Full text of Agricultural News Letter : Vol. 10, No. 7
The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.
AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER F E D E R A L Vol. 10, No. 7 R E S E R V E B A N K OF D A L L A S DALLAS, TEXA S July 15, 1955 COSTS OF STORING AND HARVESTING SILAGE The annual cost of storing a ton of silage in an unlined trench silo is lower than that for either a concrete-lined trench silo or an upright silo, according to a study made in 1953 by A. C. Magee, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics at Texas A. & M. College. should be located on a well-drained site is a disadvantage, in that the silo may have to be located where it is not convenient for feeding. In the areas included in this study, the useful life of the unlined trench silo was relatively short because the sides caved in. The higher costs of initial construction, depreciation, and interest on investment are the only disadvantages of lined trench silos as compared with unlined trench silos. In addition to having the advantages of an unlined trench silo, a lined trench silo is relatively permanent. The muddiness of the The unlined trench silos had lower initial floor during wet weather is eliminated; also, construction costs than the other types of the silo can be used as a self-feeder because silos studied. A relatively small crew is of the smooth, hard-surfaced floor. needed to put silage in a trench silo. Cutting, hauling, and unloading are done mechani A major disadvantage of upright silos is cally, and the silage is packed economically their high initial cost, particularly for those and effectively by running the farm tractor having small storage capacities. In addition, over the chopped silage. When feed is taken upright silos need special equipment for from the silo, labor also is saved by using filling. More labor is required in harvesting tractor-mounted equipment to load the feed and putting silage in upright silos than for into trucks or trailers. storing silage in trench silos. In the Texas A. & M. study, farmers with upright silos Although there was no difference in the and feed yielding 11 tons per acre required estimated amount of silage spoilage in lined 10.4 man-hours of labor, or approximately and unlined trench silos, spoilage was twice 1 man-hour per ton, to put up the silage. as great in trench silos as in upright silos. This is primarily because a larger area of CONSTRUCTION COSTS PER TON OF silage was exposed to the weather in trench CAPACITY FOR THREE TYPES silos than in upright silos. OF SILOS, BY SIZE The study of different types of silos on 85 farms in the Blackland and Grand Prairie areas of Texas indicates that each type of storage has advantages and disadvantages as compared with the others. It is difficult to get equipment in and out of an unlined trench silo during wet weather because the floor of the silo becomes ex tremely muddy. The fact that a trench silo Type of silo 100 tons Unlined trench .............. $ .90 7.60 Lined trench .................. Concrete stave upright 14.05 CAPACITY 150 tons $ .73 7.40 12.65 200 tons $ .61 7.33 10.20 2 AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER Only 6.4 man-hours of labor were required to put 12 tons of silage in a trench silo, or .5 hour per ton. SUMMARY OF THE ANNUAL COSTS OF OPERATING SILAGE FIELD CUTTERS, 1953-54 Item There is usually less spoilage in an up right silo than in a trench silo, if the silage is properly packed and cared for. In addi tion, an upright silo is an attractive and permanent structure which uses little space and generally can be located conveniently close to feed lots and barns. Bad weather affects upright silos less than trench silos, especially those which are unlined. Per farm Number of farms studied................................... 18 Cost of cutter, new.............................................. $2,197 Estimated life — years....................................... 8 Acres cut per year................................................ 180 Hours worked per year....................................... 190 Value Fuel (auxiliary engine): Gasoline — 456 gallons................................. $104.88 Oil — 9 gallons .............................................. 10.80 Other costs: Repairs (cutter and auxiliary engine)......... 103.00 Depreciation .................................................... 274.62 Interest ............................................................ 54.62 Total all costs (cutter and engine)................ 547.92 3.04 Cost per acre c u t................................................. Cost per acre, tractor use................................... .981 Cost per acre, tractor driver............................... .63 Total per acre costs, field harvesting................ 4.65 The study reveals that, for each type of silo, the initial construction costs per ton of capacity decreased as the capacity in xData furnished by W illie L. Ulich, agricultural engineer, creased. For the trench silos, savings in cost Texas Agricultural Extension Service. were small as the capacity increased, but for the upright silos, differences in initial variation in custom rates charged from one construction costs per ton of silage stored community to another, ranging from $4 to $10 per acre or $5 to $7.50 per hour. These were more substantial. custom rates included a tractor to pull the Regardless of the type of silo used, a field cutter and a man to operate each machine. cutter and two trucks or two or three spe Of the special equipment needed in silage cially built trailers are needed to harvest silage crops. For filling upright silos, a blower making, the field cutter was the most expen equipped with a conveyor also is necessary; sive to buy and operate. Although there was the list of equipment needed is completed considerable variation in the purchase prices of harvesters, the highest price paid was with two to four farm tractors. $2,500. On the farms studied, harvesters About a third of the farmers whose silage were expected to last an average of 8 years operations were studied owned field cutters; and to cut an average of 180 acres annually. those without field harvesting equipment New blowers for use with upright silos cost contracted their cutting. There was a wide from $650 to $700 and were expected to SUMMARY OF ANNUAL COST OF STORING SILAGE IN THREE TYPES OF SILOS, 19531 (200-ton capacity) TYPE OF SILO Item Initial cost..................................... Estimated years of life................ Estimated spoilage, percent....... Estimated spoilage, tons............. Annual costs: Depreciation........................... Interest on investment.......... Spoilage at $10 per ton........ Materials and labor upkeep Total annual cost......................... Annual cost per ton of capacity. E stim ated costs in 1954 would be approximately the same. ^Applies to trench only. Life of fence estimated at 20 years. Unlined trench trench Concrete stave upright $122.00 52 8 16 $1,466.42 20 8 16 $2,039.75 20 4 8 $ 18.10 3.05 160.00 5.00 $186.15 $ .93 $ $ 101.99 50.99 80.00 25.00 $ 257.98 $ 1.29 73.32 36.66 160.00 4.00 $ 273.98 $ 1.37 AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER 3 last about 10 years. Estimated repairs on a quality. A drop in quality means lower prices blower, including conveyor and pipes, aver for producers who are selling on grade, and if a consumer gets poor-quality eggs, he may aged approximately $10 annually. decide to eat fewer of them. Less than half of the farmers with upright Grade AA eggs become inedible in 3 days silos owned blowers; the other farmers usu ally rented such machines at a customary at 98 degrees, but they usually will remain charge of 25 cents per ton of silage. Some Grade A for about 6 months if the tempera farmers who filled upright silos had trailers ture is held just above freezing. with movable front-end gates which they F. Z. Beanblossom, Extension poultry used to push the load out the back. A kit containing the items needed to equip a trailer marketing specialist at Texas A. & M. Col for this purpose cost from $65 to $75. The lege, gives the following pointers on main farmers reported that this equipment would taining quality and cleanliness of eggs. last about 8 years, with annual repairs amounting to $4 or $5. * Use clean, dry nesting materials and keep the hens confined on wet days to avoid mud-tracked nests. Let Ranges Recover Rest following a rain is the best prescrip * Gather eggs daily, preferably two or three times a day. tion for drought-stricken and overgrazed pastures, reports A. H. Walker, Extension range specialist of Texas A. & M. College. * Gather eggs in a wire basket, which per mits air to circulate around the eggs, and Deferred grazing promotes seed and plant don’t put them in cases until they are cool. reproduction and increases vigor of existing forage. * Store eggs in a cool, humid but well-venti lated place. Since many ranchers have reduced num bers of livestock, they should be able to defer grazing on one-fourth of their pastures with * Market eggs regularly and frequently. out damaging the remainder. Mr. Walker recommends that, if possible, grazing be de Maintain Quality of Farm-Stored ferred for 3 to 6 months, or until frost. If Grain pasturage is needed sooner, wait until the grass matures and produces a seed crop. The Texas Agricultural Extension Service Pastures with the most native grasses and vegetative cover will make the best recovery in the shortest length of time and should be deferred first. During the growing season, better results will be obtained by removing all livestock from the pasture. Pastures can be grazed moderately during the winter, as this practice will help distribute plant seed, as well as provide some forage for livestock. advises that once farm-stored grain is dried to safe moisture limits, certain practices should be followed in order to maintain the quality of the grain during the storage period. The following recommendations are made. 1. When the grain has been dried to the proper moisture content, reverse the fans and pull the air down through the grain. Keep Eggs Cool and Clean 2. Check the grain temperature at least once each week. High temperatures and low humidity are two of the greatest enemies of good egg 3. Check the moisture content of the grain monthly. 4 AGRICULTURAL NEWS LETTER 4. Aerate as often as necessary. 5. Check insect activity at least twice monthly and fumigate as required. 6. Keep records on grain temperature and moisture content. The publication Maintaining Quality of Farm-Dried and Stored Grain, Bulletin No. L-233, discusses the above recommendations in detail and is available at local county agents’ offices in Texas. Stubble Management Proper stubble management on harvested fields of wheat, oats, and other small grains is the key to increasing both soil fertility and crop yields in the northern Blacklands of Texas, according to a recent report by the Texas Research Foundation. sanitation, reports W. S. Allen, Extension agricultural engineer of Texas A. & M. College. Under a revised program of the Food and Drug Administration, if wheat contains more than two rodent pellets per pint — or com parable amounts of contam ination — or contains 2 percent or more, by weight, of kernels visibly damaged by insects, it does not meet the minimum requirements of wheat for food. Wheat not meeting these standards must be disposed of in nonfood uses. Wheat stored on the farm as security for price support loans will be sample-tested at regular intervals and at the time of delivery to the Commodity Credit Corporation. The new requirements do not apply to 1954loan or -purchase wheat, except that if any 1954 wheat is resealed on the farm, it must meet the new sanitation standards. Last year’s wheat not meeting the standards can be delivered to the CCC under the provisions of the 1954 loan and purchase agreement program. T. C. Longnecker, chief soil scientist at the foundation, recommends that nitrogen fertilizer be applied to the stubble, which then should be disked or otherwise worked into the soil. The nitrogen aids in decompo sition of the straw and the formation of Information on the revised sanitation pro organic matter in the soil. Without nitrogen, gram may be obtained from county Agricul the straw rots slowly and has a depressing tural Stabilization Offices or from local effect on the yield of the next crop. county agricultural agents. Many farmers have followed the practice of burning stubble in order to avoid the Seventy-six percent of the Nation's sheep depressing effects of the slowly rotting stub and lamb population of 30,931,000 is in 15 ble. If this practice is continued, the organic states. Eight of the top states are in the west matter in the soil eventually is destroyed, ern and southwestern sections of the country: leaving it sterile and unproductive. Texas, Wyoming, California, M ontana, A yield of 20 bushels of wheat or 50 Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Oregon. bushels of oats per acre usually results in They account for 53 percent of the sheep and yielding a ton of straw. The recommended lambs in this country. The other seven top application of nitrogen fertilizer is 20 pounds states are located in the Midwest: Ohio, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, for each ton of straw. Nebraska, and Illinois. They provide 23 percent of the national total. Grain Sanitation Farmers who wish to take advantage of the 1955 price support program on wheat must meet more specific standards of grain The Agricultural News Letter is prepared in the Research Department under the direction of J. Z. Rowe, Agricultural Economist.