Burke County Extension
Ag Improvement and SCD One-Pass Meeting
County Agent News
Dan Folske
February 15, 2010
Ag Improvement and SCD One-Pass Meeting
The Burke County Ag Improvement Association Annual Meeting and the Burke SCD One-Pass Seeding meeting will be held together at the Lignite Community Center on February 23rd. Check elsewhere in this issue for complete details.
Which Protein Supplement Do I Need?
The primary difference in nutrient content of a 20, 32, or 40 percent protein supplement is the protein concentration, not energy. Thus, supplements are often categorized as protein or energy supplements based on the protein content alone. Developing a cost-effective supplementation program is typically dependent on identifying the most limiting nutrient and providing the limiting nutrient(s) at the lowest cost. If protein is deficient (i.e., < 7 percent crude protein) and forage supply is adequate, supplements should be evaluated based on $/lb protein because animal response will be to protein (calculation: cost/ton ÷ (% protein/100) * 2000 lb = $/lb protein). Studies have compared high and low protein supplements delivered to provide the same amount of protein to cows and heifers when forage is not limited, and results show that performance is equal. That is, the performance achieved by feeding 4 lb/d of a 20 percent protein supplement is equal to the performance achieved by feeding only 2 lb/d of a 40 percent protein supplement when there is enough grass. Even though the high protein supplement costs more per ton, because it is fed at half the amount of the 20 percent supplement, it costs less per day. So, if forage supply is adequate, a higher protein supplement is likely most cost effective. If additional energy is needed, a lower protein supplement fed at a much higher amount is likely a better option.
Time To Start Plants
If you are thinking about starting your own vegetable and flower transplants you need to be getting started if you have not already done so. Cold hardy plants like cabbages can be transplanted up to six weeks before the last frost and can be started up to 12 weeks before transplanting. That means you should have started them 18 weeks before the last average frost date if you want maximum early season growth. And if you used some type of hot bed or row cover you might even be able to transplant sooner. The last average frost for this area is about the 20th of May. Working backwards on the calendar means I could have started cabbage in mid January if I wanted to push the limits.
Other vegetables which are more commonly started as transplants are not quite so extreme. Tomatoes are usually transplanted no earlier than 1 week before the last average frost date and are usually grown for about 8 weeks prior to planting. Working the calendar backwards gives you a mid March start date unless you plan on using cold frames, water towers, row covers or some other method of protecting your plants for a few weeks after you put them out. A lot of people have a special sheltered place where they plant tomatoes and will cover them if needed or provide other special care so May 1st is a common transplant date for tomatoes. That means you should be starting your tomatoes about March 1st if intend to plant then.
Selecting start dates for other plants depends on their frost hardiness and recommended growth periods before transplanting.
