Forage fragility impacts on ration fiber

Posted on February 21, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Kassidy Buse, University of Nebraska | The quality and characteristics of forages can have direct impact on milk production and profits.  We typically focus on characteristics such as starch content, protein content and NDF digestibility as we include forages in rations.  But as the attributes of fiber and its fractions have continued to be explored, forage fragility has emerged as an area of interest.

Crop selection: Ask the cow what she needs

Posted on November 21, 2022 in Forage Foundations
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By Dr. Zach Sawall | We often focus on growing crops to maximize tonnage, and we figure out how to deal with that feed once it’s in the bunk. A more economical approach is to look at what the cow needs and focus on growing forage to meet those needs.

How do we feed low-moisture corn silage? – Dr. Darin Bremmer, Vita Plus

Posted on September 26, 2018 in Forage Foundations
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By Dr. Darin Bremmer, Vita Plus regional sales manager
Parts of our market area have experienced extreme flooding, while others have seen drought.  In many of these situations, producers will have to work through their unique challenges to harvest and feed low-moisture corn silage.

Snaplage ‘recipes’ to minimize milk fat depression – Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus

Posted on September 25, 2017 in Forage Foundations
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By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist
This past summer at Vita Plus, we evaluated a new ration formulation sub-model that accounts for the rumen unsaturated fatty acid load (RUFAL) in the ration.  Research has demonstrated that feeding dairy cows excessive levels of RUFALs has a negative effect on milk fat test.  In fact, in our summer project, more than 50 percent of the variance in milk fat percent across herds could be explained by accessible RUFAL concentrations in the diet. 

Ration considerations during low milk prices – Randall Greenfield, Vita Plus

Posted on March 22, 2016 in Forage Foundations

By Randall Greenfield, Vita Plus dairy specialist
Low milk prices are here. Again. And they’re expected to stick around for the rest of the year.

All things forage: You pick a topic (Barry Visser & Dr. Darin Bremmer)

Posted on February 24, 2015 in Forage Foundations
With Barry Visser and Dr. Darin Bremmer, Vita Plus dairy technical service specialists, Dr. Randy Shaver, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr. Larry Chase, Cornell University When it comes to forages, custom harvesters and dairy producers always have questions to ask and topics to discuss. In a panel discussion at the recent Vita Plus Custom Harvester

Shredlage: What we’ve learned (Dr. Randy Shaver & Dr. Larry Chase)

Posted on February 24, 2015 in Forage Foundations
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Click here to download Shaver's PowerPoint presentation.  Click here to download Chase's PowerPoint presentation. With Dr. Randy Shaver, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Dr. Larry Chase, Cornell University Shredlage® is becoming popular, yet many questions still surround the logistics of this harvesting strategy. Dr. Randy Shaver, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dairy Science Department, shared results of his