Forage Foundations

Click here to download Hoffman's PowerPoint presentation. By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist Today’s high-producing dairy cows consume copious amounts of calories to sustain milk production and no forage is better suited to provide calories than corn silage. As discussed at the Vita Plus Custom Harvester Meeting, corn silage is unique in the

Click here to download Urness' PowerPoint presentation. By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist Harvest is often a time of high stress on dairies looking to put up high-quality forages and high moisture grains.  The window of opportunity is often ridiculously narrow. Relationships between dairy producers and their custom harvesters can be stretched to

Click here to download Taysom's PowerPoint presentation.  Click here to download Goeser's PowerPoint presentation. With Dave Taysom, Dairyland Laboratories, Inc., and Dr. John Goeser, Rock River Laboratory, Inc. Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. was established in 1958 and currently has four locations, serving more than 20 countries. Dave Taysom, Dairyland Laboratories director, explained the company’s role with

Click here to download Windle's PowerPoint presentation. By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical service specialist Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was first discovered in the 19th century, with the first industrial applications in the 1950s.  This technology is used today in agriculture, physics, physiology and medicine.  The potential it holds for

By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products & dairy technical service specialist Fermentation breaks down the starch-binding proteins within the corn kernel.  As a result, high moisture corn (HMC) can feed better than dry corn due to an increase in starch availability in the rumen. However, HMC often spoils quickly upon exposure to air,

By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products & dairy technical service specialist Most producers are aware that inoculants can help minimize shrink, avoid heating, and improve forage quality, animal health, and performance.  Left untreated, naturally occurring microorganisms on plants in the field drive fermentation.  Inoculants offer a tool to control this fermentation. It’s tempting

By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist Dairy producers feed dairy cows a variety of grains, including dry corn, high moisture corn (HMC) and snaplage.  These grains are stored in bins, bags, silos and bunkers for variable lengths of time and are processed by a multitude of systems. Traditional forage testing procedures have not

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist Dairy producers have successfully harvested, stored and fed high moisture corn for many years. By now, most have the routine down pat. But when things go wrong, it’s often the lack of high moisture that causes problems.  Naturally, too much moisture can be a challenge as well,

By Jon Rasmussen, Vita Plus technology specialist Trying to get a handle on corn silage processing while the choppers are moving has gained a great deal of interest in the recent years. A few considerations can help make the evaluation a little less subjective. Start by gathering a fresh corn silage sample in a 32-ounce

By Chris Wacek-Driver, Vita Plus forage program manager, with Kyle Taysom, Dairyland Laboratories, Inc. The trend of feeding greater levels of corn silage to dairy cows and an influx of new processor designs has heightened dairy industry interest in determining optimal kernel processing.  While it's certainly not the sole factor that determines optimal dietary digestibility

By Emily Templeton, Vita Plus forage summer intern If it’s not one thing, it’s another when it comes to the up-keep on machinery around the farm.  It’s essential that we take good care of our equipment so it can last longer and we can save a few dollars down the road.  But are we looking

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist The strategy of applying fungicides to growing corn has received a lot of attention in recent years and producers have been asking themselves, “Should we get on board with this or is it a waste of my crop input dollars?” Like many new technologies, the answer seems

By Jon Rasmussen, Vita Plus technology specialist We know that packing density of corn silage is affected by a multitude of factors, including moisture, cut length, weight and time of packing tractors, delivery rate to the bunker or pile, and certainly processing methods.  But how does Shredlage® compare to conventionally processed silage in terms of

By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products & dairy technical service specialist We’re seeing a growing interest in estimating corn silage processing scores (CSPS) while chopping instead of after the fact so that we can make appropriate adjustments in the field.  Some of this growing interest is also due to higher commodity prices as

By Jon Urness, national forage specialist Getting it right when it comes to corn silage harvest and storage has become more and more critical as it’s often the dominant forage in today’s dairy rations.  And you get just one chance.  You don't get any “do-overs” or “mulligans” when it comes to putting up a year’s

Chris Wacek-Driver, Vita Plus forage program manager Alfalfa is a particularly challenging crop to ensile due to naturally occurring compounds (primarily acids and proteins) that effectively buffer the crop.  Practically speaking, this means it takes more acid - and thus more sugar - to reach the correct pH endpoint.  At moistures of 65 percent or