Articles
Use a grazing stick to create a pasture inventory
Managing forage inventory is a pivotal task on any grazing operation. A forage inventory involves monitoring how much forage is available at various points of the season, as well as projecting forage availability throughout the season to ensure the farm is on track to meet its production goals.
Corn silage harvest
The August 23rd Badger Crop Connect session features discussions by two speakers. The first is Dr. Joe Lauer, Corn Agronomist, UW-Madison Professor and Extension Specialist. Joe Lauer shares timing, drydown, other corn silage related advice, and research results. The second speaker is Dr. Brian Luck, Biological Systems Engineer, UW-Madison Associate Professor, and Extension Specialist. Brian Luck shares information on silage harvest machinery setup, real time evaluation of kernel processing, and other potential technology to implement on a chopper.
Corn silage opportunities and considerations for drought-stressed corn
Beef cow-calf producers are feeling the pinch of low pasture and hay yields due to drought conditions across the state. Corn silage is another feed source that can be used to help meet the herd’s nutritional needs.
Fall forage growth opens a window for stockpile grazing
When the calendar turns to August, it’s usually time to think about setting pastures up for stockpile grazing. Stockpile grazing is the practice of letting pastures grow through fall (usually 60 days or more) until frost, and then grazing them as far into winter as conditions allow. Stockpile grazing is often set into motion in early August harvest.
Grazing cover crops to preserve stored feed
Variable corn stands, short hayfields, and parched pastures are par for the course with the drought this growing season. As a result, graziers are already dipping into stored winter feed, while hay supplies become increasingly limited and expensive.
Growing successful late-summer and spring planted forage crops
The decision to utilize late-summer planted forage crops as a feed source may be necessary when in-season crop yields fail to meet expectations or opportunities exist in the current crop rotation. One should evaluate the decision to plant and harvest late-summer planted forage crops carefully.
Field Notes Episode 11: Farming + Solar = Agrivoltaics
There is a lot of solar being sited in Wisconsin with some projects reaching a pretty massive scale. The traditional narrative has been hello solar, goodbye agriculture, however a new crop of farmers, researchers, and solar companies are thinking differently: how can we continue to farm this land between, under, and around solar panels?
Maximizing Corn Silage Yield and Quality
Corn silage is unique compared to other multicut forage systems, such as alfalfa, as there is only one opportunity to harvest the crop annually. Therefore, farmers, agronomists, and agricultural professionals must dilligently monitor corn silage acres to identify the optimal harvest time to maximize forage yield and quality, as well as to ensure the proper moisture content for ensiling.
Methane emissions from livestock and climate change
In the increasing discussions about how to address climate change there are conflicting claims about the need to address methane (CH4) emissions. Some people argue that methane emitted by cows is a primary cause of climate change.
The flash drought of 2023: Ideas and resources #2
Since May much of Wisconsin has faced drought. While some areas got spotty summer thunderstorms other areas have not. The scarcity of rainfall and unrelenting heat means that since the first Badger Crop Drought Webinar in June the drought has gotten worse in parts of Wisconsin.
