BMR forage: Are we getting the bang for our buck?

Rebecca Kern for Progressive Forage

Brown midrib (BMR) or low-lignin varieties of sorghum, sudan, millet and hybrid crosses have been commercially available since the 1990s. However, I still receive questions (and opinions) from livestock producers regarding claims that BMR varieties improve animal performance relative to their non-BMR counterparts. Some buy in wholeheartedly, attesting to improved intake and body condition; others say they have not seen the benefits.

To examine these differences, I have pulled together a set of over 2,000 hay samples submitted to our laboratory from Nebraska and surrounding states. The species included are sorghums, millets, sudans, and sudex hybrid crosses. Because this data comes from a commercial laboratory, and we only have the information producers provide us, we are comparing BMR varieties to samples submitted with unknown BMR status. There are BMR varieties in the unknown population, and our findings are more subtle than if we compared them to non-BMR varieties. Table 1 summarizes nutritional values of the samples measured with NIRS Forage and Feed Testing Consortium calibrations.

Do BMR forage varieties really perform as advertised?

Early signs point to less hay acreage in 2021

The 2022 AFGC Forage Conference will be in Wichita, Kansas, Jan. 9-12

World Dairy Expo 2021 to remain in Madison, Wisconsin

STF-43™: Soft leaf Tall fescue

Taking charge of baled silage

Jessica Williamson for Progressive Forage

Baled silage, or baleage, is a highly nutritious livestock feed and can help producers better manage their harvest window and harvest their crop at its optimum quality.

Baleage is forage harvested at a higher moisture than dry hay, which is then wrapped in polyurethane plastic to eliminate oxygen so that anaerobic fermentation takes place. This phase converts available sugars to acids, preserving the forage and improving the nutritional value and palatability of the crop.

Silage bales have advantages over dry hay, but only if managed right.

April 2021 new product rollout

This month's new products lineup includes items from Laforge, AGCO, New Leader and more.

Learn more.

Myth-busting 8 common beliefs about cover crops

Contributed by GO SEED

Myths surrounding cover crops typically fall into one of two camps. The first camp is that of detriment, with concerns about available moisture being sucked up in a drought-prone area or fear that cash crop yields will be hurt. The second is misplaced expectations – placing cover crops on a pedestal as the Holy Grail to simultaneously fix every production woe.

Below, Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri, and Jerry Hall, director of Research for GO SEED, bust eight of the most common cover crop myths.

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Forage Market Insights: Out standing in the field

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Working with, sometimes for, Mother Nature

Erica Ramsey Louder for Progressive Forage

I woke up with a start, panicked that I’d overslept. I rolled onto my side and grabbed my phone on my bedside table. It was only 3 a.m. I flopped back down and then decided to get up and at least check. I swung my feet out of bed and padded in my bare feet to the laundry room.

The weather station monitor we’d mounted over the washing machine read 35ºF. It was colder than I hoped, but even if the temperature dropped another five degrees before sunrise, I’d be fine. I’d read that these plants could overwinter in growing zone 7. I’m growing zone 6 with a tendency to act like 5. The problem was I didn’t really know how cold was too cold. It was the end of March, and I thought as long as I didn’t get any lows below 20ºF, I should be fine. They should be fine. All the work of the last three months should be fine.

"Let your success keep your nay-sayers at bay."