Cocktail forage mixes may fit in dairy rations

As dairy farms utilize more spring-harvested winter cereal forages, cocktail forage mixes are often on the list of options of what to plant next

The current state of kernel processing

Dairy

Let us join together and wish the corn silage kernel processing score a belated happy 15th birthday! Gonzalo Ferriera and Dave Mertens published the original article

It’s all about water in the San Joaquin Valley

Dairy

Dairy farming has accounted for a high proportion of farmland in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California for almost 50 years

A corn crop with multiple personalities

Corn Silage

With the 2021 corn silage now in storage, we’re gaining a clear understanding of what its nutritional value will bring to dairy and beef operations

Red clover provides benefits to dairy

Dairy

Red clover is a legume forage that may fit some situations as a replacement for alfalfa. This forage can grow on soils not well suited for alfalfa

Small grain silage under a broad lens

Dairy

Reading about small grains for silage in the middle of the summer might seem untimely; however, a post-season evaluation of small grains for silage is always good for adjusting future management

Net wrap accumulates in cows fed ground hay

Hay

Plastics net wrap is a common binding material for large round hay bales, but it can present health challenges for cattle due to buildup in the rumen

Alfalfa might ease the protein price pain

Alfalfa

The rising value of protein over the last 10 months should cause dairy producers and dairy nutritionists to reconsider the value of alfalfa hay and silage in dairy rations

Forage, a caliper, and Mars

Hay Crop

I walked into a Northern Tool and Equipment store last year, which is somewhat of an unusual event

Get your soybean meal from alfalfa fields

Dairy

with skyrocketing protein costs following a challenged growing season in South America, forage protein value is under the microscope

It’s not your typical organic dairy

Farm Visits

The greeting sign reads Prairie Star Farm, and as you turn into the drive, you may find any one of John and Meghan Palmer’s five children running between the buildings

Don’t forget the fiber

Dairy

Fiber provides bulk to diets — it’s the most important factor to account for when evaluating forages and developing dairy or beef diets

The forage offseason is here

Dairy

Every good baseball or football fan knows that the offseason is when decisions are made that often dictate future success or failure. It’s a time of reckoning and planning

Does drought stress improve fiber digestibility?

Dairy

I get more milk from my silage.” This is a frequent response from farmers when I ask about the effects of drought stress on corn silage quality

Don’t skimp on alfalfa quality

Alfalfa

With tight margins in the dairy industry, we sometimes look to reduce feed costs as a method to improve margins

Higher forage rations deserve a look

Dairy

Dairy cattle and other ruminants are biologically designed to convert forages and other fibrous feeds into high-quality milk and meat for human consumption

Corn and wheat silage anchor dairy rations

Corn Silage

The San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California is home to about 1.7 million lactating dairy cows, and that number of cows needs a lot of forage

Corn and wheat silage anchor dairy rations

Hay

HE San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California is home to about 1.7 million lactating dairy cows, andthat number of cows needs a lot of for- age

Frozen forage disruption

Corn Silage

Coming upon nearly 100 years of silage science, researchers and farmers have long recognized that successful fermentation will preserve forage and grain long into the future