The sticker shock of feed prices have been a sucker punch for dairy farmers over the last year, and there doesn’t seem to be much relief in sight. Elevated feed costs have forced some producers to grow more of their own forages this season, including corn silage. While prioritizing growing quality forage is a must, proper feed ingredient storage is equally important, especially during the hot summer months.
The effects of delayed planting are still being felt, and silage quality may be another potential victim. The good news is producers can make adjustments during harvest and ensiling to maximize the quality and quantity of silage available to feed.
As spring arrives and farmers get the itch to head into the field, take proactive steps to ensure feeding success in the fall. Make sure you’ll have enough old-crop silage to give new-crop silage time to cure after harvest.
Key factors to making excellent-quality silage are forage quality at time of harvest, suitability of forage for ensiling, harvest and preservation techniques and storage methods. But how do you control these factors?
Legumes and grasses pose unique challenges when fermenting to become a high-quality haylage. Understanding the conversion of the hay crops into a high-quality fermented feed requires attention to a variety of management factors.
