Miner Institute Farm Report July/August 2009

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK—HORN OF PLENTY

This month I am not writing the ty= pical article focused on some technical aspect of cattle
management or nutrition. Instead I am taking time to “blow our own horn” and let you all know some of the recent accomplishments of Miner Institute and its staff. We seldom dwell on our success= es, which is actually good – our staff is more intensely focused on actions rather than words. But as president I just cannot resist
informing Farm Report readers of several
tremendous successes that Miner Institute staff have accomplished the past few months.

I’ll begin with t= he news that Dr. Heather Dann, who most of you know is a research scientist at Miner and a regular contributor to the Farm Report, was selected as the outstanding young scientist by the northeastern sections of the American Da= iry Science Association and the American Society of Animal Science. The award recognizes Heather’s extraordinary
contributions to the field of dry cow nutrition and management already with= in her young career. Additionally, she was elected the
secretary-treasurer of the two societies which is a three-year commitment in which Heather will become vice-president and president in subsequent years. While this is a tremendous personal achievement, it also reflects well on t= he activities of the entire research staff as well as the dairy staff and othe= rs who enable us to conduct relevant, high-quality research.=

We just hired Dr. Eric = Young as our new
agronomist who had been a postdoctoral
researcher and lecturer at the University of
Vermont. Eric grew u= p on a dairy farm in central New= York State, is a certifi= ed nutrient management planner, and has extensive research and teaching experi= ence in nutrient management, soil fertility, and crop management. The agronomist= is a key position for us and we are fortunate to have hired someone of Eric’s caliber.

One of the first activi= ties that Eric jumped (or was pushed) right into was taking charge of the
Institute’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) CAFO inspection. He did fine, as did our farm facilities. In fact, we have been = in the midst of updating our feed and manure
storage facilities so that very soon we will be able to effectively conduct demonstrational programs in this area. With Eric’s arrival we anticip= ate a renewed focus on our agricultural and
environmental programs to complement the crops, dairy management, and equine programs.

Our Open House was a ch= ance to let the entire Institute staff and our programs shine. Last month we held an Institute-wide Open House that
showcased our research, education, and outreach programs in crops, dairy, equine, and
environmental science.

The catalyst for the Open House wa= s an agri-tourism grant obtained by our librarian, Amy Bed= ard, that allowed us to build a new Heart’s Delight Theatre featuring a vi= deo entitled “Miner Institute: 100 Years and Growing.” Over 650 peo= ple attended and were able to experience our Heritage Exhibits, our state-of-th= e-art dairy dry-cow barn and research facility, as well as Morgan Horse demonstrations. This single day was a particular success, but more importan= tly it signals a move by the Institute to become more engaged in educating the non-farming public (that would be 99% of us) about issues that cross-cut agriculture and contemporary society.

&n= bsp; = ;

These highlighted successes are on= ly a sampling of what has been accomplished recently by Institute staff. Every success is a team effort and we are fortunate to have devoted and
talented staff in every department at Miner Institute.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — Rick Grant, grant@whminer.com

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp;

MINER INSTITUTE OPEN HOUSE= A GREAT SUCCESS!

As Open House= czar I didn’t deliver my promised
sunshine for our June 27^th Open House, but rainy skies didn̵= 7;t stop visitors from coming out to Miner Institute. Over 650 hardy folks from= New York, Vermont= , Quebec and beyon= d turned out to tour the Heart’s Delight Farm Heritage Exhibit, explore the ba= rns, see presentations in our dairy barns and watch the Institute’s Morgan horses in action. Visitors also lined up to view “Miner Institute: 10= 0 Years and Growing”. T= he newest video at the Heart’s
Delight Farm Heritage Exhibit is a Paul Frederick
Productions chronicling the evolution of agricultural
practices in Northern New York during th= e last century, with footage from Heart’s Delight Farm and Miner Institute.<= span style=3D'letter-spacing:.25pt'>

The Open House and video were spon= sored in part by an
agri-tourism grant from the New York State Depa= rtment of Agriculture & Markets. Our goal was to offer visitors a
historical background on Northern New York agriculture with the video but also provide a fun and informative day while learning about Miner Institute and a chance to see a working farm. Months of preparation and hard work by Miner Institute staff ensured that the day went off without a hitch, but the kind and courteous crowd made the day particul= arly fun for us. We hope to see you at the next Open House!

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — Amy Bedard, bedard@whminer.com

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = <= /p>

NOWHERE TO HIDE

One of the more troubling business= calls I ever received was from the wife of a North Country organic dairy farmer. She was looking for a source of cheap, high quality organic hay, a commodity that does not, has not, and probably never will ex= ist. They hadn't been running an organic dairy for long, so this realization was just dawning on them. "Oh, we just love organic dairying,"= she said, "but we're starving to death." And no wonder, with daily mi= lk production of 30 lbs per cow (with Jerseys, but still...) and a heavy rate of grain feeding because of the poor hay they were feeding. They had little cropland, so had to buy almost all their fora= ge. Their best alternative may have been to sell the cows and find jobs in town, but that's not the kind of advice she was asking for and I'm an agronomist,= not a social worker. Seldom have I been of less help, and that's what troubled = me. And it still does.

This isn't the first time I've sai= d this, but some time ago in this newsletter I cautioned against what was being promoted by Vermont government officials as a "transition to organic&q= uot; dairying (their term, not mine). With the rapid changes
occurring in the organic milk business I didn't think it was a good idea to make the significant commitment necessary to market organic milk. That's old news, but recently the popular press, from the Boston Globe to The New York Times, has been running feature stories on the plight of the organic dairy farmer. Organic feed costs have risen and the demand for =
organic milk is down: USDA recently reported that demand for organic milk declined by 15%. Part of this is consumer angst due to the economic downtur= n, but at some level there's a saturation point for organic milk, especially at current retail prices. Cost of production is exceeding the farm milk price = by several dollars or more per hundredweight on both organic and non-organic d= airy farms.

Then there's = the increasing availability of non-rBst milk, which= could further reduce demand for organic milk. According to a recent study, some consumers have been buying organic milk because it's
supposedly "hormone free", not because it's produced by cows eati= ng organic feed. With the increased amount of non-rBst milk on
supermarket shelves, some consumers will buy this milk (often at the same p= rice as "regular") instead of high-priced organic milk.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — E.T.

TIME TO EVALUATE
ALFALFA-GRASS STANDS

Midsummer is a good time to evalua= te alfalfa and alfalfa-grass fields and decide which ones need to be rotated (usually to corn) next spring. Early in the season the grass in mixed stands can make the a= lfalfa appear better than it is, and if you wait until fall the large leaflets on fall-grown alfalfa may
disguise what's really a sparse stand. By now grass growth has usually slow= ed down--in the case of timothy, quite
possibly stopped entirely--and you can get a better idea of the number and uniformity of alfalfa plants in a field.

Uniformity of stand is often more important than the number of plants per square foot, since alfalfa responds= to reduced plant population by producing more stems per plant. A more reliable predictor of yield is stems per square foot. However, for farmers who have drive-over scales the best way to
evaluate forage stands is to measure yield. Measuring s= econd and third cut yields on older alfalfa-grass fields is often a
humbling experience, but knowledge is power.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — E.T.

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM

If you live in the Northeast, you could sum up the summer thus far with two phrases: Rain and autumn-like temperatures! Despite the strange weather, we have finished first cutting and are onto second cutting. The “girls” have been doing well, continuin= g to produce in the mid to high 90s. They have not experienced too much heat stress, although it has been humid with all the rainy weather. The rain has made it difficult to manage forage dry matter, but our feeder does a good j= ob of compensating (as much as possible) for the increased moisture in the corn and haylage. We began feeding our ’0= 8 pile of corn silage several weeks ago and just started feeding the ’09 fir= st cutting of haylage. We let it ferment as l= ong as possible, but as we were running tight on haylage this year, we had to open it.

In between harvesting our grass and alfalfa fields, we have had a chance to= get caught up on some hoof-trimming. We now have three people on the farm that = can trim hooves, making it easier to schedule someone for an afternoon of trimm= ing. Our goal is to have cows trimmed at least every 180 days. Some animals, how= ever need maintenance trim weeks before others need to go on the hoof table; eve= ry cow is different. And while a 180-day trim schedule seems to work pret= ty well for our farm, other farms might need to trim sooner or later depending= on the flooring in the barn, access to pasture, nutrition, and hoof anatomy am= ong other things.

=
Our four summer students are settled into their farm management internships. We have enjoyed working with new people who are excited a= bout the dairy industry and eager to learn. They have been a great help in= the barn and out in the field and have been pushed outside of their comfort zon= es as they learn new skills – giving shots and IVs, delivering calves, driving a skidsteer, mowing and merging hay. Th= ey have also been training several heifers for the dairy show at the Clinton County Fair
(July 21-26). A couple of the heifers had already been halter br= oken for the fair last year, but several they chose were fairly rowdy for the fi= rst few training sessions! Some of the students have experience showing co= ws and have been lending a hand to those less-experienced ones. We = are looking forward to the fair – the dairy show, the fair food, and of course, the tractor pull! It is always a fu= n but exhausting week!

&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; — Anna Pape, pape@whminer.com

CROPS UPDATE ...

We had decent= first cut yields on the farm this spring, with alfalfa-grass averaging 4.2 (&plus= mn; 1.6) tons/acre, and
3.6 (± 1.8) tons/acre for grass fields. Of course, the alfalfa acrea= ge doesn’t include our three new alfalfa seedings which averaged 1.7 (± 0.6) tons/acre. Thi= s year we tried something new and seeded the alfalfa with oats, and it seems to ha= ve worked well. Although low yielding, alfalfa establishment was excellent and= the seedings were
virtually weed-free. In previous years at the Institute I’ve been told that many times 1^st year alfalfa had so many weeds that it wasn’t worth putting it in the bunker, but this year we bagged it for= the dry cows and heifers. The
second cutting for these fields looks good with quite a few oats still ther= e, but it should be good feed nonetheless.

The corn is l= ooking better after a drink of sidedress N a few weeks= back. Not surprisingly, some low spots are looking a little stunted and pale, but= on the whole, looking good. We tried some PSNT’s this year and had some interesting results. On two first year corn fields, which should require little N, one field tested above the critical level of= 25 ppm nitrate-N (where an economic response to added N = is considered very low), and one didn’t. On a third year corn field that receives plenty of manure each fall, the PSNT value was well above the crit= ical value. We also tested our "big" 36-acre field which is in 3^r=
d year corn and receives manure. This is an undulating field with at least fo= ur different soil types. We sampled this field in two
sections and half the field tested at 20 ppm an= d the other at 30 ppm. Hmmmmm. Next year we’ll do some unofficial research to look at different sidedress N rates and yields based on PSNT results.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — Eric Young, young@whminer.com

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — Jake Ashline, ashline@whminer.com

LATE SUMMER ALFALFA
FERTILIZATION

Late summer, either before or soon after t= he final harvest, is a good time to apply potassium to alfalfa and alfalfa-gra= ss fields. However, if the grass species is one of the more aggressive ones, m= ost notably tall fescue, it may be best to wait until after the final harvest. = Tall fescue will grow aggressively well into the fall, quite unlike reed canarygrass, which turns a sickly orange with the fir= st cold autumn nights. All that fall fescue growth sucks up potassium, includi= ng the (very expensive) 0-0-60 you may have just applied. The only time I'd recommend applying potassium to alfalfa-tall fescue before the final fall harvest is if that harvest will be close to or after a hard frost. The whole idea of fall fertilization is to supply nutrients to the root system before the plants shut down for the winter.

With the continued sorry state of the dairy economy do all you can to substitute topdressed= dairy manure for commercial
fertilizer on alfalfa and alfalfa-grass stands. Contrary to what some may think, the potassium in dairy manure is highly
plant-available--some sources say it's even more quickly available than the potassium in fertilizer. Do everything you can to
maximize manure use before buying a single pound of 0-0-60.

How much man= ure can you apply? Recently Michael Russelle from the U= .S. Dairy Forage Research Center suggested that when broadcasting slurry or liq= uid manure on alfalfa, apply no more than 1.5 tons of solids per acre. This is especially important if there's any re-growth since the manure can coat the leaves and prevent photosynthesis. For instance, if= you apply 7500 gallons/acre of slurry manure with 5% solids content and a weigh= t of 8.2 lbs/gallon, that's about 1.5 tons of solids per acre. This is a higher = rate than many other sources recommend, but closer to what's actually happening = down on the farm. =

= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = — E.T.

VET’S CORNER: WHAT DOES PARASITISM MEAN FOR YOUR FARM?=

For most dair= y farms parasitism is recognized most prominently as a problem in calves and young =
animals, but did you know that even a few parasites in a high-producing cow= can reduce milk
production? Deworming studies in the Northeastern U.S. and Canada have demonstrated that lactating cows may lose anywhere from 100 to 1,200 pounds of milk per lactation due to internal parasites. <= /p>

The greatest responses from treatment come from high-producing herds with moderate level= s of
parasitism. The deworming strategy was to keep = the cows parasite-free for the first 100 days of lactation (deworm at freshening and again six weeks later). The studies demonstrated tha= t by removing parasites during the period of greatest stress (during the early lactation), production losses due to
internal parasites could be prevented.

A separate st= udy conducted at the Universi= ty of Wisconsin confir= med this effect, showing that when parasite-free fresh cows were exposed to infective parasite larvae they lost an average of 7 pounds of milk per head= per day. For a 150-cow dairy at
$12 cwt, this would add up to $108 per day,
$756 per week, and $3,024 per month. Hopefully, parasites are not impacting your herd to that degree. But can you spare even a fraction of th= at loss?

Our veterinary practice set out to evaluate internal gastro-intestinal parasites this mont= h, with the assistance of Dr. Don Bliss of Mid America Ag
Resources. We identified the need to deworm cattle on nearly every dairy farm that participated. We strongly recom= mend all herds, particularly those who have grazing in any phase of their produc= tion to submit manure samples for evaluation, whether it's to find out your herd’s parasite status or to evaluate the effectiveness of your curre= nt
deworming practices. The results of the test wi= ll be used by the herd health veterinarian to recommend
appropriate type and timing of dewormers and he= lp evaluate the evolving problem of parasite-resistance to commonly used dewormers.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = — Dr. Allison Maslack

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Northwest Veterinary Associates, Inc.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; nwvavet@comcast.net=

Editor's note: Miner Institute's dairy herd = was tested and was parasite-free, but about 90% of Vermont herds tested had parasites.

STATE AND FED= ERAL AGRICULTURAL

EXTENSION BUDGETS GETTING HAMMERED<= /span>

The proposed = 2010 Federal budget reduces funding for agricultural research and Extension programs, but the expected level of funding for Extension by many state legislatures is much more depressing. State tax revenues have plummeted, and legislators have no choice but to cut spending. This isn't about reducing purchases of office supplies; for some major agricultural states it could m= ean the loss of hundreds of Extension positions.

In some states early-retirement incentives are being offered for
Extension workers at or near retirement age. While this would seem to cause= the least amount of pain since it wouldn't mean putting people on the unemploym= ent line, it would remove some of the most
experienced field staff before they've had time to pass on what they've lea= rned to younger workers. Don't underestimate the value of experience, especially when it comes to agriculture. Because of the
variability of weather, pest infestations, etc., it's impossible for anyone= to be exposed to the many things both good and bad that can happen to cows and crops unless he or she sticks it out for a number of years. There's simp= ly no "fast track" to accumulated knowledge. <= /p>

This is espec= ially true for today's younger agricultural Extension workers, who usually gradua= te from ag school with = highly specialized
degrees. Coming into an Extension field crops position they may know intima= te details about the sex life of a corn rootworm but have no idea how to contr= ol lambsquarters in alfalfa. Let's hear it for
generalists, who unfortunately are a dying breed so perhaps a moment of sil= ence is more appropriate. Specialists know a lot about a little, and as they lea= rn more and more about less and less they eventually know everything about nothing. Generalists, on the other hand, know a little about a lot, and as = they learn less and less about more and more they eventually know nothing about everything. I'm not quite there yet but am getting close; just ask The Brid= e.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — E.T.

IT'S NOT THE HEAT...

...it's the humidity. Looking at a recently published list of average milk production per cow by state, the top two sta= tes are New Mexico and Arizona, where daily summer temperatur= es commonly top 100ºF. Near the bottom of the list: <= st1:State w:st=3D"on">Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, all= states with hot summers but also oppressively high humidity.

As any dairyman knows, dairy cows can tolerate t= he heat if it's accompanied by low humidity.

GETTING A HEAD START AT REDUCING 2010 FERTILIZER EXPENSE

Once upon a t= ime there was a housewife who was paying 50 cents a dozen for eggs. Then eggs w= ent to 75 cents a dozen and she complained bitterly. But soon they were $1.00 a dozen and she complained even louder. A month went by and the price of eggs dropped to 75 cents. "Thank goodness", sighed the housewife, "eggs are finally
reasonably priced again."

Th= is story is reminiscent of recent fertilizer price
turbulence. The price of fertilizer skyrocketed late last fall, and it seem= ed like just about everything was close to $1000 per ton. But both national and world economies soured, and by late winter and early spring 2009 fertilizer prices were much less than they were the previous fall. <= /p>

Bu= t this doesn't mean that fertilizer got cheap--it most certainly did not; judged by anything except last fall's prices it's still expensive. And there's= no guarantee that we won't see a repeat of last fall's prices, since energy pr= ices have climbed again and world grain stocks continue to be at historic lows. = What has changed, of course, is the dairy farm economic situation. U.S. da= iry farms were in poor financial condition last fall but are much worse off now= .

Following are = several steps you can take in the next few months that can reduce your fertilizer n= eeds for 2010.

Apply the most manure to the fields that have had the least in recent years. Exceptions would be grass fields for prefresh dry cow forage and any field that's already "off the chart" in fertility.

Don't pay a lot of attention to the N needs of next year's crops, since about 2/3 of the N in the manure you apply this summer or fall will be gone= by spring. If you're lucky enough to have corn land where you can apply manure next spring and plow it down the same day, the N in manure will real= ly add up in reducing fertilizer N cost.

Make sure you have up-to-date soil analyses, and fall soil testing is t= he most reliable. CAFO requires a soil test on each crop field every three yea= rs, but there's nothing wrong with testing more often — especially those fields that have been heavily
manured in the past year or two. A soil test co= sts $10 or so. With starter fertilizer at $500 per ton and a normal application rate of 200 lbs/acre,
= fertilizing a ten-acre field costs $500. You wouldn't have to shave much from your fertilizer rate on just one field to pay for the cost of soil analysis for your whole farm. =

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; — E.T.

MEXICANA

In June I spent several days in Torreon, Mexico, home to
1 million people and 300,000 dairy cattle. This trip included five farm vis= its and a seminar for about 70 farmers and consultants. Some comments and observations:

Visitin= g a poor country is a good reminder of how
fortunate we are to live in one of prosperity. One
measure of a nation's economy is the condition of its dogs. There are few f= at dogs in Mexico, and a typical Canine Body Condition Score (CBCS) is 1 or 2.

The lob= by of the Torreon Hampton Inn is a great meeting place for U.S.-based farm consultant= s. David Weber from Church & Dwight and Keith Bo= lson, retired silage guru from = Kansas State, were there a= t the same time I was.

Torreon dairy farms = range in size from very large to huge: 3,000 to 11,000 cows on the farms I visited, = milk production generally 65-70 lbs. per cow. Milk price averages about $17.00/c= wt.

Bt corn isn't permitted, which is a shame since there's= a horrendous earworm problem, with a fat and healthy worm in the tip of mo= st developing ears. No
exaggeration.... They also have red spiders that attack corn, a problem you don't even want to contemplate.

Corn silage harvest was starting on some farms in mid-June, at least a = week too early. A dairy nutrition consultant was telling her clients to chop cor= n at 25% DM, which did not amuse the U.S. advisors including Bolson and the Crops Dude. <= o:p>

One farm was chopping and processing milk-stage corn at a theoreti= cal length of chop (TLC) of about 1/4". I told the farm manager he was mak= ing "cornfetti", which must have translat= ed well since we hopped into his pickup truck and went bouncing across the corn field, where he stopped the Claas chopper and i= ncreased the TLC. He also was bringing chopping to a halt for a week, perhaps long enough since temperatures often exceed 110ºF. I'm not used to having my recommendations carried out so quickly, this is scary stuff indeed! Remarka= bly, his cows were averaging 80 lbs and during cooler weather about 85 lbs.=

The alfalfa hay is to die for, at least in appearance. Mowed during the day, baled at night. We probed some big squares baled the previous night,
consistently 14% moisture and the leaves were in the bale, not on the groun= d. But almost all alfalfa there is flood irrigated, so digestibility might not= be so hot. Nobody there seems to be doing digestibility analysis,
though — maybe ignorance is bliss.

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; — E.T.

Eric Young — Out standing in= his field

My name is Eric Young and I’m the new Agronomist. I’ve alre= ady heard a few different names besides agronomist, such as ‘the dirt guy’, ‘soils dude’, and ‘crops guy’. Any and = all of these are OK with me. I gr= ew up on a dairy farm in Cortland Co= unty, New York (Sunset-Young Farm= s). My father Otis always said ‘your farm experience will never hurt youR= 17;, and it turns out, as usual, that he’s right. My farm experience as a youngster taught me the value of hard work and instilled a passion for natu= ral resources (including dirt). I’ve worked professionally in the area of=
agriculture and nutrient management for over twelve years. I started as a research technician at Miner Institute after graduating from SUNY Plattsburgh’s Environmental Science program. Then I was lucky enough = to be offered a M.S. research assistantship from Miner to pursue a graduate de= gree in Plant & Soil Science at UVM. After completing my M.S. I worked as an
extension agronomist and a nutrient management planner for about four years before going back for my PhD in soil science at SUNY-ESF.

My graduate and postdoctoral
research has focused on soil
fertility and nutrient management (phosphorus and nitrogen cycling).= My research = and applied
experience in nutrient
management have provided a good background for tackling some of our current=
production agriculture
challenges in Northern New York. = Besides my field crop management a= nd CAFO
responsibilities at the Institute’s dairy farm, I’ll focus on <= br> nutrient management research that addresses the economics and environmental implications of crop production. In my spare time I like spending time with= my wife Barbara and son Max.

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = R= 12; Eric Young, young@whminer.com

DID SOMEONE SAY DESSERT?

Miner Institu= te employees had more than one reason to look forward to Wednesday, June 24: It was our employee BBQ, but also our 3^rd annual Dairy Dessert Contest.

Since June is National Dairy Month, it's become a Miner Institute tradition to bring in a dessert of our choice for a friendly competition of who has the best dessert. The only stipulations were that the desserts had to be homema= de and had to include at least one dairy product.

This year we = had seven entries including Strawberry Dairy Dream, Fluffy Lemon-Raspberry Trea= t, Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Pretzel Squares, Texas Cool Whip, Coconut= Panna Cotta with Tropical Fruit, and
Tiramisu.

From these yo= u can tell that the competition was stiff this year. The reigning champion Kirk Beattie, our Finance
& Personnel Officer, did not enter this year so the trophy was up for grabs. This year’s winner received a $25 gift certificate and, of cou= rse, bragging rights for next year as having the best dairy dessert.<= /span>

And the winner is??? Katie Ballard, our Director of
Research, with her Strawberry Dairy Dream by just three votes! As som= e of you know Katie won the inaugural Dairy Dessert Contest two years ago. Congratulations Katie!

&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; — Roxanne Clark, clark@whminer.com

&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; =

Here is the winning = recipe:

Ingredients:=

1 1/2 cups of flour

½ cup of graham cracker cru= mbs

½ cup of sugar

1 cup of butter – softened

Blend above ingredients together a= nd

press into a 13 x 9 baking dish

Melt 1 – 2 cups milk chocola= te chips in microwave.

Spread evenly over flour/crumbs

Blend together:=

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese R= 11; softened

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Spread evenly over crust.

Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes

Reduce heat to 350°F for 20 mi= nutes

or until top starts to brown.

Let cool. Then spread sweetened berries (either strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries) and homemade whipped cream on top. For whipped cream: Take a pint of whipping cream, add ½ cup sugar and beat until cream forms peaks.<= /span>

VET’S CORNER: CLOSE-UP DRY COW PEN SURGE

At many farms= there are fewer calvings in May and June, followed by= a surge of calvings in mature cows in July and August. This phenomenon occurs as a
consequence of lower fertility in the previous late
summer and fall due to heat stress in the mature cows. There is a catc= h-up period of settling cows in late fall that results in many older cows calvin= g in the following summer. Since most close up group pens are sized for the AVERAGE number of animals that calve in a three week time period, it means = that half of the time the pen is crowded and the pen is under populated for the other half. If the farm is faced with an over-population of the
close-up pen during the next few months, some special
strategies should be employed:

1.    The close-up pen capaci= ty should be determined by the proper length of feed bunk, which is 30 inches = per cow, and not by the number of stalls. During surges of springing cows it's permitted to allow cows to enter the group under 3 weeks before calving; so= if due dates are accurately recorded, cows can enter the close-up pen as late = as ten days before the due date.

2.    Intensify bedding changes, water tank cleaning, and number of feedings per day to compensate for overcrowding.

3.   Double check that adequate air changes occur in hot weather with overcrowded, over-conditioned mature clos= e-up cows.

Heifers = really take a beating when mixed with a lot of mature dry cows. On the average sized Northeast dairy farm there are not sufficient numbers to justify
separate springing cow and heifer groups, so they must be commingled. If th= ey are mixed, it's best to introduce heifers to the herd in the far-off dry pe= n, allowing them a few months to acclimate. Mixing heifers with mature cows for the first time immediately after calving is considered to be a very high ri= sk practice, and mixing them for the first time in an overcrowded close-up pen= is also risky to the heifers.

To reduce soci= al stress from reestablishing pecking order in an overcrowded close up pen, consider
planning the pen move from far off to close up on a weekly basis instead ev= ery day or a few times a week. Steps to reduce these moves will result in = improved transition performance.

&n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;           = — Kent E Henderson, DVM

&n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;    Northwest Veterinary Associates, Inc.

  =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            = hugamoo@comcast.net

SCOUTING FOR CORN ROOTWORMS

Now is the time to scout corn fields for corn rootworm
beetles. There are two species of rootworms in the
Northeastern U.S.: Northern corn rootwor= ms, with beetles of a bright green color, and the less common Southern corn
rootworms, tan-and-black striped beetles slightly larger than their Northern cousins and twice as damaging. Fortunately, in much of Northern N.Y. Western corn rootworms have never gained much of a foothold. We were told that when Western corn rootworms got here they would before long dominate their North= ern cousins, but I guess rootworms don't read the
entomology guides.

<= /span>

Rootworm populations usually increase from year= to year in corn fields. They're not a problem in first year corn, but you shou= ld still scout "sod corn" for rootworm beetles. They will fly from f= ield to field, so no corn field is immune from their presence. Look for them on = the silks, especially on younger silks in a field with plants of varying levels= of maturity. What's at stake? Normally rootworms don't need to be
controlled in second year corn. Control options include soil insecticides, = high rate seed treatments, or genetically
modified hybrids, all involving a cost of $10 or more per acre. Usually you= can get away with the low rate of seed treatment but not always, and the only w= ay to tell for sure is by
scouting. Of course not only first-year corn fields that should be scouted;= you should scout all fields that will be in corn the following year.

<= st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Cornell University has an excellent online scouting guide for corn rootworms:        =             &nb= sp;
http://nysipm.cornell.edu/publications/crw_mgmt/files/crw.pdf=

WE WILL CHOP NO CORN BEFORE IT'S TIME

In a few weeks many farmers will make a mistake for which they will pay dearly in the coming year. They'll harvest = corn for silage when the kernels are in the "early dent" or "dough" stage, or whatever term they assign to corn that's got a = week or more to go before it's at the proper maturity. Farmers were doing this w= hen I started in this business in the mid-1960s, and some are still doing so. So much for progress! "Silk to silage in six to seven weeks" has long been a decent rule of thumb, but one
routinely ignored by farmers.

So what's at stake? Much has been written about the
quality differences between dough stage corn and that harvested at what's generally considered proper maturity. To avoid confusion it's best to forget about terms (dough, dent, etc.) because these are in the= eye of the beholder and rely on percentage DM. To illustrate we'll use s= ome old-but-still-useful Wisconsin data cons= isting of four hybrids harvested at two levels of dry matter. (I have an
increasing respect for the concept of old but still useful.) We'll look at = two harvest dates: The date at which the
hybrids first reached something close to the ideal DM, and a harvest date 1= .5 weeks prior to that.

&nb= sp;

&nb= sp;

&nb= sp;

&nb= sp;

&nb= sp;

&nb= sp;

&nb= sp;

&nb= sp;

<= /span>

As you can see there was much more differe= nce in yield than in quality--No difference in NDF or digestibility, and no meaningful difference in predicted milk per ton of silage. But there sure w= as a yield difference: The green weight yield advantage (not included in the tab= le) was for the immature corn--35.5 vs. 31.6 tons/acre. But there was 19% more = dry matter yield with the 36% DM corn. And when both yi= eld and quality were combined (milk/acre) there was an 18% advantage to the 36%= DM corn. This comparison really overvalues the immature corn silage because it doesn't
account for the oceans of effluent that would pour out of silos full of 27% corn silage, and the less desirable fermentation that occurs in sub-30% DM = corn silage. I've seen wet corn silage containing so much ethanol that a few deep sniffs might result in a failed Breathalyzer test.

There's no quick and easy way to determine whole plant dry
matter; you'll have to chop some representative plants and dry them in a Koster tester or microwave oven (not the micro= wave in your kitchen). Kernel milk line once was used as a guideline but turned = out to be a very poor one since genetics, variable weather conditions and perha= ps the phase of the moon can combine to result big differences in whole plant = DM % at the previously recommended one-third milkline. In choosing "representative" plants, don't use any from the outside = few rows and avoid small,
non-representative areas in the field such as wet holes or droughty knolls. Harvest at least 15 plants--more is better--and chop them. (Be careful! Chop the plants, not your appendages.) Make sure you get a representative= sample of what comes through the
chopper (another potential problem), determine sample dry
matter, and then subtract 2 % points. For instance, if the
microwave or Koster reading is 32% DM, the fiel= d DM is about 30%. Don't ask why....it just is.

For processed corn silage aim for 34-35% D= M, while for
unprocessed corn 32-33% is close to ideal. Differences in kernel texture, t= he staygreen trait, and the particular growing season can influence these percentages by a couple of points.

<= /span>

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;     — Ev Thomas, Thomas@whminer.com

WORD TO THE WISE

A report from Western NY is worth noting: A farmer there planted Roundup Ready corn = in 2008, and when harvesting the crop for grain last fall some kernels went on= to the ground instead of into the combine. Tillage did a fine job of incorpora= ting these kernels into the seed zone, and this spring they germinated. But the farmer had planted Roundup Ready corn again in 2009, so there was no way to remove the volunteer corn from the field. I'm told that he won't do that ev= er again... This isn't nearly as much of a problem with co= rn harvested for silage unless there are a lot of lodged plants with relatively mature kernels. Better safe than sorry, though; one more reason why = for every corn field on your farm you should
carefully consider which genetic traits you need and which ones you do not.=

BUGGY

President Obama recently killed a fly during his news conference, an act that bugged PETA. A PETA
spokesman said: "We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest, and least sympathetic animals." Furthermore, PETA reportedly sent Obama a catch-and-release "humane bug catcher". (Sigh.) It's= a free country and PETA is certainly entitled to its opinions, but if it didn= 't regularly do off-the-wall things like this more people might take the organization seriously. It also wants to convert a milk plant to a "cow empathy museum". PETA is as serious as a heart attack about this stuff= and still represents a threat to animal agriculture, but sometimes you just hav= e to laugh...

A LITTLE BIT OF DIRT ON P (PHOSPHORUS)

Phosphorus (P) enables cellular respiration (via ATP), forms the backbone of DNA, and is integral to the structure of cell membranes. P is the 2^nd most abundant element = in the human body (80% of which is in teeth and bones) and plays a vital role = in almost every plant and animal process involving
energy transfer. In short, no P equals no life. = If that’s not enough to convince you of its importance, remember that P deficient soils don’t usually produce crops with good yield or quality (very important to know if you’re the new agronomist at a research institute with a dairy nutrition focus). Freshwater biology likes P too, wh= ere it limits primary production and excesses can contribute to algae blooms and degraded water quality.   &= nbsp;

P ranks 11th in abundance behind aluminum in Earth’s crust. Unlike carbon and nitrogen, there= ’s virtually no P in the
atmosphere. The vast majority of P on Earth is in deep ocean sediments (>90%), with just 0.05% in soils. Terrestrial plants (largely trees) are= the next largest P "sink", with about 0.7% of the estimated total of = 94 billion metric tons. The P cycle is rapid at the field crop time scale (e.g= ., P release from
fertilizers, uptake by crops), but staggeringly slow on the
geologic time scale (10⁷–10⁸ years), being a function of
tectonic uplift, weathering and erosion. Only a small portion (<1%) of t= otal P in soils is typically available for plant uptake, and many soils require P for economic optimum yields. Thanks to the work of marine sea life millions= of years ago, vast P deposits in the form of sedimentary rocks (largely
calcium phosphates) provide an estimated 22 million tons of rock phosphate annually for the 1 billion hectares of
cultivated land on the globe. Rock phosphate is the only
economical source for manufacturing P fertilizers.

In 1840 German agricultural chemis= t Justus von Liebig, sometimes called the "father of the fertilizer industry&qu= ot;, was the first to recognize that N and P were essential plant
nutrients, and that treating bones with sulfuric acid produced plant-availa= ble P. By 1842, John Bennett Lawes developed a pate= nt for treating rock phosphates with sulfuric acid to
produce superphosphate, and soon after started the world’s first fertilizer plant. The U.S. is currently the 2^nd largest
producer of rock phosphate (behind China), accounting for 19% of= the global supply. About 85% of this comes from mines in Florida and North Carolina. The bulk of the global rock phosphate reserves come from just four countrie= s
(US, China, South Africa, and Morocco). <= /p>

With the recent spike in fertilizer prices, more attention is being paid to global P reserves and factors affec= ting prices. The average = U.S. price per ton of rock phosphate increased from $51.10 in 2007 to $113.00 in 2008, while the price of diammonium phosphate (= DAP) went from $442/ton to
$850/ton. The price spike is thought to be related to an overall decrease in supply, increasing demand and production costs, and fears of dwindling supplies. At current consumption rates, some estimate that the U.S. ha= s about 40 years of phosphate rock left, with global supplies projected to last ano= ther 90 years. Others caution against firm estimates and stress the uncertainty = of recovery costs for different reserves, or
potential reserves (termed "resources"). At current extraction rates, global resources could last for another 250 years.
Demand from high population, low-income countries and variable production c= osts will continue to affect prices. Higher prices could eventually lead to grea= ter exploration and use of lower quality ores on land and in the ocean.

So what’s the bottom line for saving on fertilizer P? Make sure y= ou rely on recent soil tests to determine how much P fields may or may not nee= d. If your soil test P (STP) is "high" or "very high" (like the ones closer to the barn…), you have a very low chance of getting = an economic yield response with added P. Land grant institutions and others ha= ve repeatedly shown this, so if it sounds like hype, you should try your own on-farm trials. Maintaining a pH close to neutral is critical for maximizin= g P availability, so don’t skimp on lime if it’s needed. Make sure = you test manure and actually use the analysis. All of the K and most of the P i= s as available in
manure as it is in fertilizer, plus you get N, organic matter, and micronutrients. Soil tests are not infallible. Make sure your soil sampler takes representative samples and consider breaking larger fields up into management units if you have contrasting soil types, or other known sources= of variation. Soil type matters. Well drained soils that have received
manure will have considerable available P released from
organic P. This one isn’t accounted for in any routine soil tests yet, but stay tuned. =             <= o:p>

      &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =            R= 12; Eric Young, young@whminer.com

VOTING WITH THEIR WALLETS

We can discuss the pluses and minuses of genetically modified crops unt= il we're blue in the face, but
American farmers have already decided: They voted with their wallets and ha= ve accepted GM crops in a big way.

How big? This year 91% of soybean, 88% of cotton and 85% of corn acreage has at least one genetically modified trait. Meanwhile, the EU shows no sig= ns of changing its almost complete opposition to GM crops, much to the surpris= e of those who thought that the rapid adoption of this technology in so many developed and developing countries would force it into
acceptance. But if anything, GM opponents there are even more unified and t= here appears no chance of
acceptance in the foreseeable future. = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;                   =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =        — E.T.

COWS VERY TRAINABLE WHEN MOTIVATED TO EAT

A key design features of our dry cow barn built last year was flexibility and the abilit= y to use different feed barriers. The feed barriers installed initially were 10’ sections of 30” headlocks.
Recently, our maintenance staff removed the headlocks from one of the sand-bedded freestall containing 40 stalls. The maintenance staff and a representative from American C= alan (www.americancalan.com) insta= lled a Calan Broadbent Feeding System in place of the headlocks to allow us to feed 40 cows
individually while group housed.

<= /o:p>

T= he Calan Broadbent Feeding System is used routinely at p= rivate and public dairy research facilities. The system has become a
universally accepted method of managing research cows when individual feed intake is needed when cows are group housed. The components of the system a= re:

wooden feed barrie= r,

molded fiberglass spring-loaded door attached to the barrier,

solid-state circuit boa= rd mounted on the door,

cow sensor-key = hung on a neck cord on the cow, and

fiberglass feed tub at= tached to the barrier.

Th= e cow sensor-key recognizes the electrical signal generated by the circuit board = and unlocks the door when the cow is close to the door. The cow pushes the door open and feeds from the feed tub. The
narrow barrier prevents other cows from stealing feed. When the cow withdra= ws her head from the feed tub, the door instantly closes and locks. Sounds sim= ple but…

Gi= ven our lack of experience with the system, I thought it would be good to test out = the system before it was needed for a research study. I wanted to establish a training protocol and determine the effect of cow size and attitude on the ability of the cow to use the system. Maggie Carter, a research technician = and cow side investigator, and Bron
Nelson, a graduate student, agreed to help me test out the system. Steve Couture, our farm manager, heard us refer to the feed barrier as a “tombstone” and was a little hesitant to let us use his hard-working lactating cows as guinea pigs. However, he offered up 3 open heifers destined for employees’ freezers later in the summer. The hei= fers were approximately 1700 pounds and 58” high at the withers and
represented a “typical” Miner Institute cow in size…but n= ot attitude. These heifers were like crazy teenagers with lots of attitude when they entered the Calan pen.
I = think we learned more during the first test session than did the heifers. Maggie qui= ckly realized that you can lead a cow to a feed tub but you can’t make her eat. The heifers were more willing to try and learn to use the system when = we left them alone compared to trying to
manipulate them into position. The catwalk worked great for
observing the heifers. After this session we agreed on a protocol to train a cow to use a specific, locked feed tub in approximately 7 days. The training takes place in 3 steps:

Allow cow to = enter any feed barrier with an open door
(2 days)

Allow cow to = enter any feed barrier with a closed, unlocked door (2 days)

Allow cow to = locate assigned feed tub and unlock and open door (3 days). The cow is monitored frequently during
training to ensure that she does not go an extended period of time without eating.

In order to test out the training protocol, Steve let us use
10 far-off dry cows. The cows ranged in size from
approximately 1100 to 2100 pounds and 54 to 60” high at the withers. = We kept the “crazy teenagers” in the Calan pen to help train the cows. The training protocol worked well. The use of s= mall quantities of hay, offering small meals
frequently, and stimulating feeding behavior of cows by
driving a Data Ranger (feed mixer) in front of the feed tubs helped train c= ows to the system. I was surprised that the smallest and largest cows could use= the system easily. The cows with aggressive or curious attitudes seemed to learn the system quicker. However, = all cows were successful in
learning the system within 7 days. This is great news since we are starting= a study with dry cows in the Calan pen very soon.=

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         — Heather Dann, dann@whminer.com