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Feed Forum

 

 

Photo submitted by a local producer to our feed department manager.  It's great to see how our local coop is reaching out to the next generation of producers!  It's about more than just making feed.

 

 

To Tarp or Not to Tarp? That is the Question.

By Shannon Voegele, Nutritional Consultant

Silage season is quickly approaching and, as many of you know that, covering a silage pile is not the most fun job on the farm.  However, the benefits seen from covering the pile are worth it in the end.  When silage is not tightly covered, air and moisture can easily access the pile and adversely affect the quality of silage during storing and feeding. This creates great potential for excessive dry matter (DM) and nutrient losses, moldy feed and other problems. The extent of these losses is far greater than most people realize.

Several studies at Kansas State University have reported at least a three percent loss in DM from the top three feet of silage in uncovered bunker silos compared to bunkers covered with plastic sheeting weighted down with tires. In a 12' high x 80' wide x 140' long bunker, the top three feet of silage contains approximately 672 tons (as fed) of silage at a density of 40 pounds/ft3. Thirty percent loss in this top three feet would equal 201.6 tons of as-fed silage. If corn silage is worth $60 per ton as-fed, the total savings potential, in terms of lost corn silage is at least $12,096. This does not take into account any negative effects that the top three feet of spoiled material might have on DM intake, milk production, or reproduction. Nor does it consider that additional silage is lost on the sides and closed end of uncovered bunkers. These losses can easily amount to 2-3 percent of the total silage volume. If we assume a two percent loss on the entire pile, this additional loss in our example would be 53.8 tons of silage worth another $3,226.

Inoculants are also a nice addition to boost the benefits of silage in rations.   An effective silage additive helps to drive fermentation in the right direction, preventing undesirable microbes from robbing valuable protein and energy resources from the silage.  

I think most of us would agree that the smell of fresh corn silage is one of the best scents in the world.  Let CFC help you get the tarps and inoculants you need for your silage pile to keep it fresh and get the most out of your feed source.  

8/22/2025

 

 

Feed Department Update

By Tyler McCoy, Feed Department Manager

Hard to believe the summer is over and kids are already heading back to school in the next couple of weeks. The Feed Department is going to have another awesome year. It’s not going to be a record-breaking year like last year, but it is very respectable. Final numbers aren’t in yet, but we had a big month of July to finish off the fiscal year. Sale volumes have looked great at all locations and their P&L’s show it. The department lives and dies through the mill in Montrose and the mill was just above 95,000 tons which set another record. To put that number into perspective in 2023 we made just over 61,000 tons. Our 5-year average from 2018-2023 was around 55,000 tons. The updates the board has approved over the last couple of years are sure paying dividends as we are getting more feed out in the same amount of time. We have become quite a niche market for local producers to get rid of their corn locally after harvest at a premium. I would like to thank our customers and even more our employees who have been very patient and have “bought in” to the process of growth. Whether that’s our fulltime staff or the agronomy team that helps us with borrowing a guy here and there. The updated feed trucks going down the road from Tyndall to Canova are testaments to what our board and management team sees in the future of the Feed Department.

8/8/2025

 

 

Market Takeaways

By Brooke Brunsvig, Nutritional Consultant

The best take on the market I can get so far was said most concisely by a DTN analyst at a meeting recently. My simple takeaways were that this could be the year of price stabilization as we see cow liquidations slowing down, but at the same time there’s no real retention being seen, just herd number maintenance. We are still going to see supplies tightening, which means price will continue to climb, but maybe slowly. This cycle has been a lot more of a slow climb to what might soon be the top, unlike in 2014, and whatever amount of rebuild we see/will see also points to being gradual, unlike 2015. Therefore, when prices drop, the crash of the last cycle shouldn’t be. The cow/calf man still has a lot of control this year and next.

The other big market takeaway that was eye opening to hear is that with tariffs and border closures and openings, cattle on feed and total exports are only down 1 and 3% respectively. The countries that will play with us are playing and the ones that won’t are getting charged for it. That is a bold statement, but it does seem to be truth in the livestock market.

The other topic I’ve heard a good bit about lately is 1^st trimester nutrition. We have seen good rain all over our trade area, but stay cognizant of the pastures, cow comfort, and draw from the calves. Diligent management along with a good mineral program are key to reproductive success.

Reach out to any of us at CFC, we’d love to have a conversation about what we can do to keep your bottom dollar as strong as possible.

7/18/2025

 

 

 

 

 

Are you thinking about creep feeding?
Call a Nutritional Consultant or Location Manager for pricing and availability today.

Keep our feedlot programs in mind once you wean your calves.
Call a Nutritional Consultant or Location Manager for details.

Central Farmers Cooperative is dedicated to serving our patrons.
Please call the location nearest you to find out how one of our professional staff members can help you.

 Feed Staff