Practice Is Not Recommended

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 78, 19 December 1949, Page 8

Practice Is Not Recommended

* MANY FARMERS OFTEN PURCHASE HAY EACH YEAR

(By W. H. Mandeno, Consulting Officer N.Z. Dairy Board, Whakatane) On most farms economic production involves the harvesting' of surplus feed as hay and silage. Under some circumstances the purchase of hay is warranted. Excellent publications have been prepared by the Department of Agriculture on conservation of grass and methods to avoid in harvesting have been broadcast. There is then every prospect of the weather being the only factor responsible for poor hay this season. "“Where it is intended to purchase hay it is preferable to see the crop and, in some cases, it may be most satisfactory to purchase it standing. Short grass up to the jointing stage gives the best quality hay and also more feed value ‘than a crop with the grasses seeding, but the more mature crop will produce many more bales. At every stage it will be seen that there is room for variation in price if feeding value is to be the guide. Generally, however, the range indicates that all hay for sale is claimed to be of about the same quality when actually some is probably twice as nutritious as other lots. Very Small Portion

It would not ne possible for all farmers to buy hay for economic as Well as physical reasons, in fact the transfer between farms is probably a very small portion of the amount conserved. Hay, is however, (purchased by a variety of farmers. Some are unable to make hay, but these rarely include dairy farmers; some have farmlets too small to support harvesting equipment and some buy hay to increase carrying capacity. The buying of hay for its seed value should be insignificant as- the quality of a crop ripe enough to shed a reasonable quantity of seed should not command a high price.

The quality of the crop depends on amount and digestibility of the Various components of which protein and starch equivalent are most important. The younger the crop the greater its value for feeding to milking stock. Grassland research workers have shown that the available protein in the dry matter of crop cut at 4, 6 and 11 weeks falls from 22 per cent-16.5 per cent-7.2 per cent with age of crop. The fibre and energy values are more constant—in fact when added together give a surprisingly constant total energy Value. Thus it is the protein content that makes all the difference between hays of reasonal .’e quality. Crops well into the seeding stage have lost a great deal of their energy value and have little protein even for maintenance of dry siock.

A most important consideration in purchasing foodstuffs is the avoidance of conservation losses on the farm. With .techniques including the use of the electric fence and topping, the utilisation of pasture can be close to 100 per cent. With losses (under good conditions) of 50 per cent in the hayfield it is reasonable to assume that extra cows can be carried if the loss is avoided and the grass eaten directly from the paddock. Ten acres of good grass (6 tons per acre) yielding 30ewt per acre of good hay provides about 16.000 energy units as grass. Jersey Cow Production

A Jersey cow producing 3001 b fat requires 4,000 energy units per year. Thus 3-4 extra cows can be carried if 10 acres normally cut for hay is grazed and the equivalent hay is bought. We then have about l,ooolbs fat to balance the cost of 15 tons of good hay in a rather rough assessment. The purchased hay allows, more economic utilisation of winter grass and the extra cows do not effectively add to overhead expenses of the herd.

Thus, for a small herd there is much in favour of the purchase of good -hay if the delivered cost is not excessive. Especially where a herd is so small that total expenses (excluded labour return) approach the total 'indome the increased carried through, purchase of feed may well add considerably to the nett income of the farmer.

The manurial value of hay varies considerably with fertility of' the farm on which it is used. The amounts of nutrients expressed as commonly used fertilisers cut in 1| ton hay crop are as follows: Sulphate of Ammonia 3401b5. Super phosphate 8411bs. 30 per cent Potash Salts 3401b5. Carbonate of lime 841bs. Most of this is returned to the soil to increase fertility of the purchasers farm. On most Bay of Plenty soils the Super, Potash, and lime are of value and maybe assessed at market rates. The Sulphate of Ammonia

is of little value where clover growth is strong', but on run out pastures deficient in clovers it has definite value.

Obviously as mentioned above, it is impossible for all farmers to buy hay. It is important also to keep in mind the evaluation of hay as expressed above—due to the variation in price of both butterfat and hay—so that hay is not purchased at a loss. This point at which it becomes unprofitable to buy fodder also varies with the residual manurial value—which as pointed out above varies with the fertility of the paddocks on which it is fed. Economic Units Thus it is increasingly obvious that reliance should not be placed on a long term policy of purchasing hay for any farms that are “economic units.” It is equally clear that the selling of hay is not a good practice. There are, however, special cases where the fertility of the farm can stand the depletion of nutrients and where the intensity of stocking may be economically below the maximum for “efficient farming.” Hay is then a cash crop and may be regarded in the same light as wheat or potatoes to be sold for the maximum that its quality and the supply position allow. An excellent example of the effect of wise adoption of hay purchasing in the Bay of Plenty is represented by a farm mow carrying 40 odd cows and cutting sufficient supplementary hay and silage for all requirements. This has been built up by top-dressing and hay purchase from a 25 cow herd in about 20 years during which the nett income has been greatly increased.