FEED & NUTRITION

Chemicals used in forage production – namely pesticides and herbicides – represent a significant investment. Despite the impressive price tag, they are far from indestructible.

Considering the past few years, farming and growing forages has not been easy.

Soybeans can be harvested as a hay or silage crop. Soybean forage, similar to most legumes, tends to be high in protein and low in fibre (relative to grasses), making soybeans an excellent forage if harvested properly.

Inside every storage structure is an invisible battle between “good” and “bad” microorganisms. If the good guys win, the prize is tons of nutrient-rich silage.

“Baling dry hay in the last 10 years has meant getting maybe 50 percent of the crop with little to no rain, but 50 percent with significant rain and long lay times – up to three weeks – if waiting for dry hay,” says Ryan Sommerfield of Medstead, Saskatchewan.

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen – known colloquially as CHON – are the four elements that form the building blocks of all life. Without CHON, fundamental elements such as water, protein and even DNA simply would not exist.