Effectiveness of Equipment to Speed Hay Drying by C. Alan Rotz, Agricultural Engineer USDA-ARS, Pasture and Watershed Management Research Unit University Park, PA 16802 High quality forage is recognized as an important requirement for maintaining maximum production of cattle, particularly in dairy production. Adequate roughage is needed in diets to provide good rumen function, but as more […]
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Equipment Sharing and Other Joint Ventures by Gary Frank, UW Extension University of Wisconsin–Madison General Two types of business arrangements: Sole proprietorships Joint ventures – two or more parties contribute to or engage in a business Advantages of joint ventures: Combine knowledge and management abilities Combine assets and financial resources Economies of size Time off Ease inter […]
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Contract Feed Production Arrangements by Joe Stellato, Crops and Soils Agent Shawano County UW-Extension Introduction Economic necessity and a desire to manage risk are causing many Wisconsin farm operators to rethink their ways of doing business. All farm operators can reduce business risk by minimizing their investment in capital assets that do not produce a high rate […]
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Equipment to Rake and Merge Hay and Forage K.J. Shinners and R.T. Schuler Today, hay and forage producers have a wide variety of equipment options for raking and merging swaths or windrows. Selecting the proper equipment and operating it correctly will help to ensure high quality forage and a cost effective harvesting system. Several studies […]
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Machinery Designs and Adjustment for Minimized Field Losses by Ronald T. Schuler, Extension Agricultural Engineer Biological Systems Engineering Department University of Wisconsin-Madison Producing quality forages with a minimum field loss requires the proper selection, adjustment, and operation of the forage harvesting equipment. Farm machinery manufacturers continue to make improvements to increase productivity and minimize losses. Frequently […]
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Crop Processor Adjustment for Corn Silage Ronald T. Schuler, Extension Agricultural Engineer, Biological Systems Engineering A properly adjusted crop processor on a forage harvester will break all the corn kernels and have no large cob pieces remaining in the corn silage. The primary processor adjustment to achieve this goal is the clearance between the processing […]
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Rakers and Mergers* Ronald T. Schuler, Extension Agricultural Engineer Hay and forage producers have a wide variety of equipment options for raking and merging swaths or windrows. Selecting the proper equipment and operating it correctly will ensure high quality hay and forage with a cost effective harvesting system. Numerous studies have provided results on equipment performance […]
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Adjusting the Conditioning System on a Mower-Conditioner Ronald T. Schuler, Professor Extension Agricultural Engineer Biological Systems Engineering University of Wisconsin-Madison To be effective, the conditioning system on a mower-conditioner must be properly adjusted to ensure rapid drying of forage in the field. Rapid drying maintains the quality of the forage and reduces the risk of […]
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Forging a Partnership with a Custom Operator by Matthew Digman Introduction In the interest of full-disclosure, I must confess that my family dairy chooses not to utilize the services of a custom harvester; however, my in-laws have been working with a custom harvester for the last eight years. Which one is right? I’d argue both, given […]
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Making Sure Your Kernel Processor Is Doing Its Job by Kevin J. Shinners and Brian J. Holmes Introduction For cows to digest the starch in corn efficiently, the corn kernels in chopped and processed whole-plant corn must be broken into small particles. Three decades ago it was thought that effective starch utilization occurred if […]
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