Forage Foundations

It's a week before harvest and suddenly a hail storm blows through and wipes out the crop you have worked so hard to grow this season.  What can you do?  Two years ago, City Slickers Farm, LLC found themselves in this situation and salvaged most of their crop with quick, proactive thinking.

By Scott Rowntree, Pioneer^® field agronomist and certified crop advisor
Agriculture has seen many technological advancements that have led farms to be more efficient, productive and profitable.  Aerial imagery is one of these technologies that can help farmers scout their crops more efficiently.

By Nathan Hrnicek, Vita Plus forage products specialist
Producers across the Midwest have been asking when they should harvest first-crop alfalfa.  Two great methods to help predict alfalfa quality prior to harvest are the PEAQ stick and scissor clippings.

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
Each year, dairy producers and custom harvesters ask, "Can I use chlorinated or city water to mix my inoculant?"  With a few exceptions, the answer is yes, but watch for extremes.

From Iowa to Michigan, consultants report on planting and alfalfa harvest progress.

While we do our best to put up high-quality forage each year, sometimes Mother Nature has other plans.  What is your strategy when disaster strikes your forage bags?

By Kyle Taysom, Dairyland Laboratories, Inc.
Forage minerals can have many impacts on animal health and production.  Although minerals are relatively inexpensive to supplement, failing to account for the variation of minerals within forages can lead to substantial over- or underfeeding.

By Jon Erickson, Mycogen^® Seeds
Once the seed is in the ground, how can you decide a reasonable outlook for the crop in the fall?  Uniform plant emergence can tell you a lot.

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
Nutritionists sometimes use RFV and RFQ to describe how a certain forage is feeding.  However, these two values mean more when you compare the relative dollar value of different forages in the market.

By Dr. Brian Luck, University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor and extension specialist
Planter technology has advanced rapidly over the last five to 10 years.  New planter technologies are being designed to improve seed placement and overall planting operation efficiency.

By Dr. Michelle Windle, Vita Plus forage products and dairy technical specialist
Moving and re-ensiling silage is never ideal because it exposes the silage to oxygen and predisposes the feed to spoilage.  However, you can minimize the impact of this practice with a few preventative steps.

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
In a couple months, we'll be counting on our forage inoculant applicators to apply inoculants reliably and accurately.  How we ease them into service could have a huge impact on how they perform throughout the harvest season.

When spring comes around, farmers get anxious to get the planter out and hit the fields.  Before you can start putting seed in the ground, make sure you give your planter a proper preseason check.  Don Seltzner, Mid-State Equipment, said these are some of the key areas you should check before hitting the fields.

By John Grabber, USDA ARS research agronomist
Alfalfa has typically been replaced in rotations with corn, partly due to the greater dry matter yield.  However, new research has found interseeding alfalfa into corn can jumpstart production of alfalfa the following year and increase yields.

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
For the past 40 years, Midwest corn growers have increased plant populations in an effort to find that happy place where optimum yield and quality meet.  At the Wisconsin Custom Operators and Midwest Forage Association Symposium, Dr. Joe Lauer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, spoke about research conducted to find that 'sweet spot.' 

By Jon Urness, Vita Plus national forage specialist
It can be frustrating when you feel like you did everything correctly to put up quality forages and then the fermentation analysis shows a volatile fatty acid profile that is far from perfect.  In this particular case, the producer had unusually high acetic acid levels and we sought an answer.