Improved feed management involves a lot more than how to store it. Producers can save thousands of dollars each year while enhancing nutrition, herd health and milk production.

In this Q&A, a leading industry expert explains how modern bagging systems improve nutrition, performance and overall operational efficiency.

When silage analyses show atypical acid profiles or pH behavior, the assumption is often that fermentation failed. In most cases, fermentation occurred, but microbial activity was redirected by moisture, substrate availability or oxygen dynamics.

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.

Challenges with growing seasons, weather-related harvest delays and subpar silage storage can lead to mycotoxins in stored forages. Our three-legged milking stool for mitigating mycotoxins includes: a research-proven silage inoculant, binders from multiple classes added to the TMR and effective probiotics fed to the cows to help them help themselves.

Corn silage has a risk from multiple mycotoxins, with type B trichothecenes being the greatest risk. Stored corn grains may be at greater risk due to damaged kernels and a higher percentage of foreign matter.

We’ve all seen it. Top-layer spoilage – a rind of discolored, decomposing feed often laden with yeasts, molds and mycotoxins on the top of your silage bunker or pile.

With increasing prices affecting every aspect of daily life, finding ways to save money without compromising quality is essential.

With hay prices ranging from $95 per ton for Grade 1 (125 to 150 relative feed quality [RFQ]) round bales to $190 per ton for Prime (greater than 151 RFQ) large square bales, hay is a valuable commodity on farms. We already have the labor and expense into producing the hay, but storage and feeding have a great deal to do with how much of harvested hay is actually consumed by animals.

The foundation of most diets fed to dairy and beef cattle includes forages, but making them into high-quality silage that can be fed year-round is a challenge.