Wildfires undoubtedly are one of the most challenging natural disasters, and when they occur, they create immense hardship for our farming and ranching families and greater rural communities.

When a short, wet 2019 wheat harvest left dairies struggling with expensive and moldy straw, one farm decided there had to be a better way to feed dry cows than their Goldilocks diet. That challenge sparked an idea that would ultimately set the operation apart by separating corn silage into fodder and fines.

The largest operating cost on all farms is feed, and one of the most influential variables going into feed cost and management is shrink. Whether it is shrink from spoilage, overfeeding, mixing errors or simply poor environmental conditions, it represents feed that is purchased but never consumed by the cow.

Dairyman Greg Nye knew his dairy was handling its feedstuffs too much. He didn’t like what that was costing his dairy in shrink. Given that his farm also feeds pricier non-GMO ingredients as part of its milk shipping agreement, he started looking at alternatives to how he was handling feed ingredients to save money.

Planning ahead is the key to accurate forage inventories and minimizing costly waste. Universities offer checklists and calculators to guide dairy and cattle producers, while extension specialists and feed company representatives provide practical advice on storage, sampling and shrink calculations.

November brings a shift in priorities for forage producers and livestock owners alike. As temperatures decrease and precipitation increases, safeguarding baled hay becomes a vital investment for winter nutrition.

Variability isn’t ideal for any situation on a dairy farm, but one way to get through variation is to know when it’s coming. If you tested forages when they came off the field, you should have a pretty good idea of their quality – but there may be hidden challenges you need to prepare for.