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2007 PDMP
Silage Research Results
Our Purpose
At the heart of the Professional Dairy Managers
of Pennsylvania, Research and Development (R&D) is serving
our dairy producer members. We are looking to fill unique
voids in the R&D community in Pennsylvania today by undertaking
projects that are immediately useful to our producer members
and currently not adequately addressed by industry or the
university community.
Our Goals
The Corn Silage Hybrid Project has a two-fold
objective:
- Short Term: Provide reliable, third-party
silage hybrid research and do so in a customizable format
so that producers can determine the best hybrids for their
operations according to the unique characteristics that
are important to their situations and objectives.
- Long Term: Influence the decisions of seed
companies all the way back to the chain of influence,
to the plant breeding decision makers, so that developing
highly digestible true forage hybrids become a priority
of the commercial seed industry.
Our Structure
Research & Development is one of the committees within the PDMP organizational structure. The Corn Silage Hybrid Project is a sub-committee of the larger R&D committee. The current chairs are:
Corn Silage Project Leader
Dave Hileman
Hilecrest Farm
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Our Partners
Our great success in this project is due largely
to a unique collaborative partnership that PDMP has created.
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PDMP is the initiator and lead
collaborator of the Corn Silage Hybrid Project, an effort
to serve our producer members consistent with the purpose
of PDMP. |
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PSU Crop & Soil Sciences, under the
leadership of Greg Roth, has been contracted by PDMP
to handle the extensive logistics of planting, maintaining
and harvesting the numerous test
plots. We owe a great deal of gratitude to the support
and expertise of Greg and his team. |
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FORAGEData, under Jeff McClellan, has
been contracted by PDMP to develop and operate
the propriety data delivery system that has been the key
to turning the mountain of data into meaningful information
for PDMP producer members. We appreciate Jeff’s
unique vision and support of the project. |
We would also like to express our appreciation
to the PDMP members and project collaborators who provided
test plots for these trials.
Blair County:
Bill England
Weeping-Hollow Farms
RD 1, Box 102
Williamsburg PA 16693
Phone: 814-832-2896
Cell: 814-932-2896
Email: billy1936@earthlink.net
Dave Hileman
Hilecrest Farm
RD. 1, Box 300
Tyrone
PA 16686
Phone: 814-684-1498
Cell: 814-935-8259
Email: hilecrest@keyconn.net
Bradford County
Jeff Morse
Morse Farms
RD 1 Box 5072
Canton, PA 17724
Phone: 570-364-5535
Cell: 570-419-3311
Email: jmorse@doeblers.com
Centre County
Dan Ulmer
Guided-Path Farm
950 Blanchard St
Bellefonte 16823
Phone: 814-353-0537
Fax: 814-353-1414
Email: g-pfarm@juno.com
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Franklin County :
Lynn Eberly
Mt. Pleasant Farms
2071 Mt. Pleasant Road
Fayetteville 17222
Phone: 717-352-3586
Fax: 717-352-3586
Email: lyeberly@earthlink.net
Lancaster County:
Andy Young
Keystone Dairy Ventures - Red Knob Farm Unit
322 Balance Meeting Road
Peach Bottom PA 17563
Phone: 717-548-3813 x 2
Fax: 866-654-7236
Email: andy@keystonedairy.com
Perry County:
Logan Bower
Pleasant View Farms
RR 1, Box 75
Blain, PA 17006
Phone: 717-536-3841
Cell: 717-816-0183
Fax: 717-536-3087
Email: lbower@pa.net
Tioga County
Steve Brubaker
Brubaker Dairy
31 SR 49
Westfield, PA 16950
Phone: 814-367-5062
Cell: 814-367-2936
best to call him
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Our Success
| In only seven years, the PDMP
Corn Silage Hybrid Project has become one of the largest,
most extensive and well-respected projects of its kind
in the country. |
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2002
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2003
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2004
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2005
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2006
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2007 |
2008
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| Hybrids |
40
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63
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75
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101
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149
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124 |
131
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| Seed Brands |
12
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18
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18
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21
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22
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20 |
22
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The Project in 2008
The maturity groups for 2008 are as follows:
Group 0 = 93-97 Days Relative Maturity
Group 1 = 98-103 Days Relative Maturity
Group 2 = 106 – 110 Days Relative Maturity
Group 3 = 111 – 115 Days Relative Maturity
Group 3RW = 111 – 115 Days Relative Maturity
Group 4 = 116 – 120 Days Relative Maturity
Our Future
We are looking forward to expanding our Corn Silage Hybrid project, as well as pursuing additional future projects to benefit our dairy producer members. Currently the Corn Silage Hybrid project is establishing a Task Force comprised of seed companies, nutritionists and producers. The Task Force will address both short and long term needs of the project. The PDMP R&D
Committee welcomes your input and suggestions on this project
and other potential projects.
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