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.

Sorghum-sudangrass is a C4 (warm-season) annual. It can easily grow 10 feet tall and yield more than 5 tons of dry matter per acre during the hot summer.

What many dairy farmers do not know is the many other factors that affect NDF digestibility outside of the hybrids they choose to plant and harvest. There are both dietary and non-dietary factors that can either negatively or positively impact fiber digestion.

Each individual dairy can work with their crop team and their nutritionist to see if brown midrib is an option for their ration and for their crop system.

To counter escalating input costs, Herrington Farms Inc. focuses on three things: wringing every possible ounce of milk from their dairy herd, cost-conscious management decisions and diversifying their income stream. 

For dairy farmers, the goal for corn silage is simple: harvest the most tons possible of a highly digestible hybrid.