Planning is the key to forage inventory accuracy and reducing waste. Checklists and calculators offered by various universities can help dairy producers in the planning process. University extension specialists as well as feed company representatives also can provide suggestions to help dairy producers properly store and sample feed as well as calculate shrink.
Jerry Clark, a University of Wisconsin Extension crop and soils educator, says limiting exposure to air is critical to storing ensiled forages. Producers need to maintain dense silage pile packs, for example, and keep coverings in place. That includes repairing holes in bags as well as pile or bunker covers.
“Corn silage can be a higher risk to dry matter loss due to its higher amount of carbohydrates, which can be quickly consumed by yeasts and molds,” he says. “Feedout is also an increased risk due to spills during removal, handling, mixing and any animal refusal of the feed.”
Clark recommends using a silage facer to maintain a smooth feedout face.
“Managing removal rates based on season of the year can significantly reduce shrink,” he says. “Remove more feed during warmer months and only remove what will be used for the day. Shrink can be measured by estimating the total weight and volume of the feed harvested that went into the storage unit and comparing it to what is fed out of storage or at least what makes it in front of the animals.”
For more information on calculating shrink, he points to an article titled “Shrink is a deceptive term.” (A link is provided at the end of this article.) The article is written by Brian Holmes, formerly with the University of Wisconsin –
Madison Biological Systems Engineering Department.
The University of Wisconsin Extension Dairy Team has developed a spreadsheet featuring tabs for tracking feed inventory, determining feed inventory needs and calculating estimated stored feed inventory based on type of storage structure. Jackie McCarville, senior regional dairy educator; and Katelyn Goldsmith, dairy outreach specialist, write that the feed inventory tab allows producers to track and calculate their available forage inventory. This is after producers enter a description, average weight, number of bales and dry matter for their baled forages.
A description, dry matter, tons in inventory (as fed) and storage loss should be entered for all forages and starch products such as corn, earlage and snaplage. With this information, the spreadsheet calculates how many tons –
both as fed and dry matter of feed –
are available to feed. Estimates for storage losses can be found in the introduction and directions tab. Filling out this tab is essential to populate the feed needs tab, McCarville and Goldsmith state.
The feed needs tab uses the producer’s ration information to calculate total pounds needed per day and tons needed. Producers define each diet and enter the number of animals for each diet along with the number of days expected to feed this diet. By clicking on the cells under each feed product, a drop-down menu appears. That allows the user to select one of their entered feeds from the feed inventory tab. After selecting the feed, the user should enter the pounds (dry matter basis) to be fed. The spreadsheet will automatically pull information from the feed inventory tab to then calculate pounds needed per day, total tons needed and how many days of inventory remain for that feed.
The calculator tabs are created for estimating feed inventory in storage structures such as silage bags, bunker silos, silage piles and tower silos. Producers enter information about their storage facilities and feed to calculate how many tons of feed each currently holds. A link to the calculator is provided at the end of this article.
William Halfman, University of Wisconsin Extension beef outreach specialist, and his colleagues created a calculator for beef and small-ruminant producers. It helps farmers determine baled and ensiled forage inventories as well as determine if there are shortages or surpluses of various forages. A link to the calculator is provided at the end of this article.
He and his colleagues also have written an article that addresses four steps to determining forage inventory for differing animal nutritional requirements based on age groups and their changing nutritional needs over the winter feeding season. Please see the link to “Do you have enough forage? Four steps to figure forage inventory” at the end of this article.
South Dakota State University also provides a forage inventory and demand calculator. Heather Gessner, South Dakota State University Extension interim agriculture and natural resources program director and livestock business management field specialist, writes that the Excel-based calculator compares tons of available forage and quantity of forage needed to meet feed requirements on a livestock operation. Its forage inventory describes the forage available, including bale count and weight or tonnage for bulk feeds. Two types of forage are identified in the calculator: baled and bulk. The demand tab is where livestock inventory by class is completed to determine forage needs. Producers are taken through five steps:
- Count and weigh (if possible) all available baled and bulk forages on hand. Use a separate line for each quality or type of feed.
- Determine a value for the forages. Value can be production cost, purchase price or market value.
- Determine the class and weight of livestock. Increased detail improves accuracy of the output.
- Include all animals using forage resources: horses, 4-H and FFA project animals, other pets.
- Evaluate feeding methods (e.g., bunks, hay feeder type, feed on the ground).
The results tab compares the total inventory of baled and bulk forages against the forages required for the livestock inventory. The calculator determines the tons of forages required, including waste. Producers should use the waste amount that best matches their feeding system. The results tab also provides an estimated value of the forage excess or deficit, including wasted forages. This number can help with cash flow planning for future feed purchases or enterprise changes, Gessner notes.
Feed pad logistics
Cody McCary, forage account manager for Madison, Wisconsin-based feed company Vita Plus, says most producers with whom he works weigh in their forages after it has been moved from field to feed pad. They also weigh feedout as it is consumed. He stresses the importance of feed pad or bunker logistics for the most efficient use of labor and equipment. If a producer is planning to upgrade or expand a farming operation, for example, McCary recommends discussing how silage piles will be aligned.
“We want to know what we can do to move feed more efficiently,” says McCary.
He also recommends using orange cones to create shapes on feed pads so silage-packer operators can see the shape’s boundaries and stay within them.
“Pack dry matter well – spend time on it and cover piles immediately,” he says.
When covering piles to keep out oxygen, he recommends ensuring that heavy tires are touching each other and that the edges of piles are weighted down.
“During feedout, plan to take off 6 inches in the winter and 12 inches in summer,” he says. “You only want to face silage for what’s needed for the day. If you do the small things right, you reduce risk [for shrinkage] substantially.”
For feed sampling, he recommends using a mechanical facer’s bucket to push feed into a pile and mix it into a mass. He also suggests taking samples from five to eight different spots of that mass to reduce variability.
Some farms are using drones equipped with real-time kinetic positioning technology to create three-dimensional models to calculate inventory. This technology is cloud-based, easy to use and connected to the farm operation. Some companies provide data analysis services from drone imagery, adds McCary.
Managing heat, humidity
In addition to chopping their own corn for silage, Kevin Huffman Farms near McGregor, Texas, provides harvesting services to several area dairies and cow-calf operations. Each June, the Texas operation chops about 80,000 tons of forage. Each customer receives information on the amount of forage cut from their particular farm and if KH Farms had to adjust for moisture.
For new customers and beef cattle operations, KH Farms provides information such as how many acres would need to be harvested to feed a particular number of animals and how forage should be stored.
“We suggest that for 1,500 tons of forage or more, they store it in piles – if less than that, we recommend bagging,” says Heath Huffman.
He adds that proper inoculation is key to forage storage. At corn silage harvest time in central Texas, temperatures can reach 100ºF to 110ºF with a relative humidity of 40% to 80%. In June, the relative humidity averages 50% to 60%, Huffman says.
“The key is to get piles inoculated and covered quickly,” he says.
The goal is to cover a 60-by-1,000-foot pile with at least one sheet of plastic per day and mixing in 1,000 tons of inoculant at a time to corn silage.
“We recommend keeping inoculant frozen; it’s the best way to keep it fresh and avoid going bad in the tank,” he says.
Resources
For more information, visit these websites:
link