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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.