The author is a freelance writer in Indianapolis, Ind. He recently traveled to the Netherlands to interview dairy farmers and processors.De Jong normally lays down six layers of grass silage (a layer
“For bunker silos and drive-over piles and similar storage methods, the uppermost layer of forage is more prone to oxygen exposure and loss of dry matter and nutrients,” Iowa State’s...
SilageSnap, a new app available this July for your mobile device, can provide dairy producers and custom operators an accurate method for checking the kernel processor roller settings during harvest
The uptick in alternative forages in dairy cattle diets across the country has drawn many researchers to the question of what nutritional profile do they offer when included in rations
Safe bunks require top planning. Corn silage harvest season is upon us. While chopping in the southern United States may be wrapped up, many locations in the North are just gearing up for this busy time...
On the road to preservation, silage goes through four phases: aerobic, fermentation, storage and, finally, feedout. During the anaerobic phase, the crop uses up sugars and protein while it respires. At...
by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor We've all seen silage spoilage. The flecks of colored mold sprinkled throughout a bunker. The layer of discoloration across the middle of a face. The thick, black crust...
"Too wet, too dry and just right," Goldilocks would say when evaluating corn silage, with just right being our goal! Growing high-yielding, high-quality corn is only half the battle when it comes to silage...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives April 13, 2015: "Storing and preserving next year's silage" presented by Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois brought to you by Lallemand Animal Nutrition
Effluent planning can be done now to make harvest easier this year Growing up on a small dairy farm, silage effluent wasn't something I was overly aware of other than it smelled, and I tried not to get...
Make no bones about it; winter has arrived. The season's early onset, on the heels of a late growing season, has created its share of problems, as corn silage acres across the Midwest are left standing....
Haste makes waste. An idiom that's long been applied to children completing their household chores is just as relevant to our corn silage harvest and storage. Occasionally, in the haste to stay ahead of...
Across much of the U.S., corn silage harvest is slowly wrapping up. Poor weather conditions during last year's growing season left corn silage inventories tight for many producers. Due to this, there may...
Silage piles aren't always a best buy. Producers and consultants often jump to the conclusion that flat feed storage is the most economical. They could be wrong
With half of the country now in a drought disaster area, if there was ever a year for dairy farmers to take reducing silage losses seriously, this is it. The most silage you have is when it is standing...