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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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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