Silage

The 2018 silage harvest is complete, and it’s time to plan seed purchases for next year. But how do you make informed choices about next year’s hybrids without having a decent grasp on how your herd is responding to this year’s crop?

Most farmers wouldn’t go to town without some sort of shopping list, either in his or her mind or on paper.

Early adopter – that’s how many would describe Ray Robinson of Moo Mountain Milk Inc. in Burley, Idaho.

Personally, I am a very visual learner. It is easy for me to “grasp” a concept when I can physically “grasp” it. With this in mind, I sought to create a visual aid to help explain the difference between pure alfalfa silage and hay crop (alfalfa-grass mix) silage using a method from Kurt Cotanch.

Beef cattle production systems are dependent on forages, which are often of low quality, and the impact of forage quality on cattle performance becomes greater as the percentage of forages in the ration increases.

From TMRs and chop length to oxygen exposure and inoculants, a producer’s understanding of silage production and qualitative indicators has never been greater.