Business and economics

When it comes time to assess your harvest success, a critical factor is the economics of your crops. A tool developed by Vita Plus 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, such as high moisture corn (HMC), earlage or corn silage.

“My neighbor is selling haylage.  What is it worth?” This question has been posed to dairy and forage consultants countless times.  The answer depends on numerous factors - both subjective and objective.  When broken down, the process isn’t as daunting as it may initially seem.

Feed inventories can make up as much as 50% of a producer’s current assets, depending on the time of year that inventories are measured. Bankers often look at metrics that take current assets into account, such as current ratios (current assets divided by current debt) and working capital per cow (current assets minus current debt, divided by total cows).

Feed makes up more than half of the costs on a dairy farm. In recent years, more attention has been given to the cost of feed shrink. More indoor feeding centers are being constructed in the Upper Midwest.

Fecal starch is a major quantifier of a TMR’s starch digestibility, which can make or break a dairy’s feeding program.  The key to determining the cause of a suboptimal fecal starch percentage is to examine the individual starch sources in the diet.

Selecting corn hybrids is an important step in shaping the nutritive value of corn silage, which directly impacts the productivity and profitability of a dairy operation for the next year or more. However, many factors should be considered during hybrid selection, including multiple nutrients and other traits related to yield, plant health and drought resistance.

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.

By Cody McCary, Vita Plus | Maximizing the forage production from your available land base is pivotal because forage availability and quality can have immense impacts on your purchased feed and ration costs. Forage production efficiency can be best evaluated by determining if the gap between agronomic decisions and the nutritional needs of your dairy herd is bridged.

With Terry Seubert, Vita Plus IT services development coordinator, and Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage and dairy technical services | Drone technology can help producers dial in their forage inventories and better manage their feeding programs.

Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus – The value of silage has skyrocketed, which means the penalty of dry matter loss has also skyrocketed. In today’s markets, we cannot afford to skip inoculants.

Ashley Blackburn, Vita Plus – Plants can’t distinguish between manure and commercial fertilizer, so taking advantage of these nutrients can help you manage fertilizer costs for crop production. Many factors can affect the nutrient composition of manure and the nutrient availability to plants. Understanding these factors can help you put a dollar value to your farm’s manure.

By Dr. Matt Gabler, regional business manager New technology now provides us with a safe, easy, insightful, and accurate means to evaluate and measure feed and forage inventory and management.  Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – often referred to as drones - aren’t just for the military to protect our freedom; they are useful tools in maximizing operations in a wide variety of applications – including forage and feed management. 

By Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical service Laboratory analysis of yeast counts finds the majority of silages in the Midwest are undergoing active spoilage during the spring, summer and fall months.  However, when asked, most producers say they do not have a spoilage problem.  This hidden spoilage problem can be a major source of forage shrink and can also lead to decreased milk production, intakes, animal health, and farm profitability. 

With Bob Headrick, Dias & Fragoso forage consultant A 45-year career in one industry gives a person a lot of perspective. Bob Headrick wouldn't describe his career as a forage custom harvester in California as smooth or easy. Several parallels can be drawn between the hurdles he faced and the challenges of today’s farms and custom harvesters. For Headrick, good relationships were key to overcoming obstacles.

By Peter Coyne, Vita Plus sales manager
Preparing your team to work together, to think as one, to understand the importance of safe and efficient work as they harvest, and to store exceptional feed requires deliberate planning and communication.  It is never safe to assume everyone is on the same page.

By Randall Greenfield, Vita Plus dairy specialist
Producers often ask for help assigning fair prices to buy or sell forages. Corn silage is one of the easier forage values to calculate. Use these tips and considerations if you are trying to price your corn silage.