Farming Operation

​

• Planting, Spraying, Silage Harvest, Manure Application

• Crops include corn, alfalfa, grass hay, rye, wheat and soybeans

• All crops are used in feed rations for cows

 

Chopping and Planting

• May-July is spring harvest – rye and alfalfa

  • Plant corn for silage

  • Bale alfalfa and grass hay

• August-November is fall harvest – corn silage

  • Fields drilled back to rye

  • Manure application

​

Cow Feed

• Silage/Haylage

  • Feed is dumped onto ground piles

  • Packed tightly with large tractors

  • Covered with tarps to keep air and moisture out so it can ferment into feed

• Alfalfa 1st cutting is swathed and chopped into haylage

  • 2nd cutting is baled into large square or round bales

  • Consecutive cuttings are swathed and baled every 24-30 days. 4-5 cuttings of alfalfa are typical through summer months

• Prairie hay is swathed late summer and baled to be used as feed