How forage particle size and NDF digestibility interact to affect dry matter intake (DMI) and milk yield is a hot topic among dairy nutritionists...

Producers in the Midwestern, Western, and Northern states are no strangers to the benefits of alfalfa. They know alfalfa is an excellent source of protein and digestible energy for livestock...

Generally speaking, trends in the forage industry develop at a sluggish pace. There are probably good reasons for this lack of alacrity. It takes time for technologies to develop and even more time fo...

Over two-thirds of all agricultural land in the U.S. is grasslands, with a large economic value as well as many ecosystem benefits. Forage crop systems enjoyed maximum popularity in the middle of the 20th century after the Dust Bowl era, with pastures and hayfields recognized for their soil conservation benefits. In those times, the land-grant college system provided significant funding, infrastructure, and support for a relatively large number of forage crop scientists...

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 fiber digestibility in dairy cattle...

When I moved to Wisconsin in 1988, one of the things I noticed in short order was that baling hay of any size, shape, or type was a minimal, if not nonexistent summer activity on most dairy farms. Thi...

Fermentation is a wonderful process, and fermented feeds can be successfully stored for years. For example, following a drought and lesser forage inventories within the Midwest several years ago...

With the wet conditions and challenges in making dry hay this year, there’s been a lot of discussion and ink dedicated to making baleage. Round and square bale silage certainly has become as c...

Wide windrows are routinely recommended for hay silage, but a drive through farm country during forage harvest season still finds many narrow windrows. Narrow windrows represent “Goldilocks management” with the top of the windrow getting too dry, the bottom remaining too wet and only the middle getting “just right.” ...