Silage Management
The impact of corn silage on a dairy’s bottom line is a year-round priority. From field agronomics in the summer and packing at harvest to nutritional balancing and ROI analysis during the winter feeding months, silage management demands constant strategic adjustment. This collection of insights explores how to optimize forage performance, milk production and cow health.
Corn silage performance comes down to a handful of decisions in the field and at the bunk that ultimately show up in how cows eat and how much they produce.
Taking time to inspect bunkers, silos and bags now can help catch small issues early.
In Brazil’s driest regions, sorghum silage offers a lower-cost, drought-tolerant alternative.
Boot stage or soft-dough? The timing of triticale harvest can change what your cows get from the feed.
Camelina may be unfamiliar to many, but it’s emerging as a low-risk option for smarter crop rotations.
With BMR corn becoming less available, short-stature corn is emerging as a silage option that can still improve fiber digestibility.
As seed companies phase out brown midrib corn silage hybrids, producers are reevaluating how to maintain forage quality and milk production without the once-popular option.
Choosing the right hybrids and learning from last year’s harvest can set up a stronger silage season.
Silage harvest moves fast, and so do the risks. Clear communication and thoughtful preparation can help keep crews safe and the season on track.
Silage harvest success starts long before the chopper rolls, with early planning, plant monitoring and team coordination key to capturing high-quality feed.
Mycotoxins pose a hidden threat in dairy feed, but understanding what triggers contamination and taking early action can help protect herd health and performance.
Practicing good “silage hygiene” helps ensure a quality product that does not contain mold, mycotoxins, or other potentially damaging pathogens that can jeopardize silage quality, feed value, and even animal safety.
Making silage out of soybeans is highly possible, and may be a growing trend in homegrown dairy forage production.
The equipment builder is adding to its lineup of crop harvesters with two new forage choppers — the first completely new silage management machines from Deere since 2019.
Once the darling of dairy nutrition, BMR corn hybrids have fallen partially out of favor thanks to yield drag compared to conventional hybrids.
The dairy of the future doesn’t have to be flashy—it just needs to be efficient, sustainable, and built around cows, labor, and market access, says Pennsylvania farmer Steve Harnish.
That perfectly balanced ration, carefully curated by your nutritionist, looks ideal on paper -- or, more likely, in your feeding software. But how often does the prescribed formulation actually make it to your cows?
The 2024 World Forage Analysis Superbowl marked the 40th anniversary of the contest rewarding the quest to produce quality forages
Farmers have learned to live by one of life’s biggest lessons – always expect the unexpected. But sometimes even the unexpected can still cause us to pause and scratch our heads.
When you see steam rolling off of silage at load-out, is it reason to panic, or just another day? According to the silage experts at Novonesis, it could be either.
Silage samples with high ammonia (or soluble protein) consistently contain lower amino acid levels. Could subpar silage fermentation be causing this?
Could triticale silage replace corn silage in lactating rations without sacrificing dietary energy and starch? The answer might surprise you.
Three options for farm plastic recycling include...
The modern dairy cow is bigger than ever. To maximize her performance, raisers must be attentive to growth starting at birth.
Switching from one batch of silage to the next can be tricky. Here are some tips to help minimize disruptions.
Feed-out of new-crop corn silage has begun on most dairies, and it appears this crop may be more prone than normal to silage collapses.
With the start of the new year comes the setting of resolutions for personal habits, behaviors and practices. Dairies can and should do the same for their operations. Here are six places to start.