Maximize your acres with high corn silage diets

Posted on March 1, 2024 in Forage Foundations
By Jarrod Blackburn, Vita Plus dairy specialist | Land prices are soaring throughout the Midwest as the competition to purchase available acres increases.  Thus, dairy producers are looking for ways to maximize their acres from harvest to the bulk tank.

Evaluating your alfalfa stand for maximum ROI

Posted on March 1, 2024 in Forage Foundations
By Steve Murty, Vita Plus, forage products specialist | The same questions arise several times every spring.  "Will my alfalfa stands survive another season?  Will there be enough forage this coming year?"  A proactive approach to answering these questions begins in late fall after you have filled the silos, pumped the pits and seeded cover crops.

Accelerate silage fermentation with silage inoculants: DRIVE and Crop-N-Rich® MTD 1®

Posted on March 1, 2024 in Forage Foundations
By Michelle Der Bedrosian, Ph.D., Vita Plus | In the world of silage production, achieving optimal fermentation and a rapid pH decline are key to preserving forage quality and maximizing feed value. The pH of the silage is one of the most crucial factors in this process, affecting the overall nutritional quality of the feed.

Use drone technology to accurately and precisely measure changes in silage volume

Posted on March 1, 2024 in Forage Foundations
By Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Ph.D., Vita Plus, and Adam Durrin, Aurox | In the agricultural industry, efficient silage management is crucial for maintaining a steady and reliable supply of feed for feedstock.  One of the challenges in this process is accurately estimating shrink during storage.  Traditional methods of estimating these losses, such as measuring the density of the pile with a drill and probe and then measuring pile disappearance, can be time consuming and prone to errors.  However, with the advancements in drone technology, there is now a more efficient and precise solution.

A peek inside: What goes into making a great inoculant

Posted on March 1, 2024 in Forage Foundations
By Mark Leggett, Ph.D., Volac International Ltd. | Bacteria are the driving force in the silage’s fermentation.  Silage inoculants are applied to speed up the fermentation and preserve silage dry matter.  Ensuring your silage is fermented by the best and most efficient bacterial strains starts in the laboratory.

Get the most from your forage with Vita Plus silage technologies

Posted on December 29, 2023 in Forage Foundations
Maximizing homegrown nutrients is a key strategy to manage costs in today’s volatile markets.  Vita Plus consultants are committed to providing service and technology to help you get the most from your forages.

Does feeding dry corn silage ‘corn-cern’ you?

Posted on November 29, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Paulina Letelier, Ph.D., Vita plus | Many farms throughout the Midwest reported harvesting drier-than-ideal corn silage this season. Here are some strategies to get the most from these dry corn silages.

New inoculant helps maximize your homegrown feeds

Posted on November 29, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Ph.D., Vita Plus | A key component of reducing purchased feed costs is maximizing the nutrients available from your forages. Quickly dropping the silage pH to preserve dry matter and preventing spoilage puts more homegrown nutrient in front of your cows. Crop-N-Rich Nexus silage inoculant helps you economically achieve that goal.

A Forage Efficiency Audit helps compare crops

Posted on November 29, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Steve Murty, and Cody McCary, Vita Plus | What combination of crops allows you to get the most from each acre? A Forage Efficiency Audit can help you compare the value of the crop you harvested to the potential value of other crops you could harvest on the same acreage.

Drone technology finds a place in feed inventory management

Posted on November 29, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Cody McCary, Vita Plus forage specialist | Measuring and tracking forage inventories is increasingly important as producers seek to make profitable decisions for their farming businesses.  At Vita Plus, our certified remote pilots have successfully implemented drone technology to provide inventory measurements of silage piles.  This new strategy provides a simple and much more accurate means of measuring inventory compared with past techniques.  The following are key reasons why drone technology may be the next step for your forage inventory management.

Expanding dairy forage research

Posted on November 29, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Dennis Hancock, Ph.D., U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center | Since 1979, the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDFRC) has contributed much to the foundational research and development that has underpinned changes in the dairy industry during the last four decades.

How much feed do you have in inventory?

Posted on August 22, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Jon Rasmussen, Vita Plus | Routine feed inventory assessments are critical for managing your livestock operations. We need to have enough feed (but not too much feed) and we also need to plan feed budgets based on what will be available. When Mother Nature interrupts normal harvest intentions, we need to measure inventories more frequently and discuss alternatives to fulfill the feed budget.

Extend forage inventories without losing milk or increasing costs

Posted on August 22, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Wyatt Smith, Vita Plus | With much of the Midwest facing limited rainfall and dry conditions, expected forage yield and forage inventories are an area of concern.  Many producers have raised the question of how to best extend current forage inventories with the goal of minimal impact to milk output and feed costs.

Forage particle size recommendations that boost cow comfort

Posted on August 22, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Rick Grant, William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute | Forage quality is an overlooked component of cow comfort. Forage particle size, NDF degradability, fragility and dietary forage percentage must allow the cow to consume feed within 3 to 5 hours per day. Too much forage fiber, poorly digested and/or coarsely chopped forage will extend eating time beyond 5 hours per day and probably limit dry matter intake (DMI).

What is that mold in my forage?

Posted on August 22, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Erin Schwandt, Ph.D., and Paige Gott, Ph.D., dsm-firmenich | The presence of mold on grains and feed ingredients has been shown to negatively impact the nutritional value, impacting energy, vitamin and amino acid digestibility. Mold also can reduce feed palatability.

Crop insurance coverage options

Posted on August 22, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Jessica Sarbacker, Lake Ridge Bank | You have different policy options to consider when looking to cover your established crops. Each of these options covers different things and has different advantages and disadvantages.