Wacek-Driver: Silage Evaluation from the Cow’s Perspective – Six Course Meal or Poor Takeout?

Posted on December 4, 2012 in Forage Foundations
With all of the factors that influence forage quality, Chris Wacek-Driver said “it’s pretty amazing we produce as many high quality forages as we do.”  Wacek-Driver, Vita Plus forage program manager, congratulated harvesters for doing such a good job during her breakout session presentation at the Vita Plus Custom Harvester Meeting 2011. Wacek-Driver said, “It’s

Orr Family: A Long History of Custom Harvesting

Posted on December 4, 2012 in Forage Foundations
The Orr family has been farming since 1946 in Apple Creek, Ohio, but the origins of silage in production agriculture dates back another 80 years to 1860. James and Jonathan Orr, the father-son team that makes up Orrson Custom Farming Ltd. related the history of silage farming, intertwining the past with their own stories of

Stieve: Telling Your Story from the Seat of a Combine Through Social Media

Posted on December 4, 2012 in Forage Foundations
Plenty of activists groups and journalists are putting their emotionally charged and often scientifically inaccurate messages into mainstream media. Marjorie Stieve, marketing services manager with Vita Plus, said it’s the responsibility of everyone involved in agriculture to balance the discussion. Stieve offered the following tips for Vita Plus Custom Harvester 2011 attendees to use when

Digman: Maximizing Harvester Productivity in Snaplage

Posted on December 4, 2012 in Forage Foundations
Snaplage is becoming a popular alternative to high moisture corn in some portions of the U.S. Dr. Matthew Digman at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center has been working field and feeding trials to learn more about this potential feedstuff. High moisture corn feeds well and can be kept in low-cost anaerobic storage. However, its

Goeser: Does Your Customer’s Forage Have a Story to Tell?

Posted on December 4, 2012 in Forage Foundations
In his role as a nutritionist for Vita Plus, Dr. John Goeser developed a report card as a means to track his performance for each dairy operation he services. This report card helps him show those dairies how well he is working for them. Goeser adapted his report card to the forage industry to help

Griswold: The Biggest Problem with Silage? – SAFETY!

Posted on December 4, 2012 in Forage Foundations
Dr. Ken Griswold has made a career out of forages as a part of the Penn State Cooperative Extension dairy team. While that does mean he’s an expert in the field, it doesn’t mean he’s immune to the dangers that come with putting up high quality forages. This past September, Griswold was working in an