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The Rural Voice, 1978-03, Page 25Advice on Farming Corn and alfalfa rotation beneficial Improve your soil and your crop, save money, and conserve energy all at the same time. It may sound incredible, but according to Dr. R.J. McLaughlin, Ontario Agricultural College crop scientist, it can be accomplished through planned rotation of two important crops -corn and alfalfa. It takes 20 gallons of gasoline to manufacture 100 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer. A full vigorous stand of alfalfa can supply 100-300 pounds per acre of nitrogen for the next year's corn crop. Researchers studied first-year corn grown without additional nitrogen in a field used for grass -legume pasture the previous year. Tests showed yields equal to continuous corn fertilized with 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre. A good plow -down alfalfa crop is reflected in improved soil tilth and crop performance for three or four years. Of course, these benefits are in addition to the hay or haylage that was harvested. As energy costs increase, nitrogen fertilizer will become more expensive. Although alfalfa seed has also increased in price, Dr. McLaughlin says it will still pay to rotate alfalfa every three to four years, plowing it down when there is still 60-65 percent legume. Thin stands are poor producers of protein. If farmers are going to get that protein from alfalfa, they must maintain a full stand. "If you treat your alfalfa to the proper care at fertilization and harvest times, it will save you money and make you money. Right now is a good time to start planning crop rotation." Reducing energy waste can mean more dollars Reducing energy waste on the farm can save producers money without affecting production, says Grant Webber, agricul- tural energy conservation supervisor for Ontario Hydro. Mr. Webber suggests the following steps to help producers cut down their hydro bills. Check insulation in ceilings and attics. Use insulations with a minimum resistance to heat transfer -of R28 for ceilings. Insulation in the walls of farm buildings and residences should be a minimum of R12. Check ventilation systems in animal housing buildings. The ventilation system should be tied in with the heating system. Make sure you are not pumping purchased heat outdoors. Light only necessary areas. Keep light bulbs clean. A clean 60 -watt bulb is more effective than a dirty 100 -watt bulb. Install dimmer light controls where practical, or install timer devices to switch lights off and on automatically. Localize heat and Tight. Don't heat or light a whole area when part will do. Put up a curtain to keep heat and light in one section of the building. Reduce heat in farm buildings to the requirements of the animals or birds. Many farmers are overheating buildings for personal comfort. For dairy cattle, temperatures of 7°C or 45°F are sufficient. Use the proper wiring. Ten percent of the production of an electrical device can be lost through too small wiring. Check the accuracy and location of thermostats. Make sure the thermostat is located where it will not be unduly affected by a nearby animal. Use a thermometer to check the accuracy of the thermostat. Make sure taps are not dripping hot water. One drip of hot water per second can mean 175 gallons of water are wasted each month. Although some of these energy saving ideas may mean spending money now. they will result in substantial savings in the near future and greater savings in the years to come. Alfalfa as a big money crop Accept that alfalfa is a big money crop and you will,begin to treat it like one, says Dr. R.J. McLaughlin of the Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph. Too many farmers take their hay crop for granted. A stand of alfalfa, for example, can make money. If you plow it down every three or four years, it will make much more money. Dr. McLaughlin estimates that misman- agement reduces the total yield potential of all the forage acreage in Ontario by at least half. Part of the reason may be that the hay crop has been around for a long time. Corn and soybean crops, on the other hand, get maximum attention because the farmer has learned their management and production techniques comparatively recently. But alfalfa is equally deserving of proper attention. "In yield, protein, net energy, accep- tance by livestock, and return on investment, alfalfa is superior to any other perennial forage. Corn silage and alfalfa complement each other to provide an excellent protein -energy balance." Direct -seeding alfalfa has been recom- mended for at least 10 years, yet . few farmers follow this advice. They say they need companion crops for straw. Dr. McLaughlin advises farmers to buy the grain and straw and save money. Companion crops are heavy competitors for light, moisture, and nutrients, weakening the alfalfa stand before it is established. For better, heavier crops, seed should be drilled rather than broadcast..Harvesting should be at late bud or early bloom. Fall fertilizing is important. "No matter how healthy it may look, alfalfa needs phosphorous to stimulate root growth and pottassium to act as an anti -freeze. But it must be applied before the critical fall harvest period. Late fertilizer applications are just money wasted." Soil erosion can be prevented The recent swing to row crops on land where hay and pasture have been rotated with cereal crops has presented soil erosion problems to many farmers, says land resource scientist J.W. Ketcheson of the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. Some fields now used for corn are unsuitable because they are hilly and have erodible soil. Farmers should be prepared to leave certain rolling areas in hay and pasture, or rotate them with sod crops, unless erosion can be controlled. Enlarging fields by removing hedgerows and fences creates a problem if the expansion is up or down a slope. A larger field with a longer slope means increased runoff. Strip cropping, with rows running as close to the contour as possible, will help to reduce runoff. It is important to remember that soils have varying tillage needs. The more level, fine -textured soils respond best to the moldboard plow, which has a unique pulverizing action. Avoid excess depth and speed, and excess amount of tillage before planting because plowing too deep expos unproductive subsoil and excess spe' 1 destroys soil structure. Energy is wasted in both instances. If a soil in continuous corn becomes increasingly difficult to work, it is unlikely a different tillage method will correct the problem. Professor Ketcheson says the soil structure can be improved by rotation with a grass -legume crop, a substantial portion being plowed down, followed by more conservative tillage practices. On sloping land, the most effective erosion control is crop residue on the surface. The no -till system is ideal for this, though lack of tillage does reduce yield on medium and fine textured soils. With medium and coarse textured soils, where spring plowing is satisfactory, defer plowing until spring. THE RURAL VOICE/MARCH 1978, PG. 25.