Disease Profile: Ergot by Damon Smith and Dan Undersander Ergot is a fungal disease of worldwide distribution that is common in the northern two-thirds of North America. Ergot affects wild and cultivated grasses, as well as small grain crops such as wheat, oats, barley and especially rye. The ergot pathogen produces alkaloid toxins that are mostly vasoconstrictors. This […]

Assessing the Impact of European Corn Borer on Corn Grown for Silage by Scott W. Myers, Michael Ballweg, and John L. Wedberg Introduction The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) is potentially a serious pest of corn grown for silage. In Wisconsin, the European corn borer (ECB) generally produces two generations per year. Overwintering larvae typically emerge as adults […]

Are Hybrids the New Yield Force in Alfalfa? by Daniel W. Wiersma University of Wisconsin–Madison Introduction While the potential of hybridizing alfalfa has been demonstrated for many years, producing large quantities of seed has limited commercial development of hybrid alfalfa. Seed production economics prompted the search for less expensive ways to produce hybrid seed. In the spring […]

Managing Forage in Bunker Silos by Craig Saxe January 16th, 2007, updated July, 2016 Introduction Maximizing ruminant livestock production is dependent upon producing and storing quality forage.  Once the crop has been harvested, loss of quality may occur simply because steps were not taken to correctly manage the forage during filling and storage.  This fact sheet […]

Planting Winter Rye after Corn Silage: Managing for Forage by Jim Stute, University of Wisconsin (UW) Extension, Rock County, Kevin Shelley, UW Nutrient and Pest Management Program, Dwight Mueller, UW Arlington Agricultural Research Station, and Tim Wood, UW Lancaster Agricultural Research Station Why Plant Rye? Winter rye (Secale cereale) can be used as a cover crop after […]

Fall-Grown Oat Forages: Cultivars, Planting Dates, and Expected Yields by Wayne Coblentz and Mike Bertram Introduction For the dairy industry, the options for producing a late-summer emergency forage crop are limited, mostly because the growing season is relatively short. Traditionally, fall-grown cereal grains can fill this niche; however, most studies evaluating their use address specific management […]

Growing high-quality grass for dairy rations requires attention to detail As interest grows in adding grasses to dairy rations (to add digestible fiber and improve cow performance and health), many dairy producers find themselves learning about a feedstuff they haven’t grown or used in many years. This Fact Sheet will explore some reasons for feeding grasses, discuss some […]

Feeding Strategies When Alfalfa Supplies Are Short by Randy Shaver Introduction Limited snow cover to go along with a very cold winter leading to abnormally low soil temperatures has caused concern among forage agronomists (Ken Albrecht and Dan Undersander, UW Agronomy Dept.; personal communication) about extensive alfalfa winterkill. The concern about a potential alfalfa winterkill problem […]

Moldy Hay for Horses1 When haymaking conditions are poor hay may be rained on or left lying in the field for prolonged time periods due to cool and humid conditions which reduced drying rates. The long drying periods with high humidity allow field growth of mold on the hay. Poor drying weather has also meant […]

Dairy Feed: A New Cash Crop by Mike Rankin1 Introduction Cash grain producers generally sell their grown commodities through traditional marketing outlets that set a price for delivery or allow the grower to take advantage of various price risk marketing tools (forward contracts, options, etc.). Occasionally, a neighboring dairy producer may be in need of additional […]