Morning Ag Clips

Home / Search for "forage"

Potential for nitrate poisoning is high in drought-affected forages

by

FARGO, N.D. — Many livestock operations harvested drought-affected crops, annual small-grains or other alternative forages to make up for reduced hay production in North Dakota. These drought-stressed forages can be high in nitrates and cause toxicity issues in cattle, say North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension specialists.

Small-grain annual forages such as wheat, barley and oats, as well as brassicas, millet, sorghum, sudangrass, and standing corn can contain toxic levels of nitrates.

Nitrate toxicity is most commonly a problem in ruminants, with cattle more susceptible than sheep. Dietary concentrations above 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of NO3-N (nitrate-nitrogen) or 7,220 ppm of KNO3 (potassium nitrate), depending on the laboratory analysis performed, can result in nitrate poisoning.

Given the extent of the drought this year, all forages should be tested for nitrate content.

“Once nitrate levels are known, grinding and blending low- and high-nitrate hay is the best strategy to reduce risk,” says Zac Carlson, NDSU Extension beef cattle specialist. “If producers cannot grind and blend hay, unroll low-nitrate hay first, wait for cattle to consume most of the low-nitrate hay and then unroll the high-nitrate hay. In addition, providing a couple of pounds of grain per animal daily can help reduce the risk of nitrate toxicity.”

“Slowing down the intake of high-nitrate hay is key to reducing risk,” says Janna Block, Extension livestock systems specialist at the NDSU Hettinger Research Extension Center. “Always be sure animals are not hungry before introducing high-nitrate forages.”

Carlson notes, “Be sure high-nitrate hay is not damp before feeding. Excess moisture can result in some nitrate converting to the more toxic form, nitrite.”

Cattle can adapt to higher levels of nitrates by slowly transitioning from low nitrate to higher nitrate forages. Research indicates that properly-adapted cattle can consume diets containing approximately 2,000 ppm of NO3-N or 14,440 ppm of KNO3.

Ensiling high-nitrate forages will help reduce the nitrate concentration up to 50%. To effectively reduce nitrates, proper ensiling must occur, which requires approximately 21 days. Be sure to test the silage for nitrate content before feeding.

“Clinical signs of nitrate poisoning are related to lack of oxygen in the blood,” says Gerald Stokka, NDSU Extension veterinarian and livestock stewardship specialist. “Several hours after consuming toxic levels of nitrates, cattle will display difficult and rapid breathing, a darker brown color change of the mucous membranes, and weakness, tremors and staggering.”

Pregnant females that survive nitrate poisoning may lose their calf due to lack of oxygen in their blood. This can happen approximately 5 to 14 days following exposure to high nitrates.

Producers with high-nitrate forages needing assistance with developing a management plan can contact their local NDSU Extension agent and check out the NDSU Extension publication “Nitrate Poisoning of Livestock” at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/livestock/nitrate-poisoning-of-livestock.

— NDSU Extension

Forage Conference to be held December 8 in Newton, Kan.

by

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Forage and Grassland Council and Kansas State University will be holding their Winter Forage Conference at the Harvey County 4-H Building, 800 W 1st Street, Newton, Kansas, 67114, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 8th, 2021.

This year’s conference has a great mix of Kansas State University, NRCS, and industry presentations, with sessions covering new technologies for improving forage feed value, selecting the right winter cover crop, alfalfa production, crabgrass as a forage, combating woody encroachment in rangeland, and a great farmer panel discussing their progressive approaches and forage sources for extending the grazing season.

Featured speakers include Justin Waggoner, KSU Southwest Research-Extension Center; Doug Spencer, NRCS State Grazing Specialist; Jerry Gano, Forage Genetics Int.; Dale Helwig, KSU Cherokee County Extension; Trent Page, Star Seed Inc.; and Ben Elliot, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Energy Curve Technology.

“Our presenters are some of the leading experts in Kansas, and it’s always great to hear from growers and grazers on how they’re making things work on their farm,” said Roger Black, KSFGC President.

“We have a great mix of Industry Partners presenting at the conference. Companies with a long history and great forage expertise, like Forage Genetics and Star Seed,” said Mark Nelson, KSFGC Executive Secretary. “And an exciting newcomer, in Energy Curve Technologies, a company that just started in 2020, with several promising feed and forage technologies.”

The event is free for current KSFGC members and $45 for non-members (which includes your KSFGC membership and lunch). The complete agenda is available on the KSFGC website, https://ksfgc.org/upcoming-events/. To renew your membership or join KSFGC prior to the meeting, go to https://ksfgc.org/join-us/, or simply join at the door. The first 30 attendees get a free KSFGC cap.

For more information, to RSVP, or to inquire about a vendor table, contact Ryan Flaming at, 316-284-6930, flaming@ksu.edu, or Dale Helwig at, 620-429-3849, dhelwig@ksu.edu.

— Kansas Forage and Grassland Council

American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference to be held in Wichita Jan. 9-12, 2022

by

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Wichita will be hosting the American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference, Jan. 9-12, 2022. The meeting will be held at the downtown Hyatt Regency, with over 300 scientists, students, land managers, and industry leaders attending to hear presentations and to view the latest developments in technology advancing the field of forages in Kansas and throughout the US.

Of particular interest will be a workshop geared toward one of the most precious resources in Kansas. “Water is one of the main factors determining forage production, but in semi-arid to arid regions, like much of Kansas, it is also the most limiting factor,” said Mark Nelson, the Executive Director of the Kansas Forage and Grassland Council, “Producing high yielding and quality forages in this environment, with limited irrigation, can be a challenge, but Kansas State is showing it can be done.” Forage Production in Water Limited Environments, is the title of a 9:30-11:00 am workshop sponsored by the Kansas Forage and Grassland Council on Jan. 10, 2022. The workshop features four speakers from Kansas State University Research and Extension Centers in western Kansas who are performing valuable forage research in the western Kansas environment. The speakers and their topics include:

  1. John Holman – Annual forage rotations with limited water
  2. Augustine Obour – Cover crops as forages in the western Great Plains
  3. Freddie Lamm – Utilizing limited subsurface drip irrigation for alfalfa production
  4. Keith Harmoney – Alfalfa quality in limited subsurface drip irrigation systems

Pre-registration for the AFGC Annual Conference is available through links at the afgc.org website, or registration is also available at the door for walk-in participants.

Forages, or the bulk vegetation that animals graze upon in pastures and fields or feed upon as a form of hay or silage, are the class of agricultural crop that covers the most acres in most states, and therefore could be considered the most important crop in many states. However, forages often don’t get the attention that other grain crops, such as corn, soybeans, sorghum, or wheat receive. The importance of forages stands out in the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture. In 2017, a whopping 414.6 million acres in the US were classified as forage in pastureland and another 56.9 million acres in the US were harvested as forages in the form of hay or silage. The crops with the next highest land totals were soybeans and corn at 90.1 and 84.7 million acres, together much less than half the total acreage of forages. The AFGC will try to bring these forage crops to the forefront with their annual conference in Wichita.

— Kansas Forage and Grassland Council

Tips for cattle producers to best utilize forage and feed resources

by

MANHATTAN, Kan. — In this video, K-State Research and Extension beef cattle specialist Justin Waggoner explains how producers can use the information from a forage analysis to most effectively feed cattle through the fall and winter.

“One of the rules of thumb that I share with producers is 7-9-11,” Waggoner said. “Those numbers represent the dietary protein requirements of cows as they advance from the post-weaning stages through 30 to 40 days post-calving, and into the early stages of lactation.”

Waggoner said producers should provide 7% crude protein to cows during the post-weaning period; 9% into the second and third stages of gestation; and 11% to meet the cow’s requirements 30-60 days post-calving.

Waggoner said using that as a guideline, producers will know if they need additional forage resources for the colder months, and be able to maximize the forages they have on hand.

In a companion video, Waggoner explains the data that producers should ask for when having a forage analysis done, which will help nutritionists formulate appropriate rations.

K-State Research and Extension videos provided by Dan Donnert

Kansas State University is committed to providing equal access opportunity and reasonable accommodation to campus programs and services for faculty, staff and students. If you require accommodation to view or hear a video live stream or archive, please submit a request for accommodation. Students should make their request to the Student Access Center. All others should request accommodation through Human Capital Services.

Video by:
Dan Donnert
785-532-5804
ddonnert@ksu.edu

For more information:
Justin Waggoner
620-275-9164

jwaggon@ksu.edu

— K-State Research and Extension

Recognizing and controlling fusarium mold in on-farm stored forages: part 2 of 2

by

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Putting up silage is always an Olympic effort by a farm team. Nevertheless, ensiling forages in a timely and precise manner is pivotal and the foundation of a strong nutrition program. Forages contribute a significant percentage to a conventional TMR (total mixed ration) and capturing the highest nutritional value available is a huge asset to any producer. Conversely, naturally occurring molds, like fusarium, can not only lower forage quality but hurt the health of livestock when forage is incorrectly ensiled. This article will discuss how to identify fusarium molds and control steps producers can take.

If the less desirable crop conditions mentioned in last week’s part-1 article, are met, moldy feed may lead to Fusarium toxin production. One such fusarium toxin is Deoxynivalenol (DON) or vomitoxin. It is important to state that DON does not have a marked effect on cattle but there are some reports of digestive upset, reproductive problems, negative effects on production and feed intake.

Testing for mycotoxins can be challenging and expensive. This is an opportunity to work with your nutritionist and a forage lab to determine the best approach if you believe mycotoxins may be a potential problem. When working with your local forage testing lab to determine DON levels in feeds, maximum levels are suggested to be between 0.32 and 6 ppm. Lab tests that indicate high content of DON may be a marker for other more problematic molds.

When working with feeds suspected of having high mycotoxin loads, producers can work with their nutritionist to take appropriate steps like the following:

* Dilute contaminated feed with uncontaminated feed

* Consider an increase in antioxidant nutrients including selenium, vitamins A and E, and trace minerals

* Feed binders to minimize the effects of mycotoxins

The information for the above article was from UMN Extension (https://z.umn.edu/UMNExtDroughtMoldDairy), NDSU Extension (https://z.umn.edu/NDSUCornSilageMold) and Penn State Extension (https://z.umn.edu/PennSTMoldMycotoxins). Residents of Stearns, Benton, and Morrison counties can direct questions to either my email (adam1744@umn.edu) or call my desk phone at (320) 255-6169 x 3.

— Dana Adams, University of Minnesota Extension

Fusarium molds in stored forages Part 1 of 2

by

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Putting up silage is always a hectic time, pulling producers in a hundred directions at once. Nevertheless, ensiling forages in a timely and precise manner is pivotal. Forages contribute a significant percentage to a conventional total mixed ration and capturing the highest nutritional value available for your dairy herd is a huge asset to any producer. Conversely, naturally occurring molds, like fusarium, can not only lower forage quality but hurt the health of livestock when forage is incorrectly ensiled. This article will discuss crop production environments contributing to fusarium mold and general appearance of molds in feed.

Fusarium mold growth in harvested crops is more likely to occur under cool, wet conditions during growth, harvesting, and storage (experienced by some in central Minnesota this year). Storing forages at moisture levels beyond recommended ranges or in poor storage units also may increase mold-related problems during feeding. Visible mold does not mean mycotoxins are present, and no visible mold does not mean there are no mycotoxins. When feeding livestock, moldy feeds can decrease digestibility of the ration, reducing energy content by 5% for ruminants (leading to the observable decrease in milk production and weight gain).

When feeding out forages, take a moment before throwing them in the dairy’s mixing wagon. A sensory analysis (visual appearance and smell) can be used to superficially evaluate fermentation of the silage and determine next steps. Feeds with atypical colors such as blue or green can be indicative of problematic species of storage molds like fusarium and aspergillus. Fusarium molds can be visually observed when silage has reddish to white mold growth (ex: pink). Regarding smell, normal silage has minimal odor due to lactic acid. Silage that smells musty, of mildew, or rotten should not be fed.

These sensory observations can get you into the ballpark of when to talk to your nutritionist about moldy feed and send silage samples in for analysis at a lab. Next week’s article will discuss how to navigate mycotoxins from fusarium molds in feedstuffs. The information for the above article was from UMN Extension (https://z.umn.edu/UMNExtDroughtMoldDairy), NDSU Extension (https://z.umn.edu/NDSUCornSilageMold) and Penn State Extension (https://z.umn.edu/PennSTMoldMycotoxins). Residents of Stearns, Benton, and Morrison counties can direct questions to either my email (adam1744@umn.edu) or call my desk phone at (320) 255-6169 x 3.

— Dana Adams, University of Minnesota Extension

Fall Forage Webinar Series from UNH Extension begins Nov. 17

by

KEENE, N.H. — UNH Extension’s Dairy, Livestock, and Forage Crop Team is offering a series of three webinars focusing on forage crop production starting Wednesday, November 17, featuring experts from UNH and beyond on a variety of topics of interest to producers in the region. All webinars run from 11am-12:30pm and are available free of charge, but preregistration is required. Click on the links below for additional information and to register:

Nov 17: Forage Quality and the Modern Dairy Cow with Allen Wilder, Agronomist at Miner institute.

Nov 22: Forage and Cover Crop Research at UNH with Rich Smith, NH Agricultural Experiment Station

Dec 1: Managing Difficult Weeds in Forages with Carl Majewski and Nick Rowley, UNH Extension

For more information, contact Carl Majewski at carl.majewski@unh.edu.

–UNH Extension

Kansas Forage and Grassland Council and Kansas State University to host Winter Forage Conference, December 8 in Newton

by

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Forage and Grassland Council and Kansas State University will host their annual Winter Forage Conference from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, December 8 at the Harvey County 4-H Building, Newton, Kansas.

“We’ve got a great mix of speakers and forage-based topics that are relevant to Kansas cattlemen and forage growers,” says Dale Helwig, Cherokee County Ag Agent.

Agricultural specialists will speak on a variety of topics such as alfalfa production, crabgrass production potential, ration supplementation with high grain prices, combating woody encroachment on native range, and a farmer panel discussing their progressive approaches and alternative forage sources, that are helping them to extend the grazing season.

Featured speakers include Justin Waggoner, KSU Southwest Extension Specialist; Romulo Lollato, KSU State Forage Specialist; Bruno Pedreira, KSU Southeast Extension Agronomist and Forage Specialist; and Doug Spencer, NRCS State Grazing Specialist.

“Our presenters are some of the leading experts in Kansas. It’s always great to hear from growers and grazers on how they’re making things work on their farm,” said Roger Black, KSFGC President.

The event is free for current KSFGC members and $45 for non-members (which includes a membership to KSFGC and lunch). To learn more, go to https://ksfgc.org/upcoming-events/. To join KSFGC, go to https://ksfgc.org/join-us/.

Please RSVP to Ryan Flaming, Agriculture Extension Agent, (316) 284-6930 or flaming@ksu.edu.

The first 30 audience members through the door will get a free KSFGC cap.

— Kansas Forage and Grassland Council

For more news from Kansas, click here.

New $10M project to study, support diverse perennial forage systems

by

MADISON — With the support of a $10 million grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a multi-state team of researchers is embarking on an effort to study diverse perennial forage systems and to promote their adoption across the United States.

The project, led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison, involves a diverse, transdisciplinary team of more than 50 researchers and stakeholders from 23 universities, two USDA-Agricultural Research Service centers, as well as 12 farmer organizations, industry groups, non-governmental organizations and government agencies.

“The prevailing agricultural systems in the U.S. are dominated by annual crop monocultures that lack resilience to extreme weather, and are challenged by soil erosion and other environmental issues,” says project director Valentin Picasso, associate professor in the UW–Madison Department of Agronomy. “Through this new project, we hope to promote the transformation of the landscape to be more resilient, by integrating more perennial crops and forages with livestock.”

Part of the effort involves convening a nationwide network of 50 farm pairs — one farm already using diverse perennial forage systems, paired with one interested in transitioning towards more diverse perennial systems — that represent all of the major agro-ecoregions of the United States. Researchers will partner with these farm pairs to measure and compare numerous production, environmental, social and economic factors.

The team will share their results through outreach and education materials throughout the five-year term of the award.

“We will also analyze the economic conditions, social structures and public policies that hinder the adoption of diverse perennial forage systems, and develop strategies to overcome these constraints,” says co-project director Andrew Stevens, assistant professor in the UW–Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

The long-term goal of the project is to have diverse perennial forage systems adopted across more than nine million hectares of land in the U.S., helping to expand the impact of this system’s many benefits: reduced agricultural losses, soil erosion and nutrient runoff, as well as increased soil carbon sequestration, pollinator services and market demand for such products.

The project’s management team includes faculty from Michigan State University, North Dakota State University, Oregon State University, Saint Cloud State University, University of Maryland and University of Wisconsin–Madison.

This project was announced on Oct. 6 in a USDA news release about new awards made through the department’s AFRI Sustainable Agriculture Systems program.

“This is the time for agriculture, forestry, and rural communities to act,” said Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, in the USDA release. “Together we can lead the way with investments in science and research and climate-smart solutions that feed and nourish families, improve the profitability and resilience of producers, improve forest health, while creating new income opportunities, and building wealth that stays in rural communities.”

The new UW–Madison-led project is supported by AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Program (SAS-CAP) grant no. 2021-68012-35917 from USDA NIFA.

— UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

For more news from Wisconsin, click here.

Winners announced in 2021 World Forage Analysis Superbowl

by

MADISON — The World Forage Analysis Superbowl evaluated 343 entries and presented awards to top five finishers at the Brevant seeds Forage Superbowl Luncheon during World Dairy Expo. Herrington Farms Inc. of Troy, N.Y., was awarded as the Grand Champion Forage Producer with their BMR Corn Silage and was presented $2,500 from Kemin Animal Nutrition & Health for that honor. The Grand Champion First-Time Entrant cash award of $2,000, sponsored by New Holland, went to Marty Farms of Sterling, Ohio.

Additionally, two Quality Counts Awards were presented to competitors. In the area of Quality Counts Corn Silage, Kensinger Farms, Martinsburg, Pa.., took home top honors, sponsored by Silostop. The top award for the Quality Counts Hay/Haylage went to Legacy Farms, Shell Lake, Wis., and was sponsored by CROPLAN by WinField.

Sponsors of the 2021 World Forage Analysis Superbowl were led by Platinum Sponsor, Brevant seeds. Other supporters included division sponsors, Ag-Bag by RCI, Agri-King, Inc., Barenbrug USA, Lallemand Animal Nutrition, NEXGROW Alfalfa, Scherer Inc. and W-L Research. Additional funds were provided by Micro Technologies, Passion Ag, Inc. and Provimi.

The top five placings from each category are:

Grand Champion Baleage – Sponsored by Agri-King Inc.

1st Place – Jenks Jerseys, Marathon, Wis.
2nd Place – Denmar Acres, Greenleaf, Wis.
3rd Place – Eric Speltz, Altura, Minn.
4th Place – Coulee Crest LLC, Cashton, Wis.
5th Place – Freysbush Dairy LLC, Fort Plain, N.Y.

Grand Champion Commercial Hay – Sponsored by NEXGROW Alfalfa

1st Place – Hardrock Farms Inc., Wheatland, Wyo.
2nd Place – Carlson Brothers Farm, Jewell, Iowa.
3rd Place – Little Hay Company, Wilsonville, Neb.
4th Place – Calvin Carlson, Jewell, Iowa.5th Place – Lazy 2K Livestock, Wheatland, Wyo.

Grand Champion Dairy Hay – Sponsored by W-L Research

1st Place – Olson Farms, Lena, Wis.
2nd Place – Donald and Nancy Hasselquist, Osceola, Wis.
3rd Place – Mark Rueth, Oxford, Wis.
4th Place – E & A Milkers, Sigourney, Iowa.
5th Place – Schroeder Farms, Odebolt, Iowa.

Grand Champion Grass Hay – Sponsored by Barenbrug USA

1st Place – Cozy Nook Farm, Waukesha, Wis.
2nd Place – Lazy 2K Livestock, Wheatland, Wyo.
3rd Place – Hardrock Farms Inc., Wheatland, Wyo.
4th Place – Donald and Nancy Hasselquist, Osceola, Wis
5th Place – Stefan Hay Company, North Collins, N.Y.

Grand Champion Alfalfa Haylage – Sponsored by Ag-Bag by RCI

1st Place – Todd Mark, Elmwood, Wis.
2nd Place – Opportunity Acres, Lena, Wis.
3rd Place – Ciolkosz Dairy, Thorp, Wis.
4th Place – Mike Redetzke, Colby, Wis.
5th Place – Sand Creek Dairy, Hastings, Mich.

Grand Champion Mixed/Grass Haylage – Sponsored by Lallemand Animal Nutrition

1st Place – Opportunity Acres, Lena, Wis.
2nd Place – Morning View Dairy LLC, Merrill, Wis.
3rd Place – Leuer Dairy, Oconto, Wis.
4th Place – Legacy Farms, Shell Lake, Wis.
5th Place – Four Cubs Farm, Grantsburg, Wis.

Grand Champion Standard Corn Silage – Sponsored by Scherer Inc.

1st Place – Egan Family Dairy, Omro, Wis.
2nd Place – Herrington Farms Inc., Troy, N.Y.
3rd Place – Jenson Family Farms, Elk Mound, Wis.
4th Place – Enos Lehman, Chambersburg, Pa.
5th Place – Olson Farms, Lena, Wis.

Grand Champion BMR Corn Silage – Sponsored by Brevant Seeds

1st Place – Rothlisberger Dairy, Upper Sandusky, Ohio
2nd Place – Larry Doody, Tully, N.Y.
3rd Place – Old Acres Farms, Perry, N.Y.
4th Place – Conrad Farms, Grafton, Ohio.
5th Place – Harold Zimmerman, Shiloh, Ohio.

The World Forage Analysis Superbowl is organized in partnership between Dairyland Laboratories Inc., Hay & Forage Grower, US Dairy Forage Research Center, University of Wisconsin and World Dairy Expo. To learn more, visit foragesuperbowl.org.

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo brings together the latest in dairy innovation and the best cattle in North America. The dairy industry will return to Madison, Wis. for the 54th event, September 28 – October 2, 2021, when the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, dairy and forage seminars, a world-class dairy cattle show and more will be on display. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile event app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify, Instagram or YouTube for more information.

— World Dairy Expo