The 1985 movie entitled “Back to the Future” follows a young man, Marty McFly (actor Michael J. Fox), who accidentally is sent back to 1955 in a time traveling flying automobile built by his eccentric scientist friend, Emmet “Doc” Brown.
On the dairy farm, we do not have flying cars and time travel, but looking back and reviewing dairy technology can provide insight into how dairy cow performance and health has improved. Step back in time and reminisce about what has happened the past 50 years with dairy cows and learn how to progress into the future.
Fifty years ago, 1974, the average U.S. dairy farm had 24 cows with each cow producing 32 pounds of wholesome milk per day. The top herds achieved county DHIA awards for 15,000 pounds of yearly milk per cow. My early chore on my uncle’s farm was feeding hay to the cows. Another job was scraping the manure off the grates and aisle behind the cows. After cows returned from fresh spring pasture, the poop scraper was very busy! Milking in the tie-stalls with the glass pipeline above and pitching the corn silage down the silo chute was part of the daily chores.
Today’s dairy cows produce 90 or more pounds per day of milk. Today’s modern dairy farms have an average herd size of over 300 cows and are owned and operated by families that hire non-family workers. The cows are cared for as much, if not better than what grandad did 50 years ago with modern technology which includes automated milking and feeding systems. Improved research into cow comfort, genetics, housing, management and nutrition have all contributed to better performance and health of dairy cows. Comfortable and well cared for cows are able to produce at higher performance levels with less stress.
How have cows achieved more milk? I had the recent privilege to have breakfast with a prominent Cornell dairy nutrition professor emeritus, Dr. Larry Chase. Dr Chase is a Wayne County, Ohio native who has spent his entire dairy research career at Cornell University. I asked Dr. Chase, “What is the single nutrition improvement in the last 50 years that has occurred for dairy cows?” Without hesitation Dr Chase said, “Improved forage quality, better hay, haylage, baleage and corn silage.” The cow 50 years ago ate 18 pounds of forage dry matter and 22 pounds of concentrate. Today’s dairy cows produce triple the production, eat 32 pounds of forage and still only eat 22 pounds of concentrate. Improved forage quality has allowed cows to eat more and extract more nutrients — more digestible, from what they do eat.
The World Dairy Expo will celebrate the 40th Forage Analysis Superbowl this year. The annual competition allows dairy farmers from across the U.S. to submit samples of home-grown hay, haylage and corn silage. The judges evaluate samples for color, odor and quality along with a laboratory nutrient analysis. The best forages in each category are given awards. From a historical perspective in comparing forages the last 10 years, the 2023 top 5 corn silage (Non BMR) Forage Superbowl winners had improved NDF 30-hour digestibility versus the top 5 entries from 2013. The 2023 corn silage winners showed a 5% higher NDF 30-hour digestibility and improved milk per ton of corn silage. A 5% improvement in corn silage NDF digestibility accounts for additional energy to support 7 pounds of additional milk per cow per day. Hay and haylage quality have improved over the years also.
Forage quality (hay, haylage, triticale, corn silage) has improved due to many factors. This article is not adequate enough to cover all the various factors that affect various forages and their quality. Let’s review a few key factors that farmers can manage in improving forages.
Soil preparation, fertility and seeding rates. Soil nutrient analysis and pH prior to planting a forage crop. Corn, alfalfa, triticale each have different nutrient requirements and soil testing provides the basic for proper yields as well as quality. Proper soil preparation, seeding rates, seed placement along with limiting soil compaction are critical.
Seed genetics
Improved seed genetics are now available for higher quality and yield. Better seed genetics require less water, have less plant disease and higher digestibility. New corn silage varieties have higher NDF fiber digestion, more digestible starch and high yields. HarvXtra alfalfa contains lower lignin, improved stand length, improved fiber digestibility and a wider window of harvesting.
Harvest equipment (corn)
Moden silage choppers are equipped with adjustable chop length, variable speed kernel processing rolls and moisture monitoring. This technology has improved dairy cow health and performance with higher digestion of kernels and better rumination. Corn silage is the foundation forage on most dairy farms. Harvesting at the proper moisture is critical. Whole corn plant moisture between 65% to 68% (32% to 34% DM) for bunker silos is the goal. Kernel processing can be conducted as silage is processed with the float test. Talk to your harvest crew and nutritionist about on-site kernel processing, particle size and moisture of corn silage.
Harvest equipment (grass & alfalfa). Width swath mowing with no crimping has increased drying times of alfalfa and improved leaf retention for alfalfa forage. Between 35% and 40% dry matter haylage in a day is now possible. How well does your harvest crew retain alfalfa leaves on haylage or hay? Alfalfa leaves have a RFQ of 450 with a NDF of 15% and alfalfa stems have a RFQ of 70 with a NDF of 65%. Average whole plant standing alfalfa is 50% leaves and 50% stems.
Hay rake tines must be properly adjusted to avoid excess soil contamination. If you see any dust, then adjust. Soil contamination can be evaluated from a forage ash test. Ask you nutritionist to evaluate the ash content of your forages. Excess dirt content reduces intake and increases risk of mold spores and disease.
Hay mergers are belt driven machines that lift the mowed windrow forage swath onto a belt conveyor. The swath is then moved and deposited in the desired location where less potential occurs for dirt contamination and leaf loss. Small-scale Ohio research on third-cut alfalfa balage leaf retention indicated that merger system increased leaf retention by 3 percentage points (+60 RFQ) versus a rotary rake. Several forage labs offer the Forage Genetics Calibrate leaf retention test to determine leaf loss on harvested forages. Ask your nutritionist to evaluate your forages for ash content and leaf retention.
Harvest management
Well preserved silage requires inoculation, proper packing and proper covering. The research on inoculants can be variable depending upon the environmental conditions when the forages are harvested. However, inoculants provide a good low-cost insurance to a silage program. A quality inoculant should provide a minimum of 100,000 cfu/gram of wet silage. Water soluble inoculants must be kept in a cool dry location. Daily mixing of the water-soluble inoculant is required and the water temperature of the mixed inoculant must not exceed 90 F. Packing a bunker silo properly requires a continuous pack tractor weight and a well-trained blade tractor operator. The blade tractor operator layers the silage to no more than 6 to 8 inches in height. The pack tractors must be of adequate weight. Total pack tractor weight is determined by tons of chopped silage per hour (delivered to the bunk) multiplied by 800. A chopper that delivers 100 tons of silage per hour into the bunker should have two tractors of 40,000 pounds each — 100 tons / hour x 800 = 80,000 total tractor weight.
Oxygen barrier film has proven to be an excellent return on investment for covering of bunker silos. Oxygen barrier film is a thin layer, high density colored plastic that reduces oxygen penetration. Regular black plastic does not have the ability to reduce oxygen penetration. Learn more at dairy.osu.edu.
Summary
It is enjoyable to go back and reminisce about the past on the dairy farm. However, living in the past will not determine success for the future. The past is either a fun memory to reflect on, a learning experience to grow on or a motivating factor to act upon. As a dairy farmer, focus on the factors on your farm that you can impact and plan accordingly. As you plan, learn from the past but look to the future with positive focus and implement plans that can impact your farms positive future. As in the movie, “Back to the Future,” return from the past and move forward.
