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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1984-08-22, Page 17FARM THE HURON EXPOSITOR, AUGUST 22, 1984 A17 Alfalfa should be killed after 3 years BY PAT LYNCH, SOILS AND CROPS SPECIALIST A recent Ontario survey showed that Perth County held the questionable distinction of having the oldest alfalfa stands. The average, life of alfalfa 'stands in Perth County was shown to be 4.5 years. The provincial average is 3,9 years. The rest of this article will question the benefit of leaving alfalfa down this long, The most often given reason for leaving alfalfa stands for four or more years Is because of the cost of forage seed; You, the dairy and beef farmers, have often told me that alfalfa seed is expensive. You tell me that 12 lbs. of alfalfa seed per acre and some orass seed can give 'seeding costs of $40./acre. You reason that with this cost you must leave the stand down as long as possible. Let's look at those figures. If you leave the alfalfa stand for three years your seeding cost is about $13.33/acre per year. If you leave a stand down for four years the annual seeding cost is $10,/acre. By leaving the stand another year you save $3.33/acre on seed. This saving on seed is costing you because of lower feed value and less nitrogen returned to the soil, Both of these factors are associated with older alfalfa stands. Furthermore, if you only leave an alfalfa stand for two years, that will give an annual seeding cost off $20./acre. That is certainly less than your annual seeding cost for corn. NITROGEN VALUE PAYS FOR SEED COST As you know, nitrogen is returned to the soil with alfalfa. How much? The Ontario researchers have not been able to get a precise handle on the amount. However, Ontario research shows that when you plant corn after a good solid stand of alfalfa, you cannot get any more corn by applying nitrogen fertilizer. This means that if you normally apply 120 lbs. of actual nitrogen and that nitrogen is worth 30c/lb, then the nitrogen value of a good stand of alfalfa is $36,00/acre. This return alone would allow you to seed alfalfa every year. This nitrogen value is from a solid stand of alfalfa - the type of stand you normally have at the end of the second year. Most four-year-old stands won't return as much nitrogen as a two-year-old stand, OLDER STANDS ARE 'LOWER IN PROTEIN I do not know what the per cent protein figures are for different ages of alfalfa stands, I would guess that forage from a four-year-old stand would be at least one per cent lower in protein than forage from a three-year-old stand. Dr, Ted Rothmel tells me that every one per cent protein in an alfalfa field is worth $3.0./acre. (Every one per cent protein equals 22 lbs./tonne: If a field yields 3.5 tonnes per acre, that's 77 lbs. of protein/ acre per year. If proteinis worth 40c/lb., that means the 77 lbs. is worth $30.80/acre per year). That mens that with equal yields a field yielding forage of 16 per cent protein is worth $30./acre more to a dairyman than forage at 15 per cent protein. Often older stands are lower in protein because of weeds like twitchgrass. In fact, in Perth and Huron Counties, at least 50 per cent of the fields have some twiteti. Just When planning your crops think balance BY ART LAWSON TO BEAN OR NOT TO BEAN? Why am 1 thinking about beans when you're wondering about planting winter wheat, winter triticale or winter rapeseed? It's not that I'm slow, it's just I have trouble in thinking in terms of one crop without considering the whole situation. Af all, you manage a complex system. You have to make decisions and fit options together to develop a good functional system. SYSTEMS The dictionary suggests a system is a group of units combined to form a whole. These units function in' unison. You want crops or units that function in unison for your system. You have land, equipment. time and money to put to work in different possible combinations. You're looking for a profit. You also want to keep the land in shape to perform equally as well, or better, next year. You know the values of rotation. Every crop is better following something other than itself. Beyond rotation there are other pros and cons to consider in evaluating your options. CONSERVATION VALUE Crops can be rated as to their value in Give alfalfa fields a holiday BY BRIAN HALL Fall management of alfalfa is one area where what we do now over the next several weeks will affect next year's yield and persistance of alfalfa, It has been well established that alfalfa and all perennial forages must store reserve foods in their roots during the fall in order to survive the winter, This stored food acts like an antifreeze, making the root and crown resistant to low freezing temperatures. Stored food is also necessary for regrowth the following spring. So how do we build up root food reserves? To build up root reserves, we must give alfalfa a rest period during which we do not harvest it, to accumulate top growth and build food reserves. Following cutting of alfalfa, stored food in the roots is used for the first three weeks (uo to 12") to generate too growth. By five-sta weeks following cutting or at full bloom, the food reserves have been replenished. The rest period we must give alfalfa in the fall has been established for each area of the province. The rest period or critical harvest period, as it is called, in Huron is divided into two areas. South of Highway 8. and including the townships of Colborne and most of Ashfield, the rest period is from September 1st to October 10th. North of Highway 8, the rest period is from August 20th to October 1st. If we harvest during this period, we may not give the alfalfa plants enough time to regrow before a killing frost to build up root reserves. The result will be more winter kill and plants entering next spring in a weakened state. Research at Guelph showed Increase on producer egg prices dropped Prices paid to Canadian egg farmers for a dozen Grade A large will drop by one cent Monday, ending a six-month penny increase introduced by the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (CEMA) at the beginning of the year. CEMA increased producer prices last February to reimburse producers for the $1.9 million they lost during a two-month price freeze in 1983. Last September, the Agency's pricing formula was suspended by the federal cabinet when it appeared prices fueled by soaring feed costs would exceed the federal six and five program. But after reviewing its position, the cabinet decided it could not unilaterally impose the restraint guidelines on egg prices because of an 11 -year-old agreement with the provinces governing egg marketing in Canada. CEMA establishes the producer price for Grade A large eggs at the beginning of each month using a government -monitored for- mula that reflects on-farm costs. The Agency sets the farmgate price of eggs only. Prices actually paid by consumers are determined by wholesalers and retailers. OMAF 1983 farm financial summaries available BY DENNIS MARTIN Financial summaries are now available at our local agricultural office for cash crop. swine, beef, and dairy enterprises. These summaries are a useful toot that can help assess overall management and identify strengths and weaknelses in your operation. Information such as a breakdown of (arm 'ncome and expenses. production levels, feed costs, debt load, interest paid and equity in he farm business are just some of the important facts available from the Ontario farm management analysis project. Many farmers are making good use of farm business records and performance analysis such as financial summaries. If you would like to use these summaries for a comparison of your farm business feel free to contact our office. Many factors can affect profit. Financial summaries are just one more way to help evaluate the perform ance of your farm business. OPEN HOUSE Clan Hyland Seeds invites you to loin us for a tour of our HYBRID CORN WHITE BEAN & SOYBEAN PERFORMANCE TRIAL PLOTS TUESDAY, AUG. 28, 1984 2 p.m. -8 p.m. No. 4 Highway, 1/2 mile south of Hensall iL\ Refreshments will be served X13, Note: Rulndat., Aug. 29 ��pl ynd that cutting alfalfa during the critical harvest ' period reduced succeeding June yields by as much as 3100 lbs,/acre. Potash fertilizer is also known to play an important role in persistance of alfalfa through the winter, although it's relationship has not been as clearly established as that of the critical harvest period. Alfalfa is a heavy mineral feeder, with calcium, phosphorus and particularly potassium playing leading roles. A four -five ton alfalfa yield will remove 150-200 lbs. of potassium annually. Low potassium level in the soil is a major factor in the loss of alfalfa from a stand. Clay soils have much better potassium supplying power than loam or sandy soils. Adequate potassium levels are necessary to build up root food reserves. Forage stands should be soil sampled regularly to determine, fertilizer require- ments. For a field testing medium in potash. 70 kg/ha (65 lbs./acre) of potash would be required. If muriate of potash is to be used. 120 kg/ha (105 lbs./acre) would be needed. controlling erosion, organic matter and soil structure. For example, forages are great soil improvers. Hay controls erosion and im- proves organic matter and soil structure. Winter cereals or winter rapeseed rank next to forage. Winter soil cover is a big benefit as well as reducing compaction often associated with spring tillage., Adding a plowdown crop of red clover adds to the benefits from the winter crops. Spring cereals will be a little less benefit than the winter crops, The bare soil in winter and the early spring tillage can be problems on some soils. Spring cereals, particularly with a clover plowdown are still soil improvers. Corn can be either good or bad in terms of soil benefits -depending on the land and the production methods. The periods of bare soil, open rows and poor root distribution can be a real problem on erodeable soils. Compaction can be a problem on clay soils growing corn. Soybeans and white beans have the most limitations because of longer periods of no soil cover. Beans also return the least crop residue to the soil. The economic considerations of the crop have to be balanced against the capabilities and needs of the soil. It isn't just the immediate economic arithmetic of a particu- lar crop. TiMiNG CONSIDERATIONS If you ask most people what's their most limiting resource, they'll likely say. "Money!" I'd say, "Time!" You know that crop yields and quality are very dependent on timing of planting, spraying and harvesting. You can invest in bigger and bigger equipment to stay on time, but is it worth the cost? Can you do better by chosing options that distribute your time demands? a A number of good crop producers have told me they won't grow more corn than they can plant in about five working days or more white beans than they can harvest in about three or four days. They structure their cropping system to keep within critical time limits that they've identified.• What are the critical times on your crops? Do you have the capacity to perform the critical operations in the number of days that are usually available? BALANCING RISK In your business risk can be viewed in different ways. The risk of your business is in proportion to the amountof money you have borrowed. The risk of individual crops is usually related to potential production and marketing problems. The general rule of economics is that profitability is in proportion to risk. You don't make any money,if you take no risks. I'm not suggesting you borrow a lot of money and then take big chances with it. As the word 'risk' implies -you can lose, You're looking for a balance that suits your situation. The more your business is at risk (heavy debt commitments) the fewer risks you should take in cropping alternatives. You may need the profit, but not be able to afford the risk of some alternatives. If you're heavily committed, work with the crops you know best. Don't put more than five percent of your acreage in a "new" crop or one you're not accustomed to. Try new crops if they have benefits to your system, but increase acreages gradually. Find out what works for you. Mr. Shakespeare was right. To bean or not to bean - and if so, how much? That's a good question. think about your own fields. Fields that you are going to seed down and fields that are already seeded down, How much tvvitch- grass are in those fields? In an alfalfa field the longer that field is left to grow, the more the twitchgrass grows. In fact, most four-year-old fields will have some areas that are mainly twitchgrass. Again, if you shorten the life of an alfalfa stand, you can prevent twitchgrass from spreading in that field. DANDELIONSIN ALFALFA I am often asked, "How can I control dandelions in alfalfa?" There is a herbicide called Sencor that will control dandelions in alfalfa. This herbicide is applied in the fall when the alfalfa is dormant. Nect year it will reduce the amount of dandeli4)(is in your hay field. However, Harvey Wright, the Soils and Crops Specialist for Oxford County had an interesting study in alfalfa two or three years ago. His observations showed that dande- lions only became established in an alfalfa field after the alfalfa started to thin out. If this is the case, there is little merit in spraying to control dandelions in alfalfa. You will only end up. with a thin stand of alfalfa without dandelions. The alfalfa will not thicken up, • If your alfalfa field looks more yellow than green this spring, probably -the field is trying to tell you something. It is trying to tell you you should have ploughed it last fall. Atrazine residue and twitchgrass should not be dictating your crop rotation program. VALID REASONS FOR NOT KILLING ALFALFA Up to this point I've been giving you all the reasons why you should be leaving alfalfa grow for no more than three years, Perhaps sometimes only two years - including the year of establishment. The only ,good reason to leave alfalfa in a field for merethanthree years is if that field is exceptionally stoney. I picked stones when I was a kid and it was no picnic. However, if that's the main reason for leaving an alfalfa field not plowed, maybe you should look at renting a stone picker. The added return of the shorter rotation will pay for the stone picker. 1 recently drew up a rotation program for a farmer including a short alfalfa rotation corn and cereals. However, at one point he said, "Why should I go for a shorter alfalfa rotation? I already have too much feed." If you are in this situation maybe you can shorten your alfalfa rotation and get the alfalfa around to more fields. If you have limited fields on your farm, maybe you can let one of your neighbours grow alfalfa for you. One of your neighbours who does not have a use for alfalfa. in my travels l see many fields that could benefit from having alfalfa in the rotation. Order Your Seed Wheat By Quality.• By Name Certified Augusta Wheat - "Certified Houser Wheat" In Hyland Brand Bags These varieties by any other name or in any other bag are not the same You will not go wrong if you order these top yielding varieties from any Thompson Branch or Hyland seed dealer. For top yields, Germination, Purity...Sow Certified Seed Custom fertilizer spreading Soil analysis fertilizer recommendations from a qualified staff d Ailsa rai. Hensall 262-2527 Mitchell 348-8433 Granton 225-2360 Port Albert 529-7901 0