ON THE DAIRY FARM

Te Ao Hou, December 1961, Page 53

ON THE DAIRY FARM Haymaking will be the main subject in the minds of most dairy farmers at this time of the year, so I will try and cover a few points in the storing and care of hay following the harvest of this crop. The harvesting of a good crop of grass is a very important task, for good hay is invaluable to the dairy farm in the winter time. Today, most farmers have their crop baled and when travelling through the country I see hundreds of tons of baled hay which has been poorly stacked and poorly covered. This allows the rain to get in and the hard work of the farmer together with the cost of harvesting is literally wasted. I cannot emphasise too strongly that it is fatal to feed out mouldy hay to dairy cows. It is even wiser to burn this poor quality feed and if no other hay is available on the farm, it would be prudent to buy some good quality hay rather than feed out this rubbish. But all this can be avoided if care is taken beforehand to have a hay barn or shed erected in which to store your baled hay. There are various types of hay barns which can be erected in a short time and the cost of these barns is within reach of all farmers' pockets. In fact the value of the hay saved during the first year will almost pay for the cost of one of these barns, so be wise now and have one erected near or in your hay paddock and don't let this year's hay get wet and become useless. Hay fires in stacks and hay sheds are numerous on farms every year and the cause is not often known and heavy losses usually result. Sometimes hay is stored in the same shed as farm machinery and tractors and this can be a most dangerous practice. A spark from the exhaust from a badly tuned tractor or truck engine can start a fire. Cigarette butts are another cause of hay fires and care should be taken not to allow smoking near any dry hay. Topdressing is the next important task and the butterfat production from your farm for the next season will depend a good deal on the vigour and composition of the pasture during next spring and early summer. For best results, autumn topdressing should be done as early as possible to encourage the growth of clovers. All dairy farmers know that clover is essential in their pastures to feed and encourage the growth of other good grasses. If clovers are not evident in the pastures, a couple of pounds of clover seed per acre should be mixed with the Autumn topdressing, as otherwise a great deal of the benefit of this topdressing will be wasted. The fertilizer requirements of most soils are known by the farmer but if they are not known, the farmer should seek the advice of his local Department of Agriculture represenetative. This officer can advise him whether phosphate, potash, sulphur, lime, or one of the many other elements or a mixture of these is necessary to get the best results from manuring.