter
stockpiling. He stated that a producer
can’t just wake up one day, decide to
buy seed, and plant on day two; instead,
it takes planning to achieve the right
system.
Although his operation
predominantly grazes, Shoemaker
buys hay to strategically feed where the
pastures need fertilization. Shoemaker
recommended understanding and
appreciating the benefits of soil health,
which can be improved through
rotational grazing over time. He also
recommended buying a good sprayer
but not substituting chemistry for rate,
timing and placement.
Terri Hawbaker and her family
having a grazing dairy operation
in Michigan. As a producer panel
participant, Hawbaker recommended
five key practices for profit: managed
grazing, good fertilization practices,
weed and pest control, properly
harvesting supplemental forage and
“getting out of the box.” Her managed
grazing practices include planned
rotations, use of native grass and
seeded legumes, and optimizing
stocking rates.
To assist with adequate
fertilization, Hawbaker uses soil
sampling to determine application
rates of lime and nitrogen. Weed
and pest control on the farm is
accomplished with field scouting.
Hawbaker stated that they clip the
pastures once per year after the cows
graze, after which the cows can keep
up. For stockpiling, forages are cut at
the bud stage and wrapped as quickly
as possible to optimize moisture.
Finally, Hawbaker proposed
“getting out of the box” as far as trying
new ideas, new varieties, new practices
and staying up to date by attending
DGE
United at the forefront of hay and forage production, Kongskilde offers the full
line of JF mowers, tedders, rakes and forage harvesters to deliver a triple crown
RILQQRYDWLRQGHVLJQDQGH[SHUWLVHIURP´HOGWRVWDEOH7KHVHFXWWLQJHGJH
machines seamlessly adjust to conditions, with exceptional ground contour
adaptabilityXQGHUHYHQWKHWRXJKHVWHQYLURQPHQWV
02:(56
Mowers – drum, disc, trailed and frontmounted mowers including the industry’s
widest at 40’, all with our proprietary Contour Float technology for uniform cut,
FOHDQVWXEEOHDQGHYHQµRZ
Tedders & Rakes¨GHVLJQHGZLWKUHYROXWLRQDU\IHDWXUHVOLNHDPXOWLOLQNIUDPH
DQGPRYDEOHMRLQWV
Forage Harvesters – engineered with quick rotating choppers to fully crush crops
and evenly smear the sap, optimizing silage quality to boost milk production
7KLVLVWKHQH[WOHYHORIKD\DQGIRUDJHSURGXFWLRQ([SHULHQFHWKHSRZHURI-)
UHGRQJUHHQ´HOGV
Call toll-free at 866-214-5664
or visit www.kongskilde.com
7(''(565$.(6
A member of the Kongskilde Group
)25$*(+$59(67(56
16
Progressive Forage Grower
Issue 3 • March 1, 2014
educational
meetings and networking with
other producers.
Mark Kennedy, a retired NRCS
adviser and current producer,
recommended management-intensive
grazing, choosing the right animals for
the resources available, improving soil
fertility and health, creating a diverse
forage system and stockpiling.
A key component of Kennedy’s
presentation was matching the right
animal to the pasture, noting that
sheep are more selective than cattle,
and goats are browsers. Animals
should be chosen depending on what
native forages are produced.
Kennedy recommended
maintaining legumes to increase gain
and weaning weights, and reduce
the need for fertilizer. He also uses
stockpiling and strip grazing with a
two-strand polywire and maintained
that this system reduces equipment
cost, reduces time and labor, and
produces high-quality
forage. In defense of the reduced labor
element, Kennedy stated he could move
polywire faster than starting a tractor,
fetching and feeding a hay bale.
An essay contest, forage bowl,
photo contest, forage spokesperson
contest and trade show rounded out
the slate of events. At the closing
banquet, Henrietta Baylor accepted a
special tribute to her husband, the late
John Baylor – the “ultimate forager,
true pioneer, leader and legend.”
Baylor, who died May 8, 2013, was an
AFGC founder and its first president.
Presenter Garry Lacefield stated, “We’ll
never say goodbye to John Baylor
because his legacy will live on.”
Visit www.progressiveforage.
com/progressiveevents for a complete
listing of contest winners, awards and
slideshow. Proceedings for members
are available at AFGC.org website. FG
FAR LEFT: First place team in the Forage Bowl
competition from University of Kentucky included
Veronica Bill, Elizabeth Langlois, Cecilia Purtee
and Meredith Tapp. MIDDLE: Dr. Chris Teutsch
from Virginia Tech is presented a Merit Award by
colleague Carl Stafford. RIGHT: Seasoned and firsttime attendees learn from industry professionals in
several themed presentations. BACKGROUND: As
part of a producer panel, Robert Shoemaker explains
the principles of success for his cow-calf grazing
operation in Virginia. Photos by Lynn Jaynes.
YOUR SILAGE DESERVES A
HIGHER LEVEL OF PROTECTION
You don’t see it, but there is a battle going on in your
silage. Yeasts, molds and other spoilage microbes are
in danger of winning by wasting feed and producing
toxins. Biotal ® forage inoculants deliver a higher level
of protection to ensure the forage you put in is the silage
you get out. With an army of specific, scientifically
selected bacteria strains, Biotal forage inoculants
have been proven in more trials and on more farms
to consistently preserve feedstuffs and help optimize
production. It’s time to bring in the reinforcements.
Talk to your Lallemand Animal Nutrition representative to take command of your silage with Biotal forage inoculants.
LALLEMAND ANIMAL NUTRITION
Tel: 414 464 6440 Email: [email protected]
www.lallemandanimalnutrition.com
©2014. Biotal is a registered trademark of Lallemand Animal Nutrition.
Not all products are available in all markets nor are all claims allowed in all regions.
March 1, 2014 • Issue 3
www.progressiveforage.com
17
© Copyright 2024 ExpyDoc
