Forage Profile

Describe your farm and facilities. I used to milk 80 head with my brother on our home farm and kept our show cattle where I currently farm. When we sold the other farm, I began farming here. This farm has been in our family for almost 150 years. The cows are housed in what used to be a show barn that contains 20 tie stalls and four box stalls. There are also seven stalls for calves. I used to have a show pack across from the calf stalls where cows stood just like they would at a show. From early spring to late fall, the cows are outside day and night on pasture. They are hardly ever on concrete. I have no barn cleaner or silo unloader, so most everything is done with skid loader or by hand. I’ve always bred for type. The forage has to be pretty good to get the pretty girls to milk. I still breed to show, but it’s harder to get away now. I do some merchandising of cattle and periodically place cattle in sales.

What forages do you harvest? I harvest hay, baleage and corn silage.

How many acres of crops do you raise? I raise 300 acres total. This includes 150 acres of corn (50 acres corn silage and 100 acres grain) and 150 acres of alfalfa (100 acres pure alfalfa and 50 acres alfalfa grass, festulolium and other mixes.) I sell some grain corn and some alfalfa.

What quality and quantity do you harvest of each crop? For alfalfa, I try to make half dry hay and half baleage. The baleage is really good quality to feed my cows. I shoot for 25%-35% moisture for the baleage. If it’s wetter, it’s harder on the baler. If it feels dry, I like to do it immediately. I try to make the best straight alfalfa with as much protein as I can. For dry hay, I shoot for 17% moisture. I do 250 big squares and 100 big round bales. For baleage, I do 250 bales. I had massive crops this year on the ground. It was amazing the amount of hay that was out there. I would be happy with half that amount in a typical year. For alfalfa, I have planted mixed varieties, and it works pretty well. They kind of compete against each other. I’ve had pretty good luck that way, and they get through winter a little better. For corn silage, I plant a different hybrid every year that goes grain or corn silage. I shoot for around 60% moisture. For the rest of the corn, I lean towards grain with a 95-100-day maturity. I have sandy loam soil, and a cover crop has really helped. It gives the soil some body, and you see green through the fall. If I get corn off early enough, I usually plant rye as a cover crop before the ground freezes.

Describe the rations for your livestock. I do not feed a total mixed ration. I feed free-choice baleage all day and limited corn silage. In winter, I feed fourth-cutting baleage, corn silage, and big squares of alfalfa. Cows also receive grain, protein and mineral in the barn. I individualize their feed in winter and pump more protein. I give more feed to higher-producing animals but mostly feed everyone as a group. Bred heifers and dry cows roam on about nine acres of pasture and also eat dry hay and corn silage. Younger heifers receive higher protein and less fiber. Everyone gets free-choice mineral and salt.

Describe your harvesting techniques for alfalfa and corn silage. I try to get four cuttings of alfalfa every 28-30 days. For the grass/alfalfa, I shoot for three cuttings in between the four cuttings of alfalfa. The first and fourth cuttings of alfalfa I usually wrap as baleage. I have an individual wrapper that I bought five years ago that saves me a lot of time. I used to use a sickle cut mower on my alfalfa, but now I use a discbine. It goes so much faster; you can cut a lot of feed. I also use an individual bale squeezer for doing hay. It flops bales on their side and stacks them 2-3 high, and they seal better with the weight.
I found that helps a lot, especially if you go 6-8 months before feeding. You have less spoilage as it maintains quality better. For corn silage, I have a processor on my chopper. I pretty much do the harvesting myself except for a guy who helps me unload. I was done chopping corn silage around Labor Day this year. I rent a bagger and have two wagons for unloading. I also use a line wrapper that I borrow from a custom guy that uses a little less plastic because you don’t have to do the ends.

What techniques do you use to store, manage and feed your forages? I chop enough corn silage to fill my two 9-foot by 200-foot bags. It takes 35 acres to fill the two bags.
I make baleage as well as round bales and big squares of dry hay. I put acid on dry hay as a preservative with the baler. I like doing that because you get more leaves. It clumps and hangs together making it easier to carry around. I feed free-choice hay and baleage. I keep roughage in front of the cows at all times. It keeps them healthy and the rumen doing what it’s supposed to be doing.

Throughout your career, have you changed the forages you plant, and how has that decision helped your operation? I usually look at the breakdowns of varieties of alfalfa. I want something that falls right back for a 28-30-day cut. I aim at seeds that give four cuttings in dry ground or wet ground. I also pay attention to digestibility on the grass varieties and winter hardiness on alfalfa. Mixing varieties helps. When it comes to alfalfa, lower lignin is better quality. They make genetic improvements for a reason, and the genetics in it are key. Digestibility and how it works with another crop are also factors for me. In corn, I look for high digestibility yet also something that will dry down for shell corn.

Describe a challenge you overcame in reaching your forage quality goals. Weather is a constant challenge. You have to have rain to make hay, and you have to have dry weather to make hay. The wrapper helps a ton. If it looks like it’s going to rain, we’ll bale and wrap. That’s a big change from years ago.

How do quality forages play a part in the production goals for your herd? I breed for type, not milk. But the better forage I can put up, I can at least get milk if I’m not getting to show. Also, when you feed quality forages to youngstock, they grow better, and you can cut back on other proteins.

What are management or harvesting techniques you have changed that have made a notable difference in forage quality? Using equipment such as a wrapper, bale squeezer and discbine have allowed me to make better-quality forages in less time.