Forage storage and management

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.

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).

Fermentation is the anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conversion of sugars into acids (i.e., lactic acid). The sooner oxygen is eliminated from the silage storage unit, the sooner fermentation begins and the pH can drop. A slow pH drop can result in greater dry matter loss.

What is the most cost-effective way to store ensiled feeds? When considering storage options for ensiled forages and grains, this question inevitably comes up. Let’s go through some generic comparisons.

To ensure a successful drive-over silage pile is achieved, planning, preparation and communication are essential. These success areas and many more are showcased in the Vita Plus Building Safe and Successful Silage Piles video.

Mold spores are everywhere - in the air, on your skin and on the plants we harvest for animal feed. Certain weather conditions during the growing season can promote the growth of molds.

Maximizing homegrown forages is appealing to dairy producers, especially as they face tough market conditions. Many considerations should be made to ensure you don’t lose money in the quest to save it.

Spoilage is a challenge that all producers face at some point and the cost of not addressing it can be high.  For example, if corn silage is worth roughly $40 per ton, a 5,000-ton pile is worth $200,000.  Even a 1% loss on this pile means a loss of $2,000 worth of feed.  Typical losses from spoilage easily exceed this number.  Preventing spoilage means feed stays in the pile and money stays in your pocket. 

The final step of harvest – and one of the most critical steps – is to effectively cover and seal our bunkers and piles to limit oxygen and protect forages. We depend on bacteria to ferment and preserve forage, and virtually all these bacteria need a low-oxygen environment to efficiently do the job.

By Cody McCary, Vita Plus | It is an exciting time of year!  In northern states, fields are greening up and life seems to be coming back from what may feel like a frozen tundra at times. In southern states, warmer temperatures have returned and, in many areas, annual crops have been planted, providing hope for the year to come.

By Michelle Chang-Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus | A rapid decline in pH is crucial to achieving an optimal silage fermentation, preserving silage nutrients, and maximizing the feed’s value. Research-proven bacterial inoculants are valuable tools in driving this rapid pH decline amidst the variables that can affect the ensiling process.

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.

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.

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.

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.