Consider that if you grow corn after wheat or vice versa and have a wet summer or fall, be prepared for possible outbreaks of pink mould/fusarium head blight in either crop in such a rotation.
Tag Archives corn silage
Corn’s amazing nature
Practical Research: The fusarium we see in small cereal grains is the anamorph of the pink mould seen in corn
Well-balanced starch and forage levels make milk
Dairy Corner: The amount of starch in corn and barley silage can vary greatly between harvests
Starch levels in corn and barley silage can vary widely between harvests, so they need to be balanced in a dairy ration, nutritionist Peter Vitti says.
Balancing variable corn silage quality to a ration
Dairy Corner: Always recommended to start with a feed analysis to know what you have
I am amazed on how each summer differs in Manitoba. Two summers ago, we had severe drought, last summer was extremely wet and this year started with record heat, then cooled down to night-time single digits. Luckily, temperatures picked up again, all the while with spotty thunderstorms. Such climatic difference presents a patchwork of knee-to […] Read more
Working dry corn silage into dairy diets
It's important to have it tested, regardless of feed moisture levels
I live in Manitoba and continuous flooding rains since our heavy snows melted have delayed corn planting to the point that much of our corn silage this fall will be wet and immature. However, I travel to other parts of the Prairies and many dairy farms need rain. I suspect that much of these corn […] Read more
Crop advisor casebook: Pest leaves puzzling pinholes in corn silage
A Crop Advisor's Solution from the January 8, 2019 issue of Grainews
Lenny is a central Alberta producer who owns a farm west of Irma where he grows corn silage for his purebred Simmental cattle herd. We have been working with Lenny and his corn silage plot for three years now, and I examine the plot about once every week during the growing season to monitor its […] Read more
Plan ahead to grow silage corn
Planting, chopping and weed control require planning, but can help you turn a profit
Growing silage corn needs some advanced planning and can involve a change of mindset for producers who are used to doing everything themselves. “Corn is different from most silage products that can be made in Western Canada,” says Ray Bittner, livestock specialist with Manitoba Agriculture. “Corn needs to be chopped or combined, but haybines knock […] Read more
Poor corn residue may need supplement
The wet fall can reduce feed quality of corn residue, create mould
In the last few years, many beef producers have taken advantage of corn residue as part of their cow herd’s overwintering feeding program. It’s a low-cost feed and for the most part, because early-gestating cows are allowed months of grazing without much trouble. Unfortunately, this wet fall has presented many challenges in feeding lower-quality corn […] Read more
Right and wrong fermentation
Dairy Corner: If silage moisture is too high going in, it can affect feed quality and palatability
This autumn, I have seen a variety of corn fields being chopped into silage for dairy cattle. While some of this corn was dried enough to make some good quality corn silage, I was surprised when I saw some producers literarily harvested green chop. After all, they were faced with another rain shower, which forced […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
