Silage Article Archive
Dairy Specialist Offers Fall Forage Harvest Options
Mike Hutjens, University of Illinois extension dairy specialist, suggests three scenarios for fall forage harvesting. “We have plenty of late-planted corn and soybeans, which could be nipped by an early frost,” says Mike Hutjens. “It is important that dairy producers understand the alternatives and strategies...
Equipment Explosion
Companies offer many new machines and upgrades for 2008
A wealth of new forage-handling and processing equipment is ready for grower inspection and use this spring. Eighteen hay and forage machinery companies...
Silage Density Variations Reduce Forage Quality
Dry matter densities of corn silage vary widely within bunkers and piles, reducing the opportunity to feed consistent, high-quality dairy forage, according...
Ryegrass Cover Crop Increases No-Till Corn Yields In Dry Years
Annual ryegrass used as a cover crop with no-till corn can out-produce conventionally tilled acres by an average of 50 bu/acre in droughty conditions...
Wide Swaths Improve Drying, But Not Silage Quality
Laying alfalfa in wide vs. narrow swaths improved its drying rate but had little effect on silage quality in a University of Delaware study...
Best & Worst Silage
Baleage can be top-quality forage, but there's less room for error than with chopped silage, says Les Vough. Some of the best silage I have seen has come...
USDA Adds Forage Insurance Options
Two new federal crop insurance programs - Rainfall Index and Vegetation Index - are available for pasture, rangeland and hay acres in several states for the...
Lined Bunkers Stop Spoilage
Plastic isn't just the last thing Bill Rowekamp deals with when filling bunker silos. It's also the first. That's because he lines his empty bunkers with...
Not-So-Promising Partners
Ken Albrecht was optimistic that growing climbing beans with corn would increase silage yield and protein content. It looked like a good way for Wisconsin...
Barely Baleage
Kenny Schmidt and Sean Hartung had 400 acres of alfalfa down, and rain was eminent. At just over 20% moisture, the crop wouldn't quite make dry hay. But...
