Forage harvesting

By Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
Warmer temperatures create the perfect environment for spoilage in your forages. Chang-Der Bedrosian explains how a forage inoculant with L. buchneri 40788 can help prevent spoilage, as well as when you are better off not using it.

By Steve Murty, Vita Plus forage products specialist
Customers ask this question each year before planting season, and it may still be asked several times per year on the same acre. To answer this question, you need to examine the various components that make up the soil environment.

By Dr. Matt Akins, University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant scientist
Last year’s growing season was difficult for many forage growers, and several producers made the decision to try sorghum forages with varying success. If you are looking to continue growing sorghum forages this year, keep these tips in mind.

Stephanie Jens, Lallemand Animal Nutrition, and Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus
Safety is a value at Vita Plus, and we remind all our customers, staff, and industry partners to be safe during forage harvest and throughout the year. This video offers tips to follow when working around forage bunkers and piles.

By Andrew Heath, Legacy Seeds agronomist
Yield is the most important component of an alfalfa crop’s profitability equation, and proper management of insect pests will preserve yield potential for greater feed quality and stand longevity.

By Jon Rasmussen, Vita Plus dairy technology specialist
No matter what your fields look like, it is advantageous to know when the feed in storage will be used up, and frequent measurements and projections of your feed inventory will help reduce any anxiety you may have going into planting and harvest. 

When he started his own custom harvesting business in 2007, Beauchamp admited, "I had no clue what I was doing." But he recognized a need for quality forage, and today KB Custom Ag Services employs 250 people and harvested 150,000 acres in three states last year.

Frustrating planting, growing and harvest conditions have encouraged more farms in the Midwest to look at alternative forage sources to feed their livestock. If grown and harvested correctly, these crops can have great nutritional value.

Hemp is now legal to grow in the U.S., and we continue to learn more about the plant each year. The tough, fibrous plant is traditionally hand-harvested, but Hughes explained how it can be harvested mechanically.

Kernel processing score is so important to progressive forage harvesters because a dairy cow can't access the starch in an unprocessed corn kernel and can experience a drop in milk production within 12 hours from a reduction in starch calories.

Custom harvesters are asked to do a lot of things when it comes to packing a bunker or pile, but what happens when it becomes unsafe? Orr spoke from personal experience and provided his solutions to "making it all fit."

You spend all year trying to maximize forage yield and quality, but now you need to preserve it. Using forage inoculants can help preserve as much forage dry matter as possible.

By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist, and Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
Frost has settled in across most of the Midwest. Freezing temperatures will affect silage fermentations and, if you find yourself in this situation, here are some management tips.

By Dr. Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
Sudangrass and other grasses come with a potentially deadly challenge in the form of prussic acid. This problem is further complicated after a frost, but proper management can help minimize detrimental effects.

By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist
Starch digestibilities are expected to be lower than ideal in many situations this year, and many producers are wondering what they can do to compensate for low starch levels. It helps to first understand how starch is protected in the kernel.

By Steve Murty, Vita Plus forage products specialist
As harvest season wraps up, producers will soon be swarmed with yield data from countless sources. This trial data can be overwhelming, so we broke it down to make it more manageable and to help you make the best decision for your production.