Some alfalfa fields have had a rough time. If drought does not stress the crop enough, the winter ice or freezing temperatures certainly could.

Alfalfa is a high-quality, valuable forage crop that can be successfully produced on most well-drained soils.

I have attended several hay conferences and conventions early this year and the leading question to many conversations has been, “What is happening with crop production acres this year?”

It takes a certain amount of energy to move a similar weight and frontal area of vehicle at a given speed American Fork, Utah. 1965. I met a fellow who made his living traveling from place to place trimming the hooves of dairy cows.

Corn silage is a very challenging crop to feed, analyze in the laboratory and to sort fact-from-fiction with regards to selecting the best genetics for individual dairy enterprises. The challenge begins with corn silage being a “TMR plant” consisting of a grass plant with high-moisture corn attached. This raises issues ranging from more potential for sub-sampling errors in obtaining representative samples, to the energy availability being highly influenced by the degree of kernel damage.

Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye, combining the quality and productivity of the former with the vigor and hardiness of the latter. It’s also a very green means of removing potentially water-polluting phosphorus right from the soil.

Forages have been and always will be an important source of nutrients for ruminants. For dairy producers, forages are the base of the feed pyramid, the foundation on which the remainder of the diet is structured. Feeding high-quality corn increases dairy efficiency and helps reduce feed costs associated with purchased ingredients, especially protein.

Feeding adequate quantities of high-quality forages is the basis of profitable milk and livestock production. Forage production, harvest, storage and feed practices have changed greatly over the past 50 years, and silage has become a staple forage.

Forages are crops used as hay, silage, haylage, green chop or pasture for feeding animals. The forages or other feed ingredients are given to cows to be digested first in the rumen and second in the small intestine. When we feed cows, the feed is used by bacteria in the rumen. After the feeds are utilized by the bacteria and other microorganisms then byproducts of bacterial fermentation and other ruminal digesta flow down to the small intestine where they are digested and absorbed. The digesta in the small intestine is broken down and absorbed into the cow’s body to be used as energy to maintain the cow and make milk.

There are many ways to store silage on your farm. Each farmer needs to find out what works for him or her. Most farmers consider bunkers, top unloading tower silos and bagged silage before making their choice. Tower silos are the most widely used. Bunkers and silage bags have become more common in recent years.