Of the several types of silos used commercially, pile silos, which ensile forage under a plastic cover after packing, are popular in many areas, especially on large farms
During the Major League Baseball off-season, the phrase “hot stove league” denotes the period of time when a flurry of team transactions set the stage for the next season
Besides providing energy for maintenance and lactation, forages stimulate chewing and salivation, rumination, gut motility and health, regulate feed consumption, and are the structural basis of the ruminal
Similar to how my brother (an Air Force pilot) redirects his focus when conditions change, I’ve shifted the focus of my nutrition talks and meetings from discussing ways to boost production or gains
Butch Lay and his wife, Lisa, are survivors. In addition to survival skills, Butch is also an experimenter, a person who is not afraid to make a wrong decision, and someone who values feed and forage
Turkeys and dairy farms or feedyards shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence. However, some farmers feed turkeys and birds in addition to feeding their dairy cows or feedlot cattle
The decision to purchase forage can be easy when stocks are low and forage availability is scarce. Under this scenario, the decision relies on purchasing whatever is available
Understanding and managing a farm’s inventory should not differ much in concept from that of a grocery store. While the products will be quite different, the end goal is the same. The grocery
Long-time nutritionist Steve Woodford (left) and Tom Kestell regularly discuss forage quality tests and associated ration adjustments for Kestell’s high-producing dairy herd
Although corn silage is the predominant forage fed to dairy cows in the United States, sorghum has become an important silage crop as well. This is related to some of its unique characteristics
Improved legume species and varieties have the most impact on a pasture’s ability to support high milk production. Are you getting the most out of your pasture in terms of high-quality forage
The combined effects of feed ingredients and nutrients included in dairy cow rations, diet physical form (particle size), and the cow’s level of dry matter intake (DMI) all combine to influence
If you ask most dairymen what their biggest fear was when they made the switch to a custom harvester, the answer is usually if the cutter will show up on time. After a few years of getting to kn
When talking about interpersonal relationships, we may frequently say, “What I don’t know won’t hurt me.” The flip side of this is saying “Ouch! Knowing that really hurts!”
Seth HoytAuthor of The Hoyt Report, providing hay market analysis and insight. Three dairy nutritionists in Central California say dairies they are working with are feeding 8 to 10 pounds
