Ate Co gs State co .e. /0, /#4 I Progress Report* Series No. 9 Revised April 1947 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION of The Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Auburn, Ala. * * * * * M. J. Funchess, Director FEED and FORAGE CROPPING SYSTEM for PROCESS MILK PRODUCTION in the ALABAMA TENNESSSEE VALLEY FRED STEWART, Superintendent JOHN BOSECK, Assistant Superintendent Can the present number of Tennessee Valley dairy farmers remain in the business when lower milk prices return? Four years' results from an 87-acre grade B dairy experiment at the Tennessee Valley Substation say they can, provided they establish a cropping system that yields large amounts of year around grazing and hay. Results from this experimental dairy, on which forage crops, pasture, and hay :are grown the year around, show: 1) That good grade cows on pasture, forage, and hay alone--without grain or concentrate--will produce around 2/2 gallons of milk per day. 2) That concentrate fed to such cows having an abundance of grazing and hay did not increase milk production enough to pay for the concentrate. 3) And that dairy farmers of the Tennes- see Valley using such a cropping system can produce milk cheaply enough to remain in business even in periods of low prices. FARM-SIZE DAIRY EXPERIMENT In 1942 the Alabama Agricultural Experi- mnent Station began operation of an 87-acre farm-size dairy experiment at its Tennessee Valley Substation near Belle Mina. The pur- pose was to find a logical combination of crops that would yield cheap milk for sale to process plants. In this experiment, the Station was looking ahead to the time when dairy farmers would be faced with low prices. Previous to operation of the unit, the Substation bought 20 grade heifers. These were selected for breeding capacity and milk production. Also, a registered Jersey bull of good production breeding was pur- chased. The animals were bought in 1940 preliminary to the operation of the unit 2 years .lter. After milk production of each ,ow was determined, the animals were placed in two groups of about nine cows each having a. nearly as possible the same total milk pro- duction capacity. The groups were used to test different feeding schedules andrations aimed at determining methods of producing low-cost milk. A dairy barn was designed and built to include space for storing hay, milking, caring for milk, and housing the cattle at night. The crops grown to support the dairy unit include permanent pastures of adapted legumes and grasses; alfalfa; and a legume- grain rotation consisting of crimson clover, followed by grain sorghum, which is inter- planted with oats about September 1. The crops and methods of production are des- cribed later in this publication. In developing this system, the Substation drew upon its results and its experiences from crop production experiments. PAY-OFF from SYSTEM The cows of the dairy are divided into two groups of about equal total milk pro- *Formerly Mimeograph Series. centrat 1{ed . '