Product Description | News Release | Table of Contents

Focuses on silage management for improved profitability and reduced environmental impact. Topics include managing nutrients through forages, producing crops for silage, sources and management of mycotoxins, harvesting forages, silage storage strategies, and silage feeding considerations. Intended for dairy producers, their advisors, educators, and agribusiness. Proceedings of a 2006 conference.

Note: A brief "new book announcement" is also available; scroll down after the news release on this page.

Silage Management Strategies Are Detailed in New Book

For Immediate Release
July 2006

Successful dairy producers understand the link between high-quality feed and overall health and milk-production levels of their dairy herds. Silage management practices can translate to improved profitability, as well as reduced environmental impact. Silage for Dairy Farms: Growing, Harvesting, Storing, and Feeding, NRAES-181 ($42 plus S&H/sales tax; 450 pages; January 2006), has a wealth of information that will help producers improve silage systems -- from planting and nutrient management techniques to mycotoxin management, to harvesting, storing, and feeding.

Silage for Dairy Farms: Growing, Harvesting, Storing, and Feeding is the proceedings from a conference held in January 2006 in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. It includes 37 papers divided into seven sections: Managing Nutrients through Forages; Producing Crops for Silage; Mycotoxins: Sources and Management; Harvesting Forages; Silage Storage Strategies; Silage Feeding Considerations; and a separate grouping of papers covering nutrient management in Washington state, Wisconsin, and New York. Authors include agronomists, animal scientists, engineers, crop scientists, nutrient management planners, plant pathologists, producers, and veterinarians from across the U.S.

The information in this 450-page book incorporates recent research with practical experience. It will be useful not only to producers, farm managers, and their advisors, but also to soil and water conservation district personnel, nutrient management consultants, NRCS staff, cooperative extension educators, agronomists, animal scientists, agribusiness, farm system designers and builders, environmental professionals, engineers, and regulatory agency staff.

Planning the "Silage for Dairy Farms: Growing, Harvesting, Storing, and Feeding" conference was accomplished through several committees, each responsible for developing a conference session. Committee leaders were Larry Chase, Cornell University; Joe Harrison, Washington State University; Brian Holmes, University of Wisconsin; and Gretchen Kuldau and Greg Roth, both from Penn State. Members consisted of researchers, educators, and advisors from universities, industry, and government. Financial support for the conference was provided by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Silage for Dairy Farms: Growing, Harvesting, Storing, and Feeding, NRAES-181, is available for $42.00 per copy (plus shipping and handling) from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, PO Box 4557, Ithaca, NY 14852-4557. Shipping and handling for one copy is $6.00 within the continental United States. New York residents, add sales tax (calculated on both the cost for books and the shipping and handling charges. Click here for more information.) If ordering more than one book, or if ordering from outside the United States, contact NRAES for shipping rates and possible quantity discounts. Orders from outside the United States must be prepaid in U.S. funds. All major credit cards are accepted, and checks should be made payable to NRAES. For more information or a free book catalog, contact NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654, by fax at (607) 254-8770, or by e-mail at NRAES@CORNELL.EDU. To learn more about NRAES and browse through our entire catalog, visit our web site at WWW.NRAES.ORG.

# # #

New Book Announcement

Silage Management Strategies Are Detailed in New Book

For Immediate Release
July 2006

Successful dairy producers understand the link between high-quality feed and overall health and milk-production levels of their dairy herds. Silage management practices can translate to improved profitability, as well as reduced environmental impact. Silage for Dairy Farms: Growing, Harvesting, Storing, and Feeding (NRAES-181) -- the 450-page proceedings of a conference held in January 2006 -- will help producers and their advisors improve silage systems, from planting and nutrient management techniques to mycotoxin management, to harvesting, storing, and feeding.

Silage for Dairy Farms: Growing, Harvesting, Storing, and Feeding, NRAES-181, costs $42.00 plus $6.00 shipping and handling (within the continental U.S.) Make checks payable to NRAES; all major credit cards accepted. New York residents, add sales tax (on both the cost of the book and the shipping and handling charges. Click here for more information.) Contact NRAES for other shipping and handling rates and possible quantity discounts: NRAES, Cooperative Extension, PO Box 4557, Ithaca, NY 14852-4557; phone (607) 255-7654, fax (607) 254-8770; e-mail NRAES@CORNELL.EDU; web site WWW.NRAES.ORG.

Note: See also the more descriptive news release above.

Managing Nutrients through Forages

Importance of Forages in Whole-Farm Nutrient Management

Douglas B. Beegle, Ph.D.
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Penn State University

Implications of Forage Management on Farm Profitability and the Environment

C. Alan Rotz, Ph.D.
Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit
USDA Agricultural Research Service
University Park, Pennsylvania

Effect of N-Based versus P-Based Manure Application on Crop Yield, Soil P and N, and Nitrate and P Concentration of Leachate

J.D. Ferguson, VMD, MS; Z. Dou, PhD; and J. Toth, MS
Section of Animal Production Systems
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

Managing Nutrients through Precision Feed Management

Paul E. Cerosaletti, MS, CCA; Dale R. Dewing, MS, CCA; and April W. Lucas, PAS, CCA
Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Delaware County

Producing Crops for Silage

Grass Silage Management Issues

Jerry H. Cherney, Ph.D.
Department of Crop & Soil Sciences
Cornell University
Debbie J.R. Cherney, Ph.D.
Department of Animal Science
Cornell University
David Parsons
Department of Crop & Soil Sciences
Cornell University

Opportunities and Challenges of Managing Sorghum Sudan Grass as a Silage Crop

Thomas F. Kilcer
Cornell Cooperative Extension in Rensselaer County

Minimizing Wheel-Track Effects on Forages

Dr. Dan Undersander
Agronomy Department
University of Wisconsin

Moisture Content in Corn Silage: Methods and Targets for Determining Harvest

Joe Lauer
Department of Agronomy
University of Wisconsin

Corn Populations and Row-Spacing Issues in Corn Silage

William J. Cox and Jerome H. Cherney
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Cornell University
Debbie Cherney
Department of Animal Science
Cornell University
John Hanchar
PRO-DAIRY and Cornell Cooperative Extension

Corn Hybrids and Silage Production: Biotech to BMR

Greg W. Roth
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Penn State University

Mycotoxins: Sources and Management

Mycotoxins and Mycotoxigenic Fungi in Silages

Gretchen A. Kuldau and Michele A. Mansfield
Department of Plant Pathology
The Pennsylvania State University

Pre-Harvest Strategies for Reducing Disease Levels and Mycotoxin Contamination of Maize Silage

Dr. Erick De Wolf
Department of Plant Pathology
Pennsylvania State University

Management of Mycotoxins in Animal Feedstuffs: Use of Binders and Additives

George E. Rottinghaus, Ph.D.
Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
University of Missouri, Columbia

Mycotoxin Testing: What Works and What Doesn't with Silages

David Kendra, Ph.D.
National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research (NCAUR)
USDA, ARS
Peoria, IL

Harvesting Forages

Current and Future Equipment for Producing High-Quality Forage

Kevin J. Shinners, PhD, P.E.
Department of Biological Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Custom Harvesting -- How to Make It Work for You

Jonathan C. Orr
Orrson Custom Farming Ltd.
Apple Creek, OH

Processing Whole-Plant Corn Silage: Machine, Storage, and Animal Perspectives

Prof. Kevin J. Shinners, PhD, P.E.
Department of Biological Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. David R. Mertens
U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center
USDA-ARS
Madison, WI
Joe Harrison, PhD, PAS
Department of Animal Sciences
Washington State University-Puyallup

Baleage Systems -- What's Working Best Today

Les Vough, Ph.D.
Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Landscape Architecture
University of Maryland
Dennis Buckmaster, Ph.D.
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Pennsylvania State University
Jud Heinrichs, Ph.D.
Department of Dairy and Animal Sciences
Pennsylvania State University

Harvest and Storage Safety

Dennis J. Murphy, PhD, CSP and William C. Harshman
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Penn State University

A Systems Approach to Forage Harvest Operations

Dennis R. Buckmaster, Ph.D., P.E.
Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Penn State University

Wide- versus Narrow-Swath Harvesting -- Machinery Aspects

Ronald T. Schuler, Ph.D., P.E.
Biological Systems Engineering Department
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wide- versus Narrow-Swath Harvesting -- Feed-Quality Aspects

Thomas F. Kilcer
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County

Silage Storage Strategies

Density in Silage Storage

Brian J. Holmes, PhD
Biological Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Deciding on a Silage Storage Type

Richard E. Muck, Ph.D.
U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center
USDA, Agricultural Research Service
Madison, WI
Brian J. Holmes, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Systems Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Bunker Silo Design, Construction, and Management

John T. Tyson, P.E.
Penn State Cooperative Extension
Mifflin County

Sealing Strategies for Bunker Silos and Drive-Over Piles

Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.
Department of Animal Sciences
University of Illinois
Keith K. Bolsen, Ph.D.
Department of Animal Sciences and Industry
Kansas State University

Silage Feeding Considerations

Biosecurity Concerns with Ensiled Forages

Robert Van Saun, DVM, MS, PhD
Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
Pennsylvania State University

Utilizing Neutral Detergent Fiber Digestibility in Ration Evaluation and Formulation

Rick Grant
W. H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute
Chazy, NY

Corn Silage Starch Digestibility -- What's New?

R.D. Shaver and P.C. Hoffman
Dairy Science Department
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fermentation Analysis -- How Do We Use This in the Field?

William C. Stone, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Department of Animal Science
PRO-DAIRY
Cornell University
Larry E. Chase, Ph.D.
Department of Animal Science
Cornell University

Aerobic Stability of Silages

Limin Kung, Jr.
Dairy Nutrition & Silage Laboratory
Department of Animal & Food Sciences
University of Delaware

Adjusting Silage-Based Rations to Improve Nutrient Efficiency

Virginia Ishler, Gabriella Varga, and Neil Brown
Department of Dairy and Animal Science
Penn State University

Adjusting Dairy Cattle Rations to Account for Variation in Silage Quality

Larry E. Chase
Department of Animal Science
Cornell University
William C. Stone
Department of Animal Science
PRO-DAIRY
Cornell University

Silage Feeding Considerations in Component-Fed Herds

Kenneth E. Griswold
Penn State Cooperative Extension
Carl A. Brown
F.M. Brown's Sons, Inc.
Nick Kohut Sr.
Purina Mills, Inc.
Tom Nauman
Hoober Feeds, Inc.
Jim Spahr
Pennfield Animal Feed Technologies
Leslie D. Yoder
Homestead Nutrition, Inc.

Evening Discussions

Washington State Dairy Farm Case Study

Joe Harrison and Lynn VanWieringen
Washington State University-Puyallup

Where and How Much Manure Is Land-Spread on Wisconsin Dairy Farms

J. Mark Powell, Ph.D.
USDA-Agricultural Research Service
Dairy Forage Research Center
Madison, Wisconsin
Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology
Utah State University

Mass Nutrient Balances -- A Management Tool for New York Dairy and Livestock Farms

Caroline Rasmussen, Quirine Ketterings, and Greg Albrecht
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Cornell University
Larry Chase
Department of Animal Science
Cornell University
Karl Czymmek
PRO-DAIRY
Department of Animal Science
Cornell University

Speaker Biographies

Douglas B. Beegle
Keith K. Bolsen
Dennis R. Buckmaster
Paul E. Cerosaletti
Larry E. Chase

Jerry H. Cherney
William J. Cox
Erick D. De Wolf
James David Ferguson
Rick Grant

Kenneth E. Griswold
Joe Harrison
Brian J. Holmes
Virginia A. Ishler
David K. Kendra

Thomas F. Kilcer
Gretchen A. Kuldau
Limin Kung, Jr.
Joe Lauer
Richard E. Muck

Dennis J. Murphy
Jonathan C. Orr
Mark Powell
Caroline Rasmussen
Gregory W. Roth

George E. Rottinghaus
C. Alan Rotz
Ronald T. Schuler
Randy Shaver
Kevin J. Shinners

William C. Stone
John T. Tyson
Dan Undersander
Robert J. Van Saun
Lester R. Vough

Conference Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors

Conference Notes Pages

About NRAES

About NRAES
NRAES Member Universities