Rob Bailey, President

What is the most important profitability factor on most dairy farms? There could be hundreds of answers, and the most general one would probably be good management! Assuming this is a necessity to stay in business in the 90's (or should we say "the 00's"), what part of management has long been known to pay the biggest dividend? The answer might very well be the harvesting and storage of high quality forages!

Advantages of High Quality Forage
include higher levels of energy and protein. They are more palatable, and lower in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) which increases dry matter intake (DMI). There is no better way to increase DMI other than having high quality forages to feed. For each one pound increase in DMI, expect a 2 to 2.5 pound milk increase per cow per day on higher producers. In most herds ANC deals with, the feeding of high quality forages increases DMI 2 to 4 lbs./day!

There is a point of no return, however. If rations are not balanced properly to take full advantage of these high quality feeds or the increased DMI, the economic benefits will not be realized. I have seen herds with high DMI due to fine chopped forages which produce a high rate of passage. This can make DMI look good, but does not put more milk in the tank! Forage utilization is just as important as forage quality!

Harvest at the right time
Forages cut at the right time are higher in plant sugars, which help feed bacteria. This brings about a better fermentation, which in turn increases the lactic acid content. Higher lactic acid provides greater usable energy and also lowers pH. A lower pH, along with the production of some acetic acid, reduces spoilage when fermented forages are exposed to oxygen, which saves more nutrients for the animal.

Alfalfa cut in the late bud, early bloom stage contains less fiber and more protein. Cereal grains cut in the boot stage offer the best energy for ensiled feeds. We will not go over all of the harvesting advantages here, but most of you know that cutting forages later in maturity reduces the value per ton considerably, which increases the need for expensive supplementation. Sometimes, however, we want more yield and less quality (heifer and dry cow rations), but for milking cows this is costly.

Bunk Life is the term most commonly used when referring to forage quality during feedout. There is a deterioration of nutrients, especially with untreated feeds, when air exposure is encountered. This applies to exposed feed in a bunker, silo, or bag, along with the exposure encountered after feeding or mixing TMR's before consumption. Bunk life is greatly extended in properly fermented feeds. This will reduce the need for further treatment with TMR acid products that sometimes are beneficial when mixing TMR's in hot weather.

The Value of Homegrown Forages and HM Corn
Many dairymen do not consider how valuable high quality forage is, or how much the forages and grains they raise to feed their dairy herd is worth in dollars. If we take as an example a 22,000 pound herd of 100 cows milking with dry cows and heifers, we would need a yearly forage supply of approximately the following: 500 tons of HM shell corn at 25% moisture, 950 tons of corn silage at 67% moisture, 1000 tons (20%+ CP) haylage, 65% moisture, 400 tons 14-15% grassy haylage/oatlage, 60%.

The value of these feeds is closely related to fiber, energy and protein. High quality feeds require less supplemental protein and energy, thus saving the producer thousands of dollars in out of pocket feed costs. Putting a typical dollar figure to the above feeds based on $240/ton for soybean meal, and $100 per ton for dry corn gives us a good estimation of value: 500 tons of high moisture shell corn, $89/ton = $44,500 950 tons of corn silage, $24/ton = $22,800 1000 tons of haylage, $43/ton = $43,000 400 tons of 14-15% grassy oatlage/haylage, $32/ton = $12,800 Total: $123,100

The total value of homegrown forages and grains used to feed a 100 cow dairy herd with heifers and dry cows is over $123,000! This value can be far less if forage quality is poor. It is not hard to pick up another 30% of value by harvesting at the right time, processing correctly, using an inoculant, and storing properly, not to mention a balanced ration! Just 20% of $123,000 is $24,600! This is an entire yearly income for many people! Making high quality forages is one area of farm management where you cannot afford an average job!

Are Inoculants Worth the Money?
This seems like a question that consultants must answer every year to some producers! Twenty years ago, before a lot of conclusive research was done, the majority of farms did not employ the use of forage inoculants or preservatives. In the last 10-15 years there has been much research showing overwhelming evidence to support most inoculant additives.

There is no doubt that some brands work better than others. The reason could be the various strains of bacteria used, the viability of the bacteria, and the numbers of the bacteria. A good inoculant supplies a minimum of 100,000 CFU's of live bacteria per gram of forage treated! Various strains of bacteria help cover the time period of fermentation (some work better the first several hours, some at 24 hours, etc.). Also, the temperature at the time of harvest will favor certain strains over others, therefore having these additional bacterial species helps insure maximum fermentation over a variety of conditions. This may increase the cost a little, but this is minor compared to the potential loss with poor fermentation.

Most high quality inoculants cost between $0.80 and $1.00 per ton of treated forage. Reduced dry matter loss (save 3-6%) pays for this, not to mention the advantages of increased lactic acid, a longer bunk life, lower pH, increased palatability, more nutrients saved from less heating and juicing, and reduced formation of undesirable products such as butyric acid, molds, and yeast.

You cannot afford an inferior product when purchasing inoculants. A savings of ten or twenty cents a ton could cost you five dollars a ton in feeding value if the lower priced product is inferior. Good service is also required to insure proper application. Use dry inoculant products up within the season, and store water soluble products in a refrigerator or freezer.

In summary, inoculants can help get the most out of your forages and grains. Most of you reading this newsletter are ANC customers and are probably aware of our Pro-Store product line. One of the newer innovations is the propionic acid producing bacteria product, Pro-Store HMC, for high moisture corn and grains. Talk to your ANC consultant about this and other products. You have my personal guarantee on your satisfaction with any of our inoculant product line. Feel free to call and visit with myself or others in the office about the economics of Pro-Store!