As the world population continues to grow, farmers are faced with the synonymous demand of producing more with less. For the dairy farmer, this demand isn’t limited to milk production but rather applies to all facets of their farm, which includes crop production. Dairy specialists from Iowa State University, Gail Carpenter and Jennifer Bentley, explored how farmers can make the most out of their feed in a conversation with Margaret Quaassdorff, a regional dairy management specialist with Cornell Pro-Dairy on an episode of the “Dairy News and Views” podcast.

This last summer quickly faded into fall, with farmers harvesting corn and packing it away for storage in hopes of feeding it later in the season. Quaassdorff emphasized the importance of correctly storing corn silage as she stated, “What you do now — how you store it, harvest it, and let it ferment — is going to affect your herd for the next year.”

If stored properly, silage can last for a long time and maintain a high quality. With corn silage being harvested at the end of summer, it’s crucial to maintain the same level of feed efficiency when feeding cows with a higher energy requirement during the winter. Quaassdorff reiterated that an appropriate dry matter range for bunker silos is 32% to 36%, which helps maintain adequate levels of digestibility. Working with farms in the Northeast region, Quaassdorff explained that most of these farms are on a smaller scale and use upright silos. With upright silos, the first corn is typically up to 40% dry matter due to the pressure that pushes the silage to the bottom of the silo. It’s advised to put in the drier corn first and follow with fields that have matured later on.

Quaassdorff also highlighted that instead of chopping lower on fields to extend feed quantity, the focus should be to feed out bunks before refilling them. It’s also recommended to keep silage bags closed for as long as possible because early oxygen exposure can lower silage quality.

Another source

Aside from efficient storage techniques, there is interest in feeding cover crops, which not only promotes efficiency but also sustainability. Farmers across the nation have engaged in planting cover crops to promote soil health. Most of the silage harvested from cover crops is used to feed heifers, but if managed properly, the silage can maintain a high quality and on some occasions be fed to milking cows. The interest in cover crops is beneficial for farmers in every region of the world, and Midwest farmers are sharing this sentiment.

“We’ve had a growing interest in those cover crops out here and that’s definitely something we’ve seen a lot more people become engaged with,” Bentley stated.

Many farmers have begun incorporating cover crops into their forage management because of the solution they provide. The immense focus on sustainability and environmental conservation efforts have painted cover crops to be a useful solution and an effective method of boosting feed inventories. From an agronomic perspective, cover crops offer a benefit for farmers across the nation and provide flexibility for feeding strategies.

At the end of the day, being both efficient and effective with feed can be accredited to utilizing all of it. Carpenter emphasized that idea with the statement, “All forage can be useful.” Whether feeding heifers or dry cows, using less digestible feeds for these groups can provide an opportunity to use higher quality silage on lactating cows and inherently enhance milk production.