Where there are cattle, there is corn silage. When we talk about corn silage in Wisconsin, we are talking about a very serious topic.

Statewide, over 850,000 acres of corn are ensiled as silage each year.

The severe drought of 2012 has left many pastures in poor shape and needing to be re-established.

Rather than reseeding with the same forage species eliminated by the drought, native grasses such as big bluestem, indiangrass and switchgrass should be considered as alternatives.

All of these species have very good drought-tolerance and may place you in a better position to support grazing in future droughts, especially on poorer sites.

Click here to read a question submitted by a reader regarding inoculant sources for native species.

Legumes play a unique role in the production of high-quality forages and pastures (Figure 1).

They can have a symbiotic host for rhizobia bacteria which can fix nitrogen (N) from the air and convert it into a form plants can use.

These rhizobia bacteria enter into a close association with legumes by forming specialized structures referred to as nodules on the legume roots.

Biological and digital advances in the agriculture industry have provided us with a baseline to discover innovations for the future.

Looking ahead to the new year, I’d like to touch on a few areas creating a buzz in the industry.

To begin with, the yearly production cycle starts with planning and continues on through harvest to feeding.