| Show H A Little More Expenditure Hikes Hikes- Alfalfa Alfalfa Is la th the major forage crop cropIn cropin cropin in Utah with more than acres harvested each About third one-third of ot the total cropped land of the state is devoted to the production of this important all feed food Alfalfa Needs Many fact factors r influence alfalfa yields yields insects insects disease moisture salt salt salt but but one of ot the most important import import- ant factors factor is soil soU fertility Fertilizer Fertilizer Fer Fer- experiments conducted by Utah State University show show that phosphorus Is the most moat I efficient plant nutrient for alfalfa alfalfa- The average production production on per acre In Utah is la about 26 tons When the farmer considers all 1111 of his fixed costs in producing alfalfa he finds finds' he is ds not making any prom profit profit pro pro- fit m at at this production level level level-he's he's hes barely breaking even All AH it takes to put himself in a profit position is a 0 slight additional expenditure for fertilizer Fertility studies prove that increased yields boost profits at a much faster rate than the corresponding boost in production production pro pro- costs coots For example a 67 per cent cent increase in iri yields results results re re- on thE average In more than per cent Increase in pro pro- fit It all boils down to this The farmer must must Increase increase his yields above above- the even break-even point for this is where profit begins Field studies cond conducted in Harper Har per Box Elder County showed that pounds pounds of ot phosphate on a deficient soil Boll Increased the farmers farmer's farmers farmer's farmers farmer's farm farm- ers er's gross return from per acre no phosphate added to per cost cost of of fertilizer fertilizer fertilizer fer fer- deducted On a acre field this would mean an increase of or more than by using phosphate fertilizers In addition on the plot where pounds of or available phosphorus phosphor phosphor- us per acre were applied the phosphorus content of the alfalfa went up 30 per cent and the protein protein pro pro- tein content increased 18 per por cent These quality factors are extremely extreme extreme- ly important in milk and beet production Results of Phosphorus In a It California study steers fed ted alfalfa hay that was high in phosphorus actually gained more than two pounds per Fer day Another group of ot steers steers same same breed age weight and quality were quality were fed low low- phosphorus hay and gained only one half pound per POr day After the study was complete the results showed it had taken taken 2130 2130 pounds of phosphorus low hay to put on pounds of ot weight on the steers whereas only pounds pound of at high phosphorus hay were required for forthe forthe forthe the same weight gain in the other group of ot steers High phosphorus content in al alfalfa alfalfa alfalfa al- al falfa also fights oft off a number ot of diseases amet cattle according according accord accord- ing to a recent Utah State University sIty bulletin The bulletin tells teUs of a report on a particular disease disease di dl- sease parturient mla mla- which mia which cows It Is caused by a phosphorus low-phosphorus diet The study revealed that the phosphorus phosphorus phosphorus content of ot alfalfa on 18 19 farms farma where the disease occurred 1 was 15 per cent For top yields quality and max profits on alfalfa or any other crops grown in Utah the importance im of adequate phosphate Inthe Inthe in inthe the soil cannot be stressed enough |
