Direct Harvesting Grass for Dairy Cows
Innovation added to a pallet friendly forage equals a win win for dairy farms.
Feeding green grass to dairy cows is nothing new. This article from Progressive Forage by Heather Smith Thomas highlights some recent innovations that make this practice good for the cows and the bottom line.
- High quality perennial grasses add to TMR for improved cow health and performance
- Manure/slurry is utilized after each harvest to fertilize the grass
Doug Sutter, Certified Crop Adviser with Wisconsin based ag equipment provider Vanderloop Equipmennt, explains how the process works.
Dairymen like this system because grass is a feed source the cows really like and respond to production-wise, and cost is feasible and production-efficient. Agronomically, we’re using that piece of ground six months of the year, starting mid-May and hopefully into November. Yield per acre and value of that crop becomes as high as any crop we can raise.”
Read the full article in Progressive Forage’s January 2021 digital edition page 24-25.
Kussmaul Seeds has a full lineup of high quality perennial grasses for dairy cows.
For more information or to order grasses: