TOP
farmer
ROUNDTABLE
If you had a chance to sit
down with some of the coun
try's leading agricultural au
thorities and ask them for their
comments concerning your
farming operation, what
would you like to know?
These farmers had that
chance. Read what they asked
and what the specialists had
to say. Perhaps some of their
comments will apply to you.
FROM SIDNEY LEGG,
WINDFALL, INDIANA:
“/ farm 330 acres in partner
ship with my mother. Since
1937, the main business on this
farm has been the production of
certified farm seeds. In addition
we now feed out 200 to 300 head
of feeder pigs a year and we
maintain a small beef breeding
herd (10 to 15 cows) to clean
up waste land and crop residues.
“Indiana soybean fields were
very weedy in 1961. We need a
pre-emergence herbicide to kill
both grassy and broadleaf
weeds. Is there an answer?"
BURGER:
"While there is no substitute
for proper preparation and
timely cultivation to control
weeds in soybeans, weeds do
become firmly established, es
pecially if rainy weather pre
vents especially good cultiva
tion. Three pre - emergence
herbicides, namely, Alanap,
Randox, and Cl PC, have been
approved by the Federal Drug
Administration for weed con
trol in commercial soybeans.
Where grasses are the major
problem, Randox, which is
specific tor annual grass
weeds, may be used. Since
Randox is seldom injurious to
the germinating soybean and
both CIPC and Alanap may be
deleterious to soybean stands,
farmers will readily use Ran
dox. Both annual grasses and
nearly all broadleaved weeds
are controlled by Alanap. Al
anap rarely controls annual
smartweed, which is fairly
common in soybean fields. A
combination of Alanap and
CIPC is used in some states to
control the annual grasses and
the broadleaved weeds, in
cluding annual smartweed,
even though there is risk of
getting injury to germinating
soybeans. For the proper func
tion of these pre-emergence
chemicals, the active kilting
agent must be carried into the
soil profile, where the weed
seedlings germinate, but not
so deep that the germinating
soybeans are primarily affect
ed. It is fortunate, therefore,
that the kind of weather that
prevents timely cultivation is
also the type which is needed
1
for effective weed control by
pre-emergence chemicoii.
"Preliminary test* using
Amiben have shown promise.
However, this chemical has
been approved for use on soy
beans grown for seed only."
FROM ROBERT STOOPS,
TIPTON, INDIANA
“I farm 355 family owned
acres of prime land in one of
the best corn counties of In
diana—except for one 40 acres
located quite a ways from the
home farm which is tenant-op
erated. We emphasize hogs in
our livestock program but feed
steers when we are satisfied with
the market outlook. In my crop
ping program, I still like a rota
tion with corn, soybeans, wheat
and clover. It seems to reduce
my fertilizer—and still keep my
yields well above 100 bushels
per acre.
MF » I
« I/I JC l/Ci U( J Cl*l J M/C IMII/C
trie*/ to follow a sound rotation
policy and produce according
to demands for our products.
We maintain about 30 per cent
of our acreage in corn, 40 per
cent in soybeans and small
grains, 30 per cent in rotation
pasture. In the past this has giv
en us satisfactory returns on
investment and labor. However,
in face of what looks like a move
to increased control of produc
tion and marketing by govern
ment, should we go all out in
production of grain crops in
order to have sufficient base so
there will be some choice left in
trying to farm on a sound eco
nomic basis?
“Improved seeds and more
productive cropping techniques
keep building up the mountain
of surplus grains. Yet govern
ment agencies and agricultural
colleges continue to put major
emphasis on production in re
search programs. Isn't it high
time to divert the biggest share
of this effort into research on
how to utilize what we are al
ready producing? What prog
ress is being made in utilization
research?”
KUT1SH:
"Your best alternative to
day is the same as it always
is — to produce as much corn
as your farm can sustain over
the long pull. This is your an
swer as an individual produc
er. As a member of the farm
ing profession, you are inter
ested in seeing the production
balanced with the demand ...
but you can do this only as a
member of the profession and
in conjunction with others, not
as an individual. Sound farm
management tells you to get
the highest sustained crop in
come possible from your farm.
"The progress in utilization
research is not promising.
Nothing on the horizon at
present indicates that chem
urgy offers any hope of solv
ing the surplus problem in the
next 5 years. Some increased
use of food is possible through
the Food for Peace program
where food is used as an item
of capital development in less
well developed countries of
the world.
"The point is this — our
yields have beef) going up
faster than our needs; our out
put per man has been going
up faster than our needs. If we
are going to continue to de
velop and adopt these output
increasing innovations, we just
don't need as many acres or
men in crop farming as we
have had in the past.
"But on prime land like
yours, the only sound alterna
tive for you as an individual
is to crop it to give the highest
income. If later some adjust
ment program calls for an
equal reduction by all produc
ers, you should start to reduce
from your optimum level of
production, not some lesser
level."
FROM BERNARD CAMPION
JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
“/ feed out 300 head of cattle
and raise 700 to 800 hogs per
year. / use both high moisture
shelled corn from a silo and
mature ear com. From a nutri
tion standpoint, what is the dif
ference in feeding value between
the two?”
MORRISON:
"Actually there is little nu
tritional difference in the dry
matter contained in high mois
ture shelled corn and the grain
part of mature ear corn, for
either hogs or beef cattle.
However, it must be realized
that the high moisture shelled
corn will contain about 25
to 30% moisture whereas
grain from mature ear corn
will contain about 16-20%
moisture as commonly fed on
the farm. Thus, it is often ne
cessary for the animals to con
sume more of the high mois
ture corn.
"On the other hand, high
moisture corn seems to be
more palatable to animals
particularly hogs and especi
nllw fAu/nr^c iUa a aI iUa
feeding season when farm
stored crib corn dries out to
moisture levels of between 12
16%. It is also logical to sus
pect that high moisture corn
will contain a higher vitamin
"So far, the experimental
results with beef cattle with
respect to high moisture corn
feeding have been somewhat
variable, but in general we
can state that rates of gain
and efficiency of feed use by
cattle fed dry or ensiled high
moisture corn are quite simi
lar. When shelled grains are
used, those cattle on high
moisture corn will usually eat
enough more high moisture
corn to compensate for the less
dry matter in the corn.
"Now, as far as the direct
comparison of dry mature ear
corn and high moisture shelled
corn is concerned, the daily
gain of cattle on the high mois
ture shelled corn will be slight
ly better than those cattle on
dry mature ear corn, simply
because they will be consum
ing more total digestible nu
trients in their feed. Under
normal conditions we might
expect about 0.2 lb. daily gain
less for the cattle on the ear
corn. It should be pointed out
that if a farmer is using high
moisture corn storage he
should always grind the grain
or ear corn, either at the time
of filling or else at time of
feeding for the best results.
"For pigs, average daily
gains of growing - finishing
pigs are quite similar when
fed either high moisture or
dry shelled corn. Although
variable results have been ob
tained, it generally takes
somewhat more feed per hun
dred pounds of gain with en
siled shelled corn than with
dry shelled corn.
THE PANEL
Francis A
Katiah
well known extension
form economist for Iowa State Uni
versity in charge of farm outlook
and economic information activity.
He has been on the Iowa State Uni
versity staff for 22 years during
which time his economic advice has
appeared in numerous publications.
a leading agronomist
from the University of Illinois. He
was born and reared on a 263 acre
corn farm near Jasper, Indiana. Dr.
Burger is an author of many publi*
cations of field crops management
and is a recognized authority.
holds a doctor of veteri
nary medicine degree from the Uni
versity of Georgia as well as the
Ph. D. degree in animal nutrition
and animal husbandry from Cornell
University. He has been on the staffs
of Cornell University, University of
California, and University of Geor
gia. Dr. Morrison is the editor and
co-author of FEEDS AND FEEDING.