Successful Forage Establishment

A successful forage establishment is a uniform, weed free stand that will grow quickly and vigorously to provide high yields during that first year, and for the life of the stand. The most critical factors include packing a firm seedbed and proper seed placement. Seedbed Preparation The goals of forage seedbed preparation are: to produce […]

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Fall Cutting Alfalfa

While cutting alfalfa in the fall is often practiced in Ontario, it does create some risk to stand health, depending on the location, stand age, harvest frequency and other factors. The decision whether to cut alfalfa should weigh these factors and the immediate need for forage against the increased risk of winterkill and reduced yields […]

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Sulphur On Alfalfa

by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist, & Bonnie Ball, Soil Fertility Specialist, OMAFRA Sulphur (S) received from atmospheric sulphur dioxide emissions (acid rain) in Ontario has steadily declined by over 50% during the last 25 years. We are beginning to see yield responses in more situations when applying S to alfalfa. Sometimes the response is dramatic, […]

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Italian Ryegrass Forage Options

Italian ryegrass can produce very high quality, leafy, palatable forage suitable for high producing dairy cows. As a cool-season bunch grass, it is best adapted to cool, moist conditions. It does not grow as well in hot, dry summer weather. In Ontario it has been seeded in early spring (April, early-May) for harvesting that year. […]

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Buying Horse Hay

Many horse owners are finding it increasingly challenging to find and purchase suitable “horse quality” hay at a price they can afford. Low hay yields due to dry weather in 2012 were followed by poorer quality hay as a result of rainy haying weather in 2013. However, there are also long term economic factors in […]

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Summer Seeding Oats For Forage

by Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist & Peter Johnson, Cereals Specialist, OMAF and MRA Summer seeding annual forages can be a useful low-cost option for producing extra feed, either as an emergency forage or a regular double-crop option. These forages include cool-season cereals (oats, barley, triticale) and cereal-pea mixtures, as well as warm-season sorghums, sorghum-sudangrass and […]

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Take An Accurate Hay Sample

Hay sampling should be a very simple, basic task, but is often a weak link in forage quality evaluation. Samples are taken for laboratory analysis so that we can balance rations, achieve livestock performance and determine the market value of the hay . Think about what we are trying to accomplish when we take a hay […]

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Net Wrap Or Twine?

What’s better on large round bales – net wrap or twine? Of course, the question is largely a matter of personal preference.  Some of the suggested advantages of net wrap include faster baling, lower baling losses, better bale integrity during handling and transport, better water shedding ability and lower outdoor storage losses. The net wrap […]

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Silage Inoculants

Silage inoculants are forage additives containing lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB) and other anaerobic bacteria (such as Lactobacillus buchneri). These inoculants are used to manipulate and enhance fermentation in haylage (alfalfa, grass, cereal), corn silage and high moisture corn. The goals are faster, more efficient fermentation with reduced fermentation losses, improved forage quality and palatability, longer bunk […]

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Wide Swath Haylage

Wide swath haylage to achieve “haylage-in-a-day” and improve forage quality is a management practice that more dairy farmers in Ontario are adopting. This is contrary to the more traditional practice of using the mower-conditioner to place the swath in a narrow windrow for a day or two of wilting, and then chop directly. Wide swath […]

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Packing and Covering Bunker Silos

Bunker silos offer many advantages over tower silos for the storage of haylage and corn silage, but require careful management to minimize fermentation and spoilage losses. Along with proper harvest moisture, length-of-cut and the use of a research proven silage inoculant, additional attention must be applied to proper site selection, sizing, filling, packing, covering, rodent […]

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