Inoculants contain live, viable bacteria and need to be handled carefully, though not much different than how you treat vaccines for your livestock herd. You want to keep heat, moisture and oxygen away from inoculants.
Timing is everything when it comes to silage harvest, so monitoring plant dry matter becomes critical. Learn how to best hit the sweet spot for your harvest and reduce shrink during the season.
Cropping manager Dave LaCrosse shares tips for growing and harvesting silage, along with challenges he faces every year. Learn a few tricks to making the perfect silage pile.
Many producers utilize custom harvesters to bring in their forages for ensiling. We’ve got tips on building a strong relationship with a custom harvester in order to secure high-quality feedstuffs.
Ever pull back the plastic and know immediately just by the smell that greets you that something has gone terribly wrong with your silage fermentation? We’ll examine what that smell means and what may have happened.
At a towering 16’ tall, corn native to Oaxaca, Mexico grows up to 10 aerial roots [compared to two in a typical plant] that secrete gel to help nitrogen-fixing bacteria survive.
When forage isn’t efficiently packed, plant respiration is extended, which increases heat production and nutrient loss. Learn why dry matter loss is affected by packing density.
What quality of alfalfa and corn silage are the current conditions expected to yield? Forage expert, Dr. John Goeser with Rock River Laboratory, shares what he’s seeing in alfalfa and what he expects for corn.
There are many types of microbes that naturally occur on forage crops in the field. Their populations vary with the weather during the growing season, crop management practices and the plant’s stage of maturity.
A good quality inoculant contains specially-selected dried, but viable, microbes. A little care in how the product is handled can help ensure it works effectively once added to your forage.
Is the bunker or silo ready? It’s never too early to start preparing for corn silage harvest. Corn moisture, particle size, packing density … don’t miss this refresher of harvest considerations from Penn State.
