Western Ohio is well-known for dairy and livestock farms, as well as the production of forages and crops to feed those animals.
Quality feed is essential for profitable animal husbandry, and the Ohio Forage and Grasslands Council (OFGC) has planned an excellent program on forage management.

A “Stored Forages for Livestock Farm Tour” is slated for July 22 at the American Legion Hall located at 8140 St. Rt. 119 in Maria Stein. Farmers are asked to arrive beginning at 9:30 a.m., with the program starting promptly at 10 a.m.

Dr. Bill Weiss, the dairy nutrition and forages specialist for Ohio State University Extension, is well-known throughout the country for his no-nonsense approach to dairy cattle feeding challenges. His topic, “The Management of Stored Forages, and Molds and Mycotoxins” is very timely, in lieu of the mycotoxin challenges we experienced with the 2009 corn crop, plus ongoing quality management issues experienced every year. Proper harvest strategies along with well-designed storage facilities and equipment are critical to guarantee high quality feedstuffs for dairy cows and young stock.

Weiss does an excellent job of answering difficult questions from the audience and crams a lot of information into his presentation. Following a hearty lunch, two nearby dairy farms will be toured. Stop No. one is where Steven B. Knapke operates a 60-cow organic dairy. Sixty acres are rotationally-grazed, providing the bulk of nutrition for eight months of the year. He stores corn silage in a Harvestore silo and bales hay for baleage to use in his Total Mixed Ration (TMR).

At the second farm, Bob and Daryl Gugginbiller milk 170 Holsteins on 315 acres. The Gugginbillers typically harvest 80-90 acres of corn silage, 80-90 acres of alfalfa/orchardgrass/fescue hay, 100 acres of corn for grain, 20 acres of soybeans and 10 acres of wheat. They have five upright silos for corn silage, use a bag for haylage (mostly first cutting hay), and have dry hay storage. They also feed a TMR ration.

Registrations for the program are needed by July 12. The cost if you are an OFGC member is $10 and $15 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to OFGC and mailed to Leah Miller, executive secretary, Ohio Forage and Grassland Council, P.O. Box 488, Coshocton, OH 43812.

Sounds like an interesting day. I hope to see many Farm World readers there!

What do we do with this year’s straw? Ordinarily, straw baling is fairly straightforward. Windrows made by the combine are baled direct, or stubble is clipped to allow 90 percent of the straw to be taken off the field.

With recent concerns about vomitoxin in wheat, livestock producers are wary of its potential presence in straw.

The vast majority of vomitoxin is removed in harvested grain, and consumption of straw by animals is generally limited.
Since most of the contamination is in the grain, the chaff likely carries the next highest level.

Raking combined windrows will knock more chaff from the straw. Clipping the stubble should dilute any vomitoxin that might be in the straw. Baling straw as dry as possible will limit any potential molding that might contribute to consumption problems.

If breeding swine are limit fed, the animals may consume straw to get gut fill. Cattle, in general, have a much higher tolerance level, but feeding straw could become a problem if straw was a high percentage of the overall diet.

If your livestock tend to eat a lot of straw, have it analyzed for vomitoxin levels, then follow your nutritionist’s recommendations accordingly.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Roger Bender may write to him in care of this publication.