Advances in forage genetics, harvesting, ensiling, management practices and forage analysis – in addition to dynamic ration-balancing software – have allowed dairy farms to progressively feed increasing amounts of forage to their lactating cows.

Editor’s note: This is the first article in a series.Silage’s drive from point A to point B: This probably sounds like a bad agriculture cartoon, as silage clearly does not sit down in a car and drive.

With the 2016 forage harvest season in full swing, dairy managers will be testing their forages for nutrient content and quality. Several questions have been asked on how to evaluate energy content of forage.

In today’s total confinement dairies, cows don’t graze. They eat grains, typically fed as a portion of a TMR designed to optimize their intake of protein and energy, provide needed nutrients and maximize milk production.

The efficiency of converting feed to milk matters on farms because it has a major influence on farm profitability and environmental stewardship in the dairy industry. Dairy feed efficiency in North America has doubled in the past 50 years, largely as a byproduct of selecting and managing cows for increased productivity.

Every nickel and every dime always count, but it seems like they count more these days for dairy farmers. While the long-term outlook for milk prices is beginning to brighten just a bit, producers must still keep a close eye on every part of their business as they ride out this cycle of negative economic forces.

Want to improve your soil quality quickly? Start practicing residue management and keep a close eye on your nutrients and micro-organisms. “Residue breakdown is the best way to start next year’s crop,” said Jerry Scheppele of Full Sircle Products, located in northeast Iowa.

Matt Bomgardner has 10 years’ experience in a grazing dairy system at Blue Mt. View Farm, in Annville, Pennsylvania, which has been a grazing dairy for 15 years.

In 1970, when Keith Goering and Peter Van Soest published their USDA Handbook No. 379, “Forage Fiber Analyses (Apparatus, Reagents, Procedures and Some Applications),” they turned the nutritional world on its ear.

With profit margins squeezed due to lower milk prices, dairy farmers are examining ways to reduce their cost of producing milk. Feed cost is at the top as dairy farmers control this expense compared to fuel, fertilizer, labor and health costs, and represents 50 percent of costs of production.