Forage Teaching and Technology Conference

1. Forage Teaching and Technology Conference Marshfield Agricultural Research Station September 7, 2005

2. Management of Immature, Stressed Soybean Silages Kevin Jarek Crops, Soils, & Horticulture Agent Outagamie County UWEX

3. Why are we interested in this? • Weather Conditions 2004, Flood- May/June Drought in July/August – Immature/Stressed • Soybeans were not planted with the intention of being harvested as forage, but due to the conditions producers were forced to make a choice of something or nothing. • What is the “salvage” value of stressed/ immature soybeans as a forage crop?

4. Limited “Unintended” Soybean Silage Information in Wisconsin • Farmers were looking to the UWEX for direction on how to determine if a stand was a better candidate for silage than for grain and if so, how to harvest it. • What is the value of soybean silage? • Feeding • Economic

5. Development of a Survey Tool • Dan Undersander – UWEX Forage Specialist • Roger Borges – UWEX Soybean Specialist • Kevin Jarek – Crops, Soils, & Horticulture Agent, Outagamie Cty.

6. What Information was deemed most important? • Size of producers – # of acres & cattle • Planting – date, group, population • Cutting – mower conditioner/adjustment • Harvest – maturity stage, moisture, yield • Ensiling/Storage – type of structure • Feeding and Animal Performance – increase, decrease, or stayed the same

7. Participating Counties • Outagamie • Shawano • Winnebago • Clark • St. Croix

8. Size of Participating Farms • Acreage farmed ranged from 450 acres to 7,000 acres • Number of dairy cattle ranged from 160 animals to more than 2,000

9. Planting Dates, Maturity Groups, and Population • Outagamie - 6/25 2.0 185,000 6/20 1.5 220,000 • Shawano - 6/15 0.7 220,000 • Winnebago - 6/25 1.5 185,000 • Clark - 5/20 0.9 200,000 6/20 1.0 250,000 • St. Croix - 5/10 2.4 220,000

10. Stage of soybeans at harvest and degree of frost damage • Outagamie – R4, none R4, light damage • Shawano - R5, none (harvested 9/15) • Winnebago - R3, none • Clark - R1, none R3, mild damage • St. Croix - R3, none

11. Moisture at Cut, Harvest, and # of days needed to reach it • Outagamie - 80% - 65%, 1.5 days 70% - 64%, 2-4 days • Shawano - 85% - 50%, 4.0 days • Winnebago - 82% - 65%, 1.5 days • Clark - - 55% 2.0 days - 62% - • St. Croix - - 69% 3.0 days • Mean 79% 61% 2.5 days

12. Type of Soybean Silage Mixes • Outagamie -Soybean/3rd Crop; Soybean; Corn Silage/Soybean • Shawano - Soybean/Sorghum-Sudan/ Corn Silage • Winnebago - Soybean • Clark - Triticale/Soybean; Soybean • St. Croix - Soybean

13. Soybean Silage Yield in Dry Matter Tons per Acre • Outagamie - 2.25 tons, 1.5 tons • Shawano - 1.0 tons • Winnebago - 1.25 tons • Clark - 1.0 tons, -unavailable • St. Croix - 2.3 tons • Mean Yield - 1.55 tons

14. Mower Conditioner Efficiency • Outagamie - JD 946, 13’ slowed down IH 5000 sickle, real easy • Shawano - JD 1525 12’ sickle, 5’ rolls • Winnebago - JD 1156 14’, no problem • Clark - Big M, excessive damage, had to switch to JD with rolls • St. Croix - JD Self Propelled, no problem

15. Type of Storage & Inoculant • Outagamie - Oxygen limiting, none - Bags, none • Shawano - Oxygen Limiting, Dairyland • Winnebago - Bags, Versi-Bugs • Clark - Bunker, none; Bunker, none • St. Croix - Bags, none • 2 oxygen limiting, 3 bags, 2 bunkers

16. Soybean only Silage Samples • Means of five soybean only silage samples • 37.08 DM Range 30.81 – 45.82 • 20.68 CP Range 18.14 – 23.96 • 31.93 ADF Range 29.72 - 36.18 • 39.15 NDF Range 32.99 - 47.46 • 44.32 NDFD Range 41.96 - 48.39

17. Effect of Corn Silage on Soybean Silage Analysis Change +/- Same beans mixed with corn silage Soybean/Corn Silage Soybean Silage • +.83 36.75 DM 35.92 DM • -5.73 14.54 CP 20.27 CP • -6.15 24.38 ADF 30.53 ADF • +11.96 44.95 NDF 32.99 NDF • +19.43 62.05 NDFD 42.62 NDFD • -4.77 6.41 Ash 11.18 Ash

18. The Influence of Alfalfa on Soybean Silage Values Change +/- 3rd Crop vs. Mean of five pure Soybean Silage Samples 3rd Crop/Soybean Silage Five Pure Soybean Silage • +0.75 37.83 DM 37.08 DM • +1.80 22.48 CP 20.68 CP • -4.39 27.54 ADF 31.93 ADF • -4.85 34.30 NDF 39.15 NDF • +6.39 50.71 NDFD 44.32 NDFD

19. What about Inoculant for Soybean Silage? (Not enough data available) Change +/- Inoculated vs. the untreated mean Inoculated Soybean Silage Mean of four untreated • +10.92 45.82 DM 34.90 DM • -3.18 18.14 CP 21.32 CP • -0.14 32.05 ADF 31.91 ADF • -1.01 38.34 NDF 39.35 NDF • +6.10 48.39 NDFD 42.29 NDFD* *(only two values determined the mean)

20. Sorghum-Sudan Grass, Soybeans, & Corn Silage (different fields) Change +/- The influence that Sorghum-Sudan may have on the mixture. Sorghum/Soy/Corn Silage Corn/Soybean Silage • +15.23 51.98 DM 36.75 DM • -0.32 14.22 CP 14.54 CP • +7.78 32.16 ADF 24.38 ADF • +4.07 49.02 NDF 44.95 NDF • -8.51 53.54 NDFD 62.05 NDFD

21. Type of animals being fed soybean silage • Outagamie - Milking Cows; Milking Cows, Dry Cows, Heifers • Shawano - Dry Cows & Heifers • Winnebago - Milking Cows • Clark - Milking Cows, Heifers; Milking, Dry, & Heifers • St. Croix - Milking Cows

22. Effect of feeding on DM Intake and refusal or sorting of stems • Outagamie - Stayed Same, None Stayed Same, None • Shawano - Stayed Same, None • Winnebago - Decreased, None • Clark -Stayed Same, None Stayed Same, None • St. Croix -Stayed Same, None

23. Effect of feeding on Milk Production • Outagamie – Stayed Same, Stayed Same • Shawano - Not Applicable (Heifers & Dry) • Winnebago - Stayed Same • Clark - Stayed Same, Stayed Same • St. Croix - Stayed Same • No Farm Reported a Negative Impact!

24. Effect on Animal Performance • Outagamie – Stayed Same, Stayed Same • Shawano - Stayed Same • Winnebago - Stayed Same • Clark - Stayed Same, Stayed Same • St. Croix - Stayed Same • No discernable differences in performance!

25. Recommendations • Make sure you talk to your Crop Insurance adjuster before harvesting any “unintended” soybeans for forage. You could forfeit a lot of money you would have otherwise received. • Get the Dry Matter to the appropriate level for the type of storage structure being utilized (at least 30%). • Do not spread the windrow too wide, one producer lost tonnage because the hay head could not pick up the windrow efficiently.

26. Recommendations (continued) • The producers I talked with felt soybean whole plant moisture was a little more difficult to judge in the field, therefore testing (if available) is well worth the expense. • Bottom unloading silos form a cone at the base of the unloader in which feed from the top mixes with feed at the lower level – making it difficult to prevent different feeds from mixing – also moisture levels must be adhered to for fermentation to be successful.

27. Closing Comments • “No problems, would try it again if I needed the feed”. – Outagamie • “Overall pretty satisfied with the decision to harvest for forage”. – Clark • “Would likely not plant as late as I did again”. - (June 15th) – Shawano • “No feeding problems – the cattle like it”. -Clark