Jason Warner, extension cow-calf specialist
With the unusually dry conditions this year, much of the corn across the state may already be harvested for silage or will be soon. Chopping sorghum/sudan crops and other summer annuals for silage will not be far off as well. As a continuation of Dr. Waggoner’s article in August Feedlot Facts, the goal with this discussion is to focus our attention of the importance of proper silage sampling. Continue reading “Sampling Procedures for Silage Crops”
Mosquitoes: How to avoid being “Bitten” by this “Sucking” insect – June 28, 2019 Extension Entomology Newsletter
Bluestem Pasture Release 2019 – The 2019 results on bluestem pasture leases utilize the responses from the 2019 Kansas Bluestem Pasture Survey conducted from January through April of 2019 over the 14 Bluestem counties. It is important to point out that the format of the 2019 survey is different from previous surveys. The 2019 survey changes were in response to the long-time request to change the questions to better reflect bluestem prairie leasing practices. The new survey format incorporated suggestions from a focus group of report users that included landowners, livestock owners, livestock care providers, and Flint Hills extension agents. Because of the format change, discussion on leasing rates are not directly comparable to prior years. Please refer to previous Bluestem releases for historical leasing rates.
2018 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial Summary. In 2018, summer annual forage variety trials were conducted across Kansas near Garden City, Hays, and Scandia. All sites evaluated hay and silage entries. Companies were able to enter varieties into any possible combinations of research sites, so not all sites had all varieties. Across the sites, a total of 77 hay varieties and 87 silage varieties were evaluated.
Kansas weather outlook: Late summer and early fall 2019
Wet conditions continue to dominate the state. May 2019 was the wettest month on record, leaving saturated soils and full streams, ponds, and reservoirs. The outlook for July calls for a continuation of that pattern with an increased chance of wetter-than-normal conditions across Kansas. The temperature outlook favors a cooler-than-normal pattern across the entire Central Plains. A normal or slightly below normal precipitation pattern for July would be favorable in the eastern divisions, where saturated soils continue to be problematic. Cool temperatures would slow the normal drying pattern. While slightly cooler temperatures could reduce heat stress, it would also increase disease pressure. In addition, with low evaporation rates, flooding could also be an issue due to the fact that streams, ponds, and reservoirs are full. The complete article and other topics can be found in the Agronomy Department June 28, 2109 E-Update
– USDA Risk Management Agency
(These changes were made for 2019 only and producers should not plan that the policy will remain the same for subsequent years)
Objective: To determine the growing calf response when fed Enogen Feed corn silage containing an alpha amylase expression trait.
Study Description: Crossbred steers of Tennessee origin (n = 352) were used to determine the effects on performance when fed Enogen Feed corn silage with either Enogen Feed corn or control corn at ad libitum intake. Continue reading “Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn Silage Containing an Alpha Amylase Expression Trait Improves Feed Efficiency in Growing Calf Diets”
By Mike Brouk, ruminant nutritionist
Silage is often the base forage for the diets of growing cattle and the cow herd. This past year, due to the drought, thousands of acres of drought-stricken corn and sorghum were harvested as silage. A hidden cost of silage is associated with the shrink due to fermentation, storage, and feedout. Total shrink from harvest through feeding can result in the loss of 5 to 40% of the dry matter harvested. This is generally a hidden cost on most operations due to the lack of accurate records to measure shrink. However, a few basic principles can help reduce losses. Continue reading “Counting the Cost of Silage Losses in your Operation”
by Jaymelynn Farney, beef systems specialist, Parsons, KS
Throughout Kansas, there are areas of extreme drought and even in areas that show adequate moisture on the drought monitor, rain has been very “spotty” so some corn is beginning to look tough. Luckily, cattle are one potential option to salvage some value if the corn crop does not look like it will yield. Continue reading “Considerations for use of drought-stressed corn for cattle”
