Forage Foundations

To Josh Parker, owner of Parker Forage LLC, communication is one of the biggest factors that leads to a successful harvest. He shared why this is important along with other points he wished you knew about custom harvesters.

By Dr. Michelle Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
The decision of which inoculant to use is an important one. With so many challenges this growing season, this is not the year to skimp on inoculants, but you also need to decide what inoculant is best for your situation.

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist, retired
Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." In a word - attitude, and starting the day with a positive thought or experience, can help a lot.

By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist, and Dr. Michelle Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
This spring's excessive rainfall could complicate harvest of small grain silages. Here are some key points to keep in mind if you're putting up wet small grain silages.

By Randall Greenfield, Vita Plus dairy specialist
Producers often ask for help assigning fair prices to buy or sell forages. Corn silage is one of the easier forage values to calculate. Use these tips and considerations if you are trying to price your corn silage.

By Jerry Ruetten, Vita Plus dairy specialist
Handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectrometers promise dairy producers instant feedstuff analysis in the palms of their hands. While the technology is still fairly new, we tested some of these devices and have some advice to help you get the most out of them.

By Phil Krueger, Mycogen Seeds nutritionist
Although corn silage planting has been significantly delayed this year, it is still the preferred forage of choice, and here are some things to keep in mind as we head into late-June and early-July.

By Dr. Michelle Der Bedrosian, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
The excessive rainfall this growing season has many forages going into the bunker wetter than normal, which predisposes these feeds to some bad bacteria. If you suspect you have some bad bacteria in your feeds, here are some options you have available.

By Nathan Hrnicek, Vita Plus forage consultant
Producers will soon be wondering when they should harvest alfalfa to maximize yield and maintain quality. These eight practices can help you control alfalfa quality throughout the harvest process.

By Dr. Damon Smith, University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor and extension specialist
In the last 10 years, foliar fungicide applications have gained popularity in alfalfa meant for dairy production. These applications can be used to target foliar diseases, but they are now also being used to boost plant health and to protect yield potential.

By Steve Murty, Vita Plus forage products specialist
In the pursuit of greater alfalfa yields, farmers have inadvertently selected seed that requires heavier equipment to harvest. Research has shown driving on fields, especially when conditions don't support it, can cause soil compaction and significant yield reductions.

By Jon Erickson, Mycogen Seeds commerical agronomist
Uniform plant emergence is one important factor to grow a successful crop each year. Hopefully you don't have an issue with emergence, but if you do, use these guidelines to help you work through this process.

By Abby Neu, University of Minnesota extension educator
Ash can be internal or external. External ash is undesirable soil contamination, provides no nutritional value, adds unnecessary weight to forage, which increases cost, and can be influenced by the type of hay rake used.

​By Dr. Eric Schwab, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist
Mycotoxins are present in a wide range of livestock feeds. If you determine that a mycotoxin challenge exists, here are 3 mitigation strategies to help alleviate the situation.

By Steve Murty, Vita Plus forage products specialist
Seed treatments, such as seed coatings, can provide the seed more protection once it is planted, but examining the individual components of the treatment will help determine its value.

By Meghan Gebhardt, Silostop regional manager
Each year, silo plastics help preserve quality silage, however, it also creates several thousand pounds of waste.  Luckily, other options to limit plastic waste are growing in popularity.