Transferring Silage between Silos by Randy Shaver and Jim Leverich Introduction We often receive questions from dairy producers about the practice of transferring silage from the silo where it was originally stored to a more conveniently located silo for feeding. This occurs when silage is bought and sold between operations, moves from farm to farm […]
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Feedout Losses from Forage Storage Systems by Jerry Clark, Brian Holmes, and Richard Muck Introduction Much expense and time go into harvesting and storing good quality forage. You wouldn’t think of throwing away one third of this forage. However, this is what can happen without proper storage and feedout management. This fact sheet discusses storage feedout […]
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Recycling Silo Bags and Other Agricultural Plastic Films by Brian J. Holmes and Roger Springman Plastic films are used extensively for silo bags, bunker covers, bale wraps, and horticultural mulch. Managing large, dirty plastic sheets is a major headache and cost for Wisconsin farmers. Until recently, the only legal disposal option for most farmers […]
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FULL REPORT previous HAY MARKET REPORTS
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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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Farming for Nitrogen: Intercropping Corn and Kura Clover by Ken Albrecht1, Tyson Ochsner2, and Bob Berkevich1 Summary Corn grown in suppressed kura clover requires little or no nitrogen fertilizer, an input cost that is expected to remain high in the foreseeable future. Permanent groundcover in this intercropping system would be expected to minimize soil loss […]
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The Long and Short of Alfalfa Cutting Height by Daniel Wiersma1, Mike Bertam1, Ron Wiederholt2 and Nick Schneider2 1former and current Agronomists, Marshfield Agricultural Research Station (MARS) 2former and current Clark County Crops and Soils Agents Updated March, 2007 Introduction Current recommendations regarding cutting height of alfalfa are designed to maximize yield while maintaining high quality forages […]
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Sampling Corn Silage Fields to Accurately Determine Moisture Joe Lauer, Corn Agronomist Corn must be ensiled at the proper moisture to get fermentation for preservation. But, determining when to harvest corn at the right whole plant moisture is difficult. Each storage structure properly ensiles at slightly different moisture optimums. Harvesting corn too wet for the storage […]
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FULL REPORT previous HAY MARKET REPORTS
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Minimizing Wheel Traffic Damage to Alfalfa by Dan Undersander What damage is caused by wheel traffic? Wheel traffic is known to increase soil compaction which, on some soils, reduces macropore air permeability, soil water infiltration and root development of alfalfa. All of which reduce yield. However, our research has indicated that the largest effect of wheel […]
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