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.

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.

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.

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.

Silage pH: How low is low enough?

Posted on June 1, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Cody McCary and Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Ph.D., | Butyric fermentations occur in silages that are wet and have a high pH, which creates the ideal growth environment for Clostridia. A low pH is our best tool to combat clostridial fermentations, and the faster the pH can decrease the better.

Trial shows delayed sealing’s negative impact on forage quality

Posted on June 1, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Ph.D., Vita Plus | The initial phase of making silage is the aerobic phase and it is characterized by the presence of oxygen.  The aerobic phase begins when the plant is cut in the field and continues until the silo is sealed (either the plastic is laid on top of the silo or the bag silo is sealed) and oxygen is consumed by the upfront fermentation. 

Less spoilage. Less shrink. MORE FEED FOR YOUR HERD.

Posted on April 19, 2023 in Forage Foundations
One strategy to control costs on your dairy is to retain of much of your homegrown forages - and the nutrients they contain - as possible.  Choosing the right inoculant and oxygen barrier plastic will help you limit dry matter (DM) loss and spoilage.  

7 things to think about when you get into new-crop corn silage

Posted on February 21, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Keith Lesmeister, Ph.D., Vita Plus dairy specialist and Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Ph.D., Vita Plus forage specialist | The silo was sealed well, the applicator was winterized, the chopper was cleaned and put away, and hopefully, the harvest crew finally caught up on some much-needed sleep.  Temperatures dropped and, hopefully, so did the silage pH.  Now it’s time to start feeding that corn silage.

Right-sizing your feed pad

Posted on February 21, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Jon Rasmussen, Vita Plus | While farms may “break the rules” of forage storage every now and then, the goal should always be to SAFELY store forages with nearly zero oxygen exposure.  If you find yourself frequently breaking the rules, it might be time to resize your feed pad.  Following are four rules to help you in the planning process.

Inoculants with L. hilgardii provide more flexibility in feedout timing

Posted on February 21, 2023 in Forage Foundations
By Renato Schmidt, Ph.D., Lallemand Animal Nutrition | Quality forage inoculants can be used to control the fermentation and quality of forages, as well as enhance the overall value at feedout. A newly available inoculant offers flexibility in feedout by allowing a silage to be fed as soon as 15 days post-ensiling.