By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
How much feed can I store in a drive-over pile given a certain area?
University extension services have some excellent tools to help you determine how much feed can be stored in a drive-over pile given a certain area. Vita Plus also has a very comprehensive Feed Inventory Projector Program.
Justin Brown is an agronomist with Ag Partners Coop based in Goodhue, Minnesota. He works with producers throughout southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist, and Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical service specialist
Last November, we received a call from a Vita Plus consultant in southwest Wisconsin asking about some yeast and mold counts. He was helping a producer determine the effects of mixing a TMR and feeding it only once every three days to his prefresh group. He took samples on each of the three days and submitted them for analysis. He repeated this twice (Mix 1 and 2 from Farm A). We sampled another mix for comparison in a similar way (Farm B).
By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical service specialist
Dr. Tom Chamberlain is a veterinarian, nutritionist and member of the Silostop® technical team. A silage expert, he consults with dairy farms, veterinarians, milk buyers and government bodies throughout England and Wales, and is the senior author of the standard textbook on dairy cow nutrition in the UK. He recently shared his insight and interesting data on an increasingly popular feedstuff in the Midwest – baleage.
By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical service specialist With lower milk prices, producers are all the more focused on getting as much value as possible from the resources they have. One way to do this is by producing high-quality baleage. Recent research from Dr. Dan Undersander at the University of
By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
A kernel processing score between 60 and 70 has been widely considered as “ideal.” However, that might not necessarily be true depending on harvest moisture. Wetter corn silage has the potential for greater starch digestibility while drier silage may have far less starch digestion potential given the same processing score.
Question: What makes the most financial sense? Building a bunker or drive-over pile to store my forages?
Answer:This question inevitably comes up when considering storage options for ensiled forages and grains. The answer, of course, is always “it depends.” For any specific situation, the ultimate solution could be different than the next. For the purpose of this article, however, I’ll make some generic comparisons.
By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
We all know things get slick in the winter time, but that’s especially true around forage bunkers, piles and bags where moisture and loose plastic add to the challenge. Here are five reminders to help keep you safe as you work through the cold months...
By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical services specialist Every three years, the world’s foremost silage scientists gather to discuss the newest discoveries at the International Silage Conference. This year, 268 delegates from 39 countries gathered for the 17th International Silage Conference in Piracicaba, Brazil, held at a renovated sugar mill. Ground-breaking research premiered
By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist It is not uncommon to receive a forage analysis for corn silage that reports a crude protein content less than 6.5 percent. In fact, we sometimes see crude protein content of corn silage dip below 6.0 percent. In contrast, when we examine crude protein book values for
By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist What is the best storage option for high-value ensiled feeds like high moisture shelled corn (HMSC), ear corn or snaplage? The answer depends on the definition of the word “best.” For some, “best” could mean “easiest.” For others, it could be the option that yields the most
The Vita Plus forage team recently developed a new, simple-to-use tool for measuring corn silage processing roll gap and chop length in the field. A series of four cards, each measuring 0.75 mm in thickness, will enable operators to verify roll gap simply by inserting the cards between the processing rolls at various locations. If
In this video, Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical service specialist, details strategies to keep inoculant bacteria alive. A few common-sense strategies can significantly protect the effectiveness of inoculants and make the most of your investment. Visit our YouTube channel for more helpful tips.
In this video, Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist, explains the simple steps of cleaning and maintaining your inoculant applicator. Taking a few minutes to clean applicators can prevent major downtime when you're chopping. Visit our YouTube channel for more helpful tips.