If the silage storage process were a movie, oxygen would be cast as the evil villain. This gas can infiltrate covered silage and sabotage the amount of dry matter available at feed out
Photo: Blake Layton, Mississippi State UniversityThere has been an invasion. Fall armyworms are marching in record numbers across hayfields and pastures from the mid-South to Ontario
As the seasons will soon begin to change, so will grazing management for many operations. Instead of continuing to rotate livestock on every paddock, producers may decide to reserve some of their acres
There are some producers who swear by high-chop corn silage while others wouldn’t consider the practice. When it comes to corn cutting height, there is no one-size-fits-all
In states where livestock graze on tall fescue, grass might not be the only thing on the menu. These cattle also consume fungal endophytes that live between plant cell walls, and sometimes they can be
Corn is frequently sold “on the hoof” to be chopped for silage rather than harvested for grain. This year, there will be a number of drought-stressed acres sold off for chopping
Planting clover in mixed grazing systems has many benefits, such as adding nutritional value to livestock diets, reducing the effects of toxic endophytes in fescue, and fixing nitrogen in the soil
No matter how silage is stored, silage leachate can be a concern. It’s high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), low pH, and high reducing potential can threaten the environment
This year, many parts of the country have been stuck at one end of the moisture spectrum or the other. Some areas are parched while others are soggy, and neither condition has been ideal for grazing
When producers harvest alfalfa, they are removing more from the field than just their crop. The cut forage also contains nutrients that a short time earlier were in the soil
As July rounds the home turn for the stretch run, forage plants begin to shift into a different gear. Producers might want to consider doing the same, especially those looking to bolster stored
There’s something about the feeling of a freshly made bed. Livestock can attest to this, too, but their version looks more like a new layer of straw. Even though straw is supposed to keep animals
Repairing a pasture is comparable to repairing a home, minus the hammer and nails. There is a spectrum of work that can be done, ranging from rejuvenation to renovation
Large bags or bunkers are required to put silage into storage, but something much smaller is needed to help maintain quality when the feed is taken out. Researchers at the University of Florida a
It’s no secret that alfalfa is a valuable forage. The crop is notorious for its nutritional quality, offering high levels of crude protein and an array of vitamins to many species of animals. Alfalf