Silage

All Silage Content

Harvested cornfield in winter.

Crops

During the growing season, SDSU Extension provides weekly production recommendations.

stack of coins with faded chart lines showing in the foreground

SDSU Extension Silage/Earlage Calculator

The Silage/Earlage Calculator is designed to help corn and livestock producers answer questions regarding the value of standing fields of corn either as grain, silage and earlage.

small group of cattle eating forage

Feeding Drought-Stressed Crops to Cattle

Can drought-stressed crops be be utilized as feed? The answer is yes, if we know what the levels of nitrates are in the feedstuffs in question.

small group of cattle grazing on cover crops

Cover Crops & Livestock Integration: A Profit Opportunity for S.D. Farms

Cover crops have been gaining a reemerging acceptance over the last decade, with very few producers disagreeing about the potential soil health benefits of adding cover crops to their farming operation.

harvester chopping corn silage, depositing silage into green wagon.

Silage: Minimizing Losses & Maximizing Value

Optimizing silage value starts by harvesting at the right moisture content.

several dairy cattle in a pen inside a feeding facility

Feeding Distillers Grains: Mathematics vs. Biology

Corn distillers dried grains (DDGS) are valued by ruminant nutritionists because of their high nutrient concentration.

Color-coded map of South Dakota and other Midwestern states. Colors indicate a higher risk of unplanted areas in Eastern and Northeastern South Dakota.

Stretching Corn Silage Supplies

During the 2002 drought there was a need to stretch corn silage supplies as a result of the drought that affected the U.S. Now we deal with the opposite scenario, where excessive spring rains have not allowed farmers to get to the fields. In both situations livestock producers face challenges.

Three, four-wheel drive John Deere tractors, pushing up chopped corn silage into a drive over pile on a dairy farm.

Harvesting Silage on a Wet Year: Moisture is Critical

Fall is on its way in South Dakota. However, with many flooded and saturated fields, some producers are growing concerned that there will be little opportunity to harvest silage before corn dries down past desired moisture levels or frost occurs.

silage truck dispensing feed to dairy cattle at feed bunk

Mycotoxin Considerations for Weather-Damaged Feedstuffs

Whether your crops have been hit with drought or hail the odds are that we are going to see an increase potential for feed contaminants such nitrates or molds which cause mycotoxins.

corn showing symptoms of drought stress

Using Drought-Stressed Corn as Forage

When drought has compromised tonnage of corn grain, silage producers may still retain part of its feeding value.