A record total of 1,066 samples comprised the field of entries for this year’s World Forage Analysis Superbowl. The highest placing samples were on display last week at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis.
Alex and Mary Olson from Breezy Hill Dairy in Dallas, Wis., submitted this year’s Grand Champion entry. It was entered in the standard corn silage class and had a 30-hour neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD30) of 60.9 percent and a milk per ton value of 3,746.
The Grand Champion First-Time Entrant in this year’s contest was submitted by Judd Farms in Waterville, Minn. It also was a standard corn silage entry having an NDFD30 of 61.2 percent and a milk per ton value of 3,760. The First-Time Entrant award is sponsored by Kuhn North America.
Dairy categories are placed based on forage analysis (60 percent), visual assessment (20 percent), and milk per ton (10 percent). Commercial sample criteria are forage analysis (70 percent) and visual assessment (30 percent). Dairyland Labs, located in DePere, Wis., performed the laboratory testing of each sample.
More than $25,000 in cash prizes was doled out to the champions and the top four placing finishers in each category.
Quality Counts awards were given based on forage fiber digestion rate, often referred to as the Kd rate. The criteria for these awards changes each year and is unknown to participants at the time of sample submission. Fredrick Farms, Owen, Wis., entered this year’s winning corn silage sample, having a fiber digestion rate of 9.02 percent per hour. Prairieland Dairy, Belleville, Wis., entered the top Quality Counts hay/haylage sample, which had a Kd rate of 9.80 percent per hour. Croplan by WinField United sponsored the Quality Counts awards.
Organizing partners for the 2017 contest were DairyBusiness Communications; Dairyland Laboratories Inc.; Hay & Forage Grower; U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center; University of Wisconsin-Madison; and World Dairy Expo. Additional monetary support is provided by Mycogen Seeds as a Platinum Sponsor and the National Hay Association along with Passion Ag Inc. as Silver Sponsors. Individual category sponsors are listed below (Photo credits: Harlen Persinger).
Grand Champion Forage Producer
Pictured from left: Eugene Rodberg of Kemin (sponsor); winners Alex and Mary Olson from Breezy Hill Dairy (Dallas, Wis.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
Champion Baleage
Pictured from left: Philip Lynch and Mark King of Agri-King (sponsor); winner Katherine Guither (Walnut, Ill.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
2nd Place – Brandenburg Hay and Cattle, Monticello, Ill.
3rd Place – Kendall Guither, Walnut, Ill.
4th Place – Pounder Bros Inc, Delavan, Wis.
5th Place – Darin Cox, Merom, Ind.
Champion Commercial Hay
Pictured from left: Dave Hallberg, NEXGROW (sponsor); winner David Hinman of Hardrock Farms (Wheatland, Wyo.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
2nd Place – Kamps Alfalfa Farms, Darlington, Wis.
3rd Place – Lazy 2K Livestock, Wheatland, Wyo.
4th Place – Kendel Davis, Center, Colo.
5th Place – Rooster Ranch, Casper, Wyo.
Champion Dairy Hay
Pictured from left: Jeremy Hayward, W-L Alfalfas (sponsor), winners Donald and Nancy Hasselquist (Osceola, Wis.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
2nd Place – S & B Dairy, Sigel, Ill.
3rd Place – Harry F. Adams Jr., Byron, Ill.
4th Place – Gene Nehls, Hustisford, Wis.
5th Place – Triple P Farms, Effingham, Ill.
Champion Grass Hay
Pictured from left: Luke Wilson, Barenbrug USA (sponsor); winner Teri Hinman from Lazy 2K Livestock (Wheatland, Wyo.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
2nd Place – Rosedale Seeds, Oxford, Wis.
3rd Place – Cozy Nook Farm, Waukesha, Wis.
4th Place – Pounder Bros Inc, Delavan, Wis.
5th Place – David Blank, Ixonia, Wis.
Champion Haylage
Pictured from left: Taylor Weisensel, Ag-Bag (sponsor); winner Daniel Olson from Opportunity Acres (Lena, Wis.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
2nd Place – Daryl Payne, Sullivan, Wis.
3rd Place – Brown Star Farm, Gillett, Wis.
4th Place – Den Mar Acres, Greenleaf, Wis.
5th Place – Twin Cities View Dairy, Manitowoc, Wis.
Champion Organic Hay
(Winner not available for photo)
1st Place – Joseph Beachy, Bonduel, Wis.
2nd Place – Opportunity Acres, Lena, Wis.
3rd Place – Luisier Lane Farm, Lena, Wis.
4th Place – Wilke R Organic Farm, Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
5th Place – Blue Collar Holsteins, Cuba City, Wis.
Champion Standard Corn Silage
Pictured from left: Brian Walsh, Agrisure (sponsor); winners Dennis and Tom Wojciehowski (Porterfield, Wis.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
2nd Place – Martin Vanderstappen, Lake Geneva, Wis.
3rd Place – Hinsch Farms, Goodhue, Minn.
4th Place – Prairieland Dairy, Belleville, Wis.
5th Place – Linder Farms, Stockholm, Wis.
Champion Brown Midrib Corn Silage
Pictured from left: Matt Karls, Mycogen Seeds (sponsor); winner Trevor Baier from Baier Creek Farms (Elmwood, Wis.); and Al Deming, board president of World Dairy Expo
2nd Place – Daystar Dairy, Little Falls, Minn.
3rd Place – Chaffee Farms, Barker, N.Y.
4th Place – Co-Vale Holsteins, Preble, N.Y.
5th Place – Tayl-Wind Farm LLC, Cassville, N.Y.
