Forages

Fibre first: Unlocking digestibility for resilient and profitable dairy herds

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Fibre digestibility plays a pivotal role in dairy cow nutrition, directly influencing dry matter intake (DMI), rumen health and milk production. The drought of 2025 intensified challenges in forage quality, particularly in Ontario and Quebec, prompting producers to explore innovative nutritional strategies.

Profitable milk starts with quality forage

kathleenshore@grandvalley.com — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

To make high-quality silage that drives milk production, your focus should be on preserving energy, protein, and digestibility, minimizing spoilage, and maximizing intake potential.

What happened to my haylage?

birwin@vitaplus.com — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

One of the most critical factors that drives a robust silage fermentation is the moisture content of the forage.

Fine-tuning haylage and cereal silage quality for different life stages within the herd

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The arrival of spring always offers a sense of renewal and a promise of new beginnings as the fields turn green, making it the ideal time to set haylage quality goals for the year. Generally, when discussing haylage quality, the conversation is usually centred around forage quality for the lactating herd, as it makes up the largest percentage of feed being consumed.

How can we determine the ideal amount of corn silage in dairy cow diets?

jplaroche@lactanet.ca — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Producers who work with corn silage sometimes wonder about the optimal proportion of this ingredient in their diet. Answering this question is no easy task, as the effects of changing it are multiple and complex. Let's look at the facts to guide our decisions.

Precision starter guide for hay and forage equipment

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The use of precision technology has been a pivotal evolution for agricultural practices, aiding farmers in crop management, resource optimization and operational efficiency.

Focusing on corn silage makes cents

matt_groen@cargill.com — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The economic impact of high-quality corn silage is often underestimated. A corn silage harvest with excellent starch availability, exceptional fibre digestibility and ideal fermentation profiles can mean milk production and components come easily while maximizing forage in the diet.

Maximizing corn silage quality: Key decisions for a successful harvest

ashley.knapton@corteva.com — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The growing season has a large impact on our corn silage, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have options to manage the variables.

Hot Cows Hate Hot Feed: How to Prevent Contamination and Boost ROI

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 01:00:00 -0400

Cows, with their lineage tracing back to the Ice Age, thrive in cooler temperatures ranging from 40-60° Fahrenheit (°F)/4.4 – 15.6 ° Celsius (°C). As summer temperatures soar, highly productive cows face heat stress challenges and that becomes more challenging when fed unstable, heated and spoiled feed. This feed is a breeding ground for harmful microbes, compromising intake, performance and profitability. Understanding the risks of unstable feed and taking appropriate steps to minimize issues is crucial to safeguard cattle health and bolster the bottom line.

Clean, consistent feed can improve cow resilience

benjamin.saylor@churchdwight.com — Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Cows crave consistency, and it’s imperative that we provide them with a consistent ration, using clean feed mixed properly and delivered at the same time every day.

Forage season success starts with first cutting

maxime_tarte@cargill.com — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Harvest timing, length of cut and correct packing are all key to high-quality forage production in 2024. It all begins with a quality first cutting.

Artificial intelligence in animal feeding

rkern@wardlab.com — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

I am sure we have all heard about how artificial intelligence (AI) is taking over the arts. Need an article written or a picture? Just ask ChatGPT. Well, the film industry has been open about their fear of being replaced by AI.

Preparations for bunk stability

ben.jensen@hubbardfeeds.com — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

A total mixed ration (TMR) diet has long been used to consistently offer a high-quality mix to ruminants. It allows farms to incorporate almost any ingredient into the diet consistently, safely removing much of the variation from one mouthful to the next.

Preventing hay fires on your farm

cheryl@peoplemanagementgroup.com — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Fires on farms are very dangerous and scary situations. The best course of action is taking steps to prevent any fires before they start.

Smart feeding can lead to increased milk in robotic herds

jenn@agproud.com — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 08:43:52 -0400

The year is 2015, and the philosophy for feeding a robotic milking herd is to feed limited energy at the bunks so the cows go to the robots for the remainder of their nutrient requirements; more energy available in the robot means more visits and ultimately more milk.

You can teach an old dog new tricks

katie_raver@rockriverlab.com — Wed, 17 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

We’ve all heard the proverb “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” implying that once we become accustomed to doing something one way we are hesitant to change. However, when evaluating corn silage processing score (CSPS) or kernel processing score (KPS), this may not apply.

'Probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics, oh my!'

mikayla.baxter@perdue.com — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 13:44:03 -0500

Animal efficiency is key to supplying the growing population with sustainable agriculture. There is also a growing concern of antibiotic usage and resistances in animal agriculture, encouraging the assessment of alternatives to maintain animal efficacies.

Time your manure applications and use cover crops to maximize ROI

mlw@umn.edu — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 11:16:03 -0500

Protect your bottom line by timing your manure applications closer to crop nutrient demand and keeping the ground covered with a living root year-round.

Healthy cows face hidden aflatoxin challenges

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 16:30:45 -0400

It comes as a surprise when some of your herd’s top performers drop off in milk. Nothing has changed regarding cow management, and you verify the diet is still high quality.

Stabilize milk production this fall

askidmore@lallemand.com — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 14:24:48 -0400

It’s common for dairy producers to experience a “fall slump,” or a time when cows fail to reach their full production potential. Producers also might notice decreased feed intake or loose manure.

Shopping your silage piles

katie_raver@rockriverlab.com — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 14:01:52 -0400

When following a recipe, it's often necessary to grab the correct ingredients at the store in order to get the optimal desired outcome. Similar to whipping up a cake or mixing your favorite dry rub, creating a dairy ration requires specific ingredients.

Minimizing wild yeast in 2022 silages

ben.jensen@hubbardfeeds.com — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 13:25:14 -0400

Silage is not immune to the many challenges we face on the farm, and the risks begin before it even becomes silage. Agronomists do their part in helping you grow an excellent crop that should yield excellent feed for the coming year.

I have manure; I don’t need anything else

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 12:30:21 -0400

Manure is a great source of fertilizer in today’s agricultural industry. It supplies a healthy dose of the primary nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). I will refer to P2O5 (phosphorus oxide) as P and K2O (potassium oxide) as K going forward.

Managing forage inventory: Planning = profit

wesley_moore@cargill.com — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 14:05:43 -0400

By now it’s no secret: Hay yields have been a little short this year. Coupled with the fact that we carried over very little inventory last winter, it is time to do some serious planning to survive winter feeding this year.

Optimum vitamin nutrition in dairy cows

erin.schwandt@biomin.net — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:58:32 -0400

In order for an animal to reach optimal health and performance, we must first understand the nutritional requirements of the animal, depending on their age and stage of production.

How the dairy industry is embracing regenerative agriculture

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 12:42:15 -0400

Regenerative agriculture is a phrase growing in popularity within agriculture. Corporations are using the phrase to market their products and grow their businesses.

Small-grains silage: Big opportunities for your forage program

rschmidt@lallemand.com — Mon, 30 May 2022 02:14:49 -0400

Cereal crops are best known as primary ingredients for flour and beverages like beer. However, they are also an important source of nutrients for livestock.

Alfalfa to improve the digestibility of forage in the diet

gaetan.tremblay@agr.gc.ca — Fri, 13 May 2022 17:50:34 -0400

Alfalfa is the most widely grown forage legume in Quebec, due in part to its high yield potential and high nutritive value. However, the quality of alfalfa decreases as the plant matures.

Producers’ views on the value of outdoor access

annemarieke.smid@ucalgary.ca — Wed, 04 May 2022 04:18:24 -0400

Recent research from Europe and Canada has demonstrated cows have a strong preference to be on pasture, especially during summer nights.

The growing toolbox of weed management

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 13:00:01 -0400

University researchers are testing methods for controlling herbicide-resistant weeds at harvest.