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.

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.

Are you making the most of your acres?

Posted on May 31, 2023 in Forage Foundations
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.

Drone technology to dial in forage inventories

Posted on August 29, 2022 in Forage Foundations
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.

Everyone should use inoculant this year

Posted on May 19, 2022 in Forage Foundations
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.

What’s my farm’s manure worth?

Posted on May 19, 2022 in Forage Foundations
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.

Feed and forage inventory management goes to new heights

Posted on March 10, 2022 in Forage Foundations
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. 

Reduce spoilage at the feedbunk

Posted on March 10, 2022 in Forage Foundations
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. 

Relationships key to 45 years of custom harvesting

Posted on November 5, 2021 in Forage Foundations
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.

5 times to communicate deliberately

Posted on June 7, 2021 in Forage Foundations

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.

Corn silage pricing considerations

Posted on June 18, 2019 in Forage Foundations

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.

RFV or RFQ: Does it make a difference? – Jon Urness, Vita Plus

Posted on May 22, 2018 in Forage Foundations

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
Nutritionists sometimes use RFV and RFQ to describe how a certain forage is feeding.  However, these two values mean more when you compare the relative dollar value of different forages in the market.

Pricing haylage and baleage – Jon Urness, Vita Plus

Posted on September 25, 2017 in Forage Foundations

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
Several times a year, a member of the Vita Plus forage team gets a call that starts like this: “I’ve got a chance to buy some haylage from a neighbor, what should I pay for it?”

With wide variation in quality, moisture, and point of delivery, the answer can be a little daunting as it depends on a number of objective and subjective factors.  Let’s tackle the objective ones first because they’re fairly easy. 

Oxygen barrier plastic: How much does it save? – Jon Urness, Vita Plus

Posted on July 25, 2017 in Forage Foundations

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
When we consider a technology that promises better forage quality, we often ask, “What does it cost?” 

In reality, a better question would be “How much does it save?”

Weighing the option to use oxygen barrier plastic under conventional plastic is a great example of that scenario.

Phantom feed thief – Gary Sipiorski, Vita Plus

Posted on May 23, 2017 in Forage Foundations

By Gary Sipiorski, Vita Plus dairy development manager
If you compare all the milking cows in the world by volume per cow, nobody can beat the U.S. dairy herd.  In fact, the U.S. dairy cow is one of the most productive and efficient milk producers in the world, and this has only increased with time. 

Alfalfa checkoff program

Posted on May 23, 2017 in Forage Foundations

Alfalfa is the fourth most valuable field crop in the United States, and it’s also a key component of sustainable agricultural systems.  Despite these advantages, planted acres have decreased for more than two decades.  Beth Nelson, president of the National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA), believes this decrease can, in part, be attributed to the lack of public policy and research into alfalfa.