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Fall frost is an annual concern for livestock producers because of the potential for prussic acid poisoning, but the potential for toxicity in livestock is of wider concern this year because of drought, an Ohio State University Extension forage specialist says.
The question was asked during a safety presentation “Do we still need to be concerned about silo gas if we only have bunker or pile silos?” Fair question and the answer is yes.
Let’s start with the basics of silage fermentation and the production of silo gas.
When does equipment pay for itself? Determining when a capital investment moves from breakeven to profitable is tricky.
Since the useful life of the equipment is longer than one year and is often financed for a period of years, it’s a question that every producer or service provider should ask. There is a certain peace of mind knowing that your investment actually does pay.
The dry weather of 2012 has left most livestock producers in the Midwest scrambling for more hay. First-cutting hay yields were down 20 to 40 percent in much of Michigan and with the dry weather intensifying, total hay yields for the year could be off by 50 percent or more.
In order to feed ruminant animals such as beef cattle, sheep and others through the winter season many are looking for ways to stretch their feed resources.
Some soybean producers may be considering harvesting severely drought-stressed soybean fields for forage this summer. This is not an easy decision and producers should consider the value of the soybean grain compared to the value of the soybean forage.
Other considerations include impacts on crop insurance payments, federal disaster aid and feeding restrictions for all pesticides applied to the soybeans.
Hay growers have traditionally been advised not to harvest alfalfa when the cutting is likely to take place four to six weeks before the first killing frost.
Harvesting at that time can put the crop at increased risk of winterkill.
The United States Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS) enacted a requirement in the mid-1990s in many Western states that required all forage and straw possessed on these lands to be certified noxious weed-free.
Drive-over piles have become popular storage systems for many livestock operations today, but too often this silage never makes it from the pile to the feed bunk.
This loss in feed is commonly referred to as “shrink” and is measured by subtracting the total tons of silage fed from the total tonnage ensiled.
Fires that damage or destroys hay and barns – resulting in building replacement, feed replacement and lost revenues – cost area farmers thousands of dollars each year.
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