BEAUMONT: We focus on peak feed value, weather harvest logistics and retaining feed value in storage.
How do you store forages on your farm?
BEAUMONT: Bunker and tower silos.
Does feed storage density matter to you? Why?
BEAUMONT: Greater density equals a consistent feed ration, fewer toxins and more cows fed.
What do you typically see in terms of feed storage density? How does this compare to your goal density?
BEAUMONT and HUTTON: Our corn silage is at 20.94 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot and haylage is at 18.63 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot. We always fight weather and crop stage to achieve higher densities.
How will you try to improve or maintain the density you currently have in upcoming harvests?
BEAUMONT: We aim to manage fill rate, moisture levels and stick to a strict continuous packing regimen. For our tower silos, we will inspect the seals on the doors, and we have to develop a better distribution system for filling our 24-foot silo.
What type of feedout process do you currently use?
HUTTON: We feed out the whole bunk – 30 feet wide by 14 feet high – using 10,000 pounds of feed across the entire face daily. The haylage bunker is 30 feet wide by 7 feet high, and we feed out 4,000 pounds per day.
How is this process important to your overall feed management?
HUTTON: It helps us keep the feed fresh to keep intakes high.
How has the use of an infrared camera helped you in your bunk management and feedout decisions?
HUTTON: The camera lets us know if there are hot spots and if we are keeping up with the weather so we can do a better job managing what we can’t see.
Have you had any toxin issues in the past, and what were the consequences on herd health?
HUTTON: There were no toxins in the winter, but we started using Alltech’s mycotoxin management program when it got warmer. We noticed feed intakes recovered when it was added.
How do you currently monitor toxins in your forages?
HUTTON: We submit samples to a lab about two or three times a year. We watch intakes closely and monitor feed rejected to dictate when we will send in samples. If there are no toxins present, we watch milk production.
What changes have you made to your nutrition program based on the toxin analysis?
HUTTON: We use Dairyman’s Choice probiotics, kelp and a toxin binder to keep intakes up and cows healthy.
What forage management tools would you recommend to other dairy producers? Why?
BEAUMONT: We have open-ended, dual-sloped bunks that allow for continuous packing and access to fermented feed. During harvest, we arrange multiple shifts of labour to enable non-stop harvest and bunk covering without robbing staff from the dairy.
Sidewalls are covered with plastic, and we focus on density of the edges and ramps. Instead of a blade, we use a loader to carry and place the feed when filling the bunker silo.
HUTTON: We keep moisture consistent (corn silage at 40 to 45 pounds dry matter and haylage 45 to 50 pounds dry matter) and use an inoculant.
SMALLDairy
Erimar Farms Inc.
Tavistock, Ontario
93 milking cows
Martin and Erica van Rooyen, owners
Name the top three areas you focus on during forage harvest.
VAN ROOYENS: Moisture level in feed, packing quality and ensuring enough time between loads to properly pack the feed. (Faster is not better when it comes to quality packing)
How do you store forages on farm?
VAN ROOYENS: Haylage is stored in bunker silos and corn silage in tower silos. We prefer corn silage in the tower silos as we don’t have to worry about birds picking through the plastic in search of corn.
Does feed storage density matter to you? Why?
VAN ROOYENS: Yes, because the quality stays better, as mold in feed is a bad thing for cow health. As well, we can store more feed in a smaller bunker and we can feed more cows without building more feed storage.
What do you typically see in terms of feed storage density?
VAN ROOYENS: Between 18 and 23 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot. The average feed storage density in bunkers for haylage is between 12 to 15 pounds of dry matter per cubic foot, so our goal is always to be better than our density from the previous year.
How will you try to improve or maintain density in upcoming harvests?
VAN ROOYENS: We communicate our feed storage density with our custom worker so he can work on getting more weight on the equipment for packing.
As well, by communicating the numbers with our custom worker, it is motivating for him to know that he is doing better every year and that he knows we are monitoring our density numbers.
What type of feedout process do you currently use?
VAN ROOYENS: I take feed from the entire face, from top to bottom, and I try to section the bunker face over three days (so I feed out the entire face from left to right over three days).
We have a tower silo with corn silage from last year, and we will open that silo up once we put in fresh corn silage. Then we avoid feeding green corn silage. If we do have to feed out green corn silage, we try to go down as fast as possible to stay ahead of the heating.
We try to feed out 2.5 feet per week in a 20-foot diameter tower silo.
How is this process important to your overall feed management?
VAN ROOYENS: It is important to stay ahead of the heating so we stay ahead of the mold, which is better for cow health and reproduction.
How has the use of an infrared camera helped you in your bunk management and feedout decisions?
VAN ROOYENS: With the infrared camera, we could see that the bunker heats up more on the outside. By communicating that fact with our custom worker, he can concentrate more on packing against the outside walls.
Have you had any toxin issues in the past, and if so, what were the consequences or challenges for herd health?
VAN ROOYENS: Yes, we have. The greatest consequence is on reproduction.
How do you currently monitor toxins in your forages?
VAN ROOYENS: We do not have a formal system of monitoring the toxins in the forages. Rather, if we see our reproduction numbers slipping, we will first test our forages for molds.
We have sent away samples with Alltech for a thorough testing of more than 37 molds, and that helped us determine that our high-moisture corn was a problem and we switched to dry corn.
What changes have you made to your nutrition program based on the toxin analysis?
VAN ROOYENS: We started using Alltech’s gut health program with our pellets. We feel it really helped as our reproduction numbers improved once we started using it. PD
