Record high fertilizer prices this winter have driven a lot of creative thinking about cost-cutting strategies for 2022. Dairy farmers are at an advantage as manure is a tremendous source of all essential nutrients, and typical rotations of corn and alfalfa/grass result in nutrient and other benefits for corn following sod.

Manure is a valuable source of nutrients and soil-building organic matter. It is always important to manage manure nutrients to maximize availability for crops and minimize environmental losses, but that is especially true this spring as fertilizer prices have skyrocketed.

Even when producers put up the right quality of feed for a class of cows, ensuring all cows have enough feed is a goal that has a few components to consider.

Even when producers put up the right quality of feed for a class of cows, ensuring that all cows have enough feed is a goal that has a few components to consider.

The topic of silage density in storage has garnered a great deal of focus in the last few decades, but it remains a key opportunity area on many farms for its role in 1) minimizing storage losses and feed quality deterioration, 2) optimizing the footprint of stored feed and resources committed to feed storage, and 3) allowing for accurate inventory calculations and management.

While weather is a constant challenge to maintaining forage supply, producers can control other threats to having enough feed.

Over the past four years, a number of groups in the Northeast have initiated efforts to increase collaboration and enhance our understanding of corn silage hybrid forage quality through existing Corn Silage Hybrid Evaluation programs.

Mold and mycotoxin development in corn ears and stalks, and the resulting corn silage, continues to be a major concern for dairy producers. Mycotoxins can result in a range of problems for livestock throughout the year as they are ingested with the feed.