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The Citizen, 1996-09-25, Page 18Storc•••• PaRnaPaman The movement for active. healthy hying at A Look at Agriculture Is your corn ready for silage? Ralph deVries, Crop Consultant with Howson & Howson Ltd. Over the past week several corn silage producers have been asking me if their corn is ready to make silage and if their grain corn is going to make it to full maturity. First, the most accurate way to determine if your corn is ready for silage is to check its maturity. You need to get a cob of corn to see what stage the grain is at for maturity. Break the cob of corn in half to determine where the milk line is; if your corn is not fully dented the milk line will not be obvious at this stage. If your corn is fully dented there will be a line that forms between the top which will be firm and the bottom half of the kernel which is attached to the cob and is milky if pushed by your thumbnail. Ideally it is best to make corn silage when the milk line is half way to three quarters of the way down the kernel. This past week I have checked several fields and most have approached half milk line. Some longer day varieties, however, have some development to do before they are ready for silage. Also some early corn varieties are past three quarter milk line. Harvesting corn for silage at this stage will result in silage that is about 65 per cent moisture depending on the variety. This is ideal for making silage. Varieties with longer staygreen may be a few percentage points wetter, but will be more digestible than dried stalks. When the plant reaches three- quarter milk line, the corn plant does not rake up any more nutrients, but converts sugars that are already in the stalk to starches in the corn kernel. Extending your harvesting past the three-quarter milk line only reduces the digestibility of the feed being made. However, maximum yield for the variety has been obtained. Usually corn silage is chopped three-eighths to half-inch long. Chopping too long makes the packing difficult and too much oxygen is available while filling. If delays in filling occur, the silage will start to heat on the surface. You do not want heating to occur as this causes feed losses or spoilage; the silage needs to go through a fermentation process without oxygen, therefore quick silo filling is necessary. Second, grain corn that is 50 per cent milk line has achieved most of its yield potential. If we receive a frost in the next two weeks there will be lighter test weight corn and the corn will dry down slowly. Normally grain corn that is 50 per cent milk line needs approxi- mately 10 - 14 days to fully mature. Some longer day varieties may be a concern because they arc less mature. I believe most of the corn will reach full maturity this year. We are well past the conditions of 1992 when we had very wet corn. Firewood Hard Maple or Ash SLABWOOD Limited Time Offer - Call now - $130./17 cu. yd. Truck Load Delivered within 20 miles Mileage charge Beyond That Large Quantity Discounts When You Haul!!! Craig Hardwoods Ltd. Auburn, Ont. 519-526-7220 NATURAL GAS HIGH- EFFICIENCY FURNACES Switch to natural gas by October 5, 96 and save your money with no payments `til April '97 and cut your heating bills by up to 64%*! cliff's 8& Heating 528-3913 or 1-800-449-CLIF 410:,:pgr MEUSE 1=1 UNION GAS APPLIANCE DEALER oRGANizATIoN PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1996 Brussels Livestock report Halliday Limousins earn Grand Champion title The sales at Brussels Livestock for the week ending Sept. 20 were: fed cattle, 1,068; cows, 273; veal calves, 414; lambs, and goats, 138; stockers, 2,012 and pigs, light run. Fed steers and heifers sold at prices $1 - $2 higher. The cows sold $2 - $3 lower. Veal sold steady with lambs selling on a %strong Near the top Charlene Townsend of RR4, Seaforth was runner-up at the IPM Queen of the Furrow contest. Charlene did win Miss Congeniality. Huron County was well represented at the 1996 International Plowing Match near Selkirk. Charlene Townsend of RR 4, Seaforth, represented Huron in the Queen of the Furrow contest and was declared as first runner up to the Queen. Charlene was selected by the other girls in the contest as Miss Friendship. Eight plow contestants took part with Paul Dodds being declared champion of his class. Jonathan Hugill also of Seaforth and Paul Pentland of Dungannon plowed in Class 2, group 3. Tim Devereaux and Jason Hugill of Seaforth, plus Pat O'Rourke and Darcy Flannigan of Dublin plowed well in class 2 group 1. active trade. On Friday the calves sold $2 - $3 lower with yearlings trading steady. On Monday, Sept. 16 we held our Sixth Annual Show & Sale. There were 363 steers on offer and 35 heifers. The following is a partial listing of the results: Grand Champion: - Russell Halliday, Chesley. Eleven Limousin steers averaging 1,272 lbs. sold for $105.75 to St. Helen's Meat Packers, sponsored by Hartford Insurance. Reserve Grand Champion: Jack Culbert, Dungannon. Five Charolais steers averaging 1,302 lbs. sold for $108.25 to Dominion Meat Packers, sponsored by CIBC, Brussels. Reserve Champion Carlot: James McCarthy, Granton. Fifteen Charolais steers averaging 1,308 lbs. fed by Larry Rundle, Woodham, sold for $97.50 to Holly Park Meat Packers, sponsored by Brussels Agri Services. Reserve Champion Pen of 5: Bill Haines, Wingham. Five Angus heifers averaging 1,124 lbs. sold for $98 to Dorr Bras. Ltd., sponsored by Masterfeeds. Blonde d' Aquitaine: Kada Farms, Bluevale. Five Blonde steers averaging 1,292 lbs. sold for $97.25 to Clark Bros. Can. Livestock Inc., sponsored by Blonde d' Aquitaine Assoc. Angus: Russel Halliday, Chesley. Twelve Angus steers averaging 1,327 lbs. sold for $94.50 to St. Helen's Meat Packers, sponsored by Bluewater Angus Assoc. Simmental: Bill Robinson, Auburn. Five Simmental steers averaging 1,362 lbs. sold for $94.50 to MGI Packers, sponsored by Dauphin Feed & Supply. Hereford: Kenruth Farms Ltd., Lucknow. Ten Hereford steers averaging 1,248 lbs. sold for $92 to Howatt Bros. sponsored by J.R. Coultes. Limousin: Russel Halliday, Chesley, sponsored by Ontario Limousin Assoc. Charolais: Jack Culbert, Dungannon, sponsored by Ontario Charolais Assoc. There were 273 cows on offer selling from $33 to $54 to the high of $60. One Holstein cow consigned by Hank Van Donkersgoed, Gorrie, weighing 1,300 lbs. sold for $60. Three cows consigned by Wilhelm Muller, Feversham, averaging 1,309 lbs. sold for an average of $47.46 with sales to $59. Three cows consigned by Lloyd Whytock,_ Lucknow, averaging 1,060 lbs. sold for an average of $43.79 with sales to $57. There were 21 bulls on offer selling from $48.50 to $57 to the high of $62. One Limousin bull consigned by Robt. Wepplei, Ayton, weighing 2,170 lbs. sold for $62. Two Hereford bulls consigned by Jack Coutes, Centralia, averaging 1,280 lbs. sold for an average of $55.53 with sales to $60. There were 414 veal on offer selling: Plain & Heavy Holstein, $75 to $90; Holstein, $90 to $110; Beef, $100 to $133. Seventeen veal consigned by Eric Scheurwater, Paisley, averaging 629 lbs. sold for an average of $110.08 with sales to $133. Two veal consigned by Vesta Creek Farms, Chesley, averaging 748 lbs. sold for an average of $111.77 with sales to $127.50. Ten veal consigned by Allan McKinnon, Shallow Lake, averaging 605 lbs. sold for an average of $113.81 with sales to $127. Lambs, under 50 lbs., sold $65 to $140; 50 to 80 lbs., $126 to $165; and 80 to 95 lbs., $110 to $141. Sheep sold $35 to $50. Goats sold $40 to $130. Stockers: steers, under 400 lbs., sold $62 to $98; 400 - 499 lbs., $74 to $105.50; 500 - 599 lbs., $65.50 to $106; 600 - 699 lbs., $60.50 to $93.50; 700 - 799 lbs., $62 to $98; 800 - 899 lbs., $80 to $102.50; 900 - 1,000 lbs., $72.75 to $105.50. - Heifers, 300 - 399 lbs., sold $59 to $117; 400 - 499 lbs., $63 to $100; 500 - 599 lbs., $62 to $92; 600 - 699 lbs., $68.50 to $89; 700 - 799 lbs., $66 to $89.75; 800 - 899 lbs., $75.75 to $89 and 900 lbs. and over, $61 to $81.75. arm Townsend, 2nd at IPM BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd. UPCOMING SALES TUESDAYS 9 a.m. Finished Cattle & Cows THURSDAYS 10:00 a.m. Dropped Calves Veals followed by Goats Sheep & Lambs FRIDAYS 10:00 a.m. Stocker Cattle 1:00 p.m. Pigs BRUSSELS 887-6461 *64% REPRESENTS ENERGY SAVINGS WHEN COMPARING ELECTRIC BASEBOARD OR FORCED AIR FURNACE WITH A HIGH-EFFICIENCY NATURAL GAS FURNACE, ANY APPLICABLE TAXES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE CALCULATIONS. "DEFERRED PAYMENTS AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS ON APPROVED CREDIT THROUGH UNION GAS AND MEMBER UNION GAS HEATING DEALERS, ALL OTHER OFFERS NOT APPLICABLE OFFER VALID AUGUST 12. 1996 TO OCTOBER 5, ALL THERE ARE NO SET-UP FEES OR EARLY PAYMENT PENALTIES FOR FINANCING.