Northern Dairy Cropping Systems

05/03/2017

Here is an excellent talk on managing ultra-high forage diets, delivered by Dr. Silvia Abel-Caines of Organic Valley. This was part of the UVM Extension 2017 Green Mountain Dairy School.

https://youtu.be/BuXmAuK7OAI

Silvia Abel-Caines discusses how to make high-forage and forage-only dairy rations work. Forage types, quality, inventory, economics, and animal health are d...

04/20/2017

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist Minerals containing aluminum are natural and abundant in the soil. Acidic soils increase ‘free aluminum’ levels, which bind soluble (plant-available) phosphate, can cause plant toxicity, and ultimately can significantly reduce crop yield and quality. Lime does not instantaneously correct soil pH and aluminum-related problems. While visible improvements can be observed even in the same season, it can take years for lime to fully mitigate soil acidity and reduce levels of free aluminum. [ 1,366 more word ]

https://agronomator.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/free-aluminum-could-be-costing-you-thousands-of-dollars-annually-in-lost-crop-yield-and-quality

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist Minerals containing aluminum are natural and abundant in the soil. Acidic soils increase ‘free aluminum’ levels, which bind soluble (plant-available) phospha…

04/12/2017

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist Soil sampling can feel like a lowly task, especially when you have other urgent things to do, but your crop yields and forage quality depend on you having good information. Getting good information depends on a careful sampling process that acknowledges the fact that you are trying to get a 1 cup soil sample to accurately represent up to… [ 1,093 more word ]

https://agronomator.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/take-time-to-do-your-soil-sampling-properly

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist Soil sampling can feel like a lowly task, especially when you have other urgent things to do, but your crop yields and forage quality depend on you having go…

04/11/2017

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist While routine soil sampling in the fall is preferable, spring soil samples can still provide practical guidance for the upcoming cropping season. As the parent material (originated from rock) and organic matter in the soil weathers and decomposes, plant-available nutrients are released. These chemical and biological processes typically result in a peak concentration of plant-available nutrients in the spring/summer. [ 268 more words ]

https://agronomator.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/is-soil-sampling-in-the-spring-as-good-as-soil-sampling-in-the-fall

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist While routine soil sampling in the fall is preferable, spring soil samples can still provide practical guidance for the upcoming cropping season.  As the par…

04/07/2017

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist Have you ever felt like you should check some health metric, but didn’t want to face the possibility that the news might not be favorable? If my cholesterol is high, they are going to put me on a vegetarian diet! Sometimes, it is just better not to know. What I don’t know can’t hurt me! [ 650 more words ]

https://agronomator.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/probing-for-essential-information

Daniel Hudson, UVM Extension Agronomist Have you ever felt like you should check some health metric, but didn’t want to face the possibility that the news might not be favorable?  If my cholesterol…

04/06/2017

The extra few days of lousy field conditions may actually serve to help some to get a few necessary things in order. Here are a few things that are new this year that all farmers should understand while there is still time to implement the practices: The vast majority of professional dairy farmers in Vermont are now legally required to soil test every three years. [ 276 more words ]

https://agronomator.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/the-upside-of-poor-spring-weather-in-vermont

The extra few days of lousy field conditions may actually serve to help some to get a few necessary things in order. Here are a few things that are new this year that all farmers should understand …

03/08/2017

Dairy producers are seldom ambivalent about reed canary grass as a forage species on their farm -- they either love it or hate it. Those who hate it generally have had difficulty getting it harvested at an acceptable level of maturity, and the fiber levels end up being higher than they prefer. Others like to grow it because of its productivity, persistence, winter-hardiness, and its ability to thrive in a range of soil types and conditions. [ 321 more words ]

https://agronomator.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/video-reed-canary-grass-seeded-with-and-without-a-companion-crop

Dairy producers are seldom ambivalent about reed canary grass as a forage species on their farm — they either love it or hate it.  Those who hate it generally have had difficulty getting it h…

03/01/2017

Dr. Larry Tranel (Iowa State University) discusses the 'Trans-Iowa Low Cost Parlor' design.

03/01/2017

Reed canary grass seed is expensive and the seedlings are slow to establish. In this video we look at different companion/nurse crop options for increasing f...

03/01/2017

Will companion crops improve quality and yield of a new seeding of reed canary grass, or adversely affect performance in year 2?

Here you see the forage observation plots one year after planting. Companion crops can increase forage and quality in the ESTABLISHMENT YEAR when seeding for...

01/17/2017

Green Mountain Dairy School starts next week!

Flyer: http://wordpress.us7.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=b39a79a9699c7c732730d6361&id=2a98726893&e=bf485fdb31 (includes clickable links for registration)

08/09/2016

https://agronomator.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/is-this-corn-really-sulfur-deficient/

A farmer called several weeks ago and said that his corn was looking ‘striped.’ The agronomic jargon for this condition is ‘interveinal chlorosis.’ Indeed, it was faintly, yet distinctl…