July 8, 2010
Heat in Tennessee diminishes feed crop yield for cattle
Sweetwater Valley Farm in Knoxville, Tennessee is facing high heat, which has diminished much of the corn crop, leaving less feed available for the dairy cows.
Corn is needed to feed the dairy cows. "We need about 20 lbs of corn silage dry matter per day to feed a cow," said Sweetwater Valley Farm Owner John Harrison.
Sweetwater Valley Farm is the area's largest dairy farm, feeding 1,000 cows daily. "It takes a lot of corn. We go through a lot of corn," Harrison said.
However, this year's crop may only yield half of what it typically would.
"Had a nice spring and then all of a sudden in June, we had record temperatures, record heat," Harrison said. "It's at a real critical time. It's silking and pollinating right now. Both hot temperatures and a lack of rain don't help that process along any."
"In June we were behind by about six inches of rain, now we're about seven and a half inches short," said Loudon County UT Extension Agent John Goddard.
As the soil around the corn dries and cracks, the plants are turning a similar shade of brown. The leaves are curled up in a process that halts photosynthesis. The many defense mechanisms corn uses to stay alive stunts its growth.
"It's real small. This corn's a third to half the size it should be," Harrison said.
With less corn output, dairy farmers are affected as there may not be enough feed for their cattle.
"Our struggling farmers are going to have half a crop," Goddard said. "Instead of feeding this corn crop or this hay crop, now they're going to be faced with cutting back on the number of animals they can maintain on their property or buying additional feed inputs. All those things are going to cut into profit margins." Now, Sweetwater Valley Farm and others face buying the feed they once grew themselves.
