FEED & NUTRITION

When making a several-hundred-thousand-dollar investment with a piece of machinery, we typically do our homework. You can probably share stories of test-driving self-propelled forage harvesters or tractors, prior to investing hundreds of thousands in the machine.

Producing quality hay is important whether you feed your own hay or sell it to others. When producing hay for on-farm use, we do not often consider its value, but it is still important.

“You cannot manage what you do not measure.” It’s a phrase that rings true and one that every soil lab knows well. Another common message proclaims: “Soil testing doesn’t cost, it pays!”

The Goldilocks dry cow diet was developed by the University of Illinois under the leadership of Dr. Jim Drackley and his research team.

Mycotoxin contamination can affect even the most well-run dairy farms. It’s important for farmers to detect mycotoxins early so they can mitigate the risk to their animals and minimize any future health and production issues that could arise in the future.

“I want to plant more alfalfa so I don’t have to fertilize as much.” If I had a nickel for every time I have heard that, I would have a lot of nickels! That statement might apply to nitrogen fertilization of alfalfa, but all other nutrients need to be applied depending on soil and/or tissue levels.