Progress report for FNC23-1380
Project Information
Our motto, “Quality Milk, from Quality Cows”, was set in 2005 when I joined the family farming partnership as a sixth-generation dairy farmer with my parents, Leo and Karen. We have 160 cows and raise an equal number of calves and heifers near Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on 100 tillable acres. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Cornell University, I learned from other dairy farms as an intern and Herd Manager before returning home. In my role as a farm owner/operator, I set goals and develop plans to operate a profitable enterprise, prioritizing farm sustainability for future generations. I manage most aspects of the operation, including milking herd health, genetic development, procuring feed, agronomy decisions, and milk marketing. We have an open-minded approach to new technology and research findings to produce a quality end-product for the consumer, which drives both our dairy herd and land management philosophies.
Regarding our dairy herd, we embraced genomic testing in dairy cattle about ten years ago. We improve each generation with this technology so our cows live longer, healthier, and more productive lives, producing a #1 Net Merit Cow. Our cows move more easily in our dairy facility, are moderately sized, feed efficient, with high-scoring health traits. We developed our herd as an “A2” original milk protein herd, which is more easily digestible for some people than the current “A1” milk protein. We strive to offer our animals the best care possible. We added a new monitoring technology, smaXtec, to help us do that. smaXtec consists of a bolus that monitors each animal and sends real-time data about individual cow health, so we can be proactive in healthcare and decrease antibiotic use.
For dairy farms, quality forage production is the foundation for profitable milk production and herd health. Our land management goal is to grow digestible nutrients to feed our herd while building natural resources. We grow corn for silage or sorghum sudangrass in tandem with winter rye for feed. We adopted cover cropping with winter rye four years ago after a neighboring farm recommended it to make more forage for our heifers on the same land area, at the same time improving land stewardship with a winter cover on highly erodible lands. We work closely with our county Senior Conservation Technician for conservation and with our Certified Crop Adviser to manage soil samples, weed, and insect pressure from planting to harvest.
This trial addresses three common problems for livestock operations with the strategic addition of continuous living cover. First, we want to increase conservation efforts for our community. Our manure management plan prioritizes proper nutrient application on sloped land and near waterways originating on our farm to protect public water supplies downstream. This intercropping system would further limit soil and nutrient displacement, especially on sensitive land for public health.
Second, our farm produces more nutrients than we can apply to our cropland. We are hoping to increase total forage produced per acre and therefore optimize nutrient uptake year-round. The goal is to increase plant nutrient uptake while alleviating negative consequences of the winter fallow period, such as erosion and depletion of soil organic matter and nutrients.
Third, our herd size demands more forage than we can produce with conventional cropping systems given our farm size. In addition to the forage we grow, we purchase 400 acres of first-cut alfalfa, 25 acres of corn silage, and 300 tons of dry hay to properly feed our 300 calves and cows. This system aims to use the unutilized interrow spacing in corn silage systems to increase feed production and land use efficiency.
Solution: We will trial an alfalfa-corn silage system for a single-pass total mixed ration beginning in spring 2023 for 23 months. As days stay warmer for longer periods, we will assess the viability for an additional alfalfa harvest after the corn silage/alfalfa harvest. We have 4.4 acres for the trial (MyB Miami and MbP McHenry silt loam, 2-6% slopes, and Ph Pella silt loam, 0-2% slopes, at GPS coordinates 42°7’N 88°4′ W), with three randomized replications of each treatment. The five treatments include 30” corn silage control, spring-planted alfalfa control, 60” corn silage at the same population as the 30” corn silage, 30” corn silage with alfalfa, and 60” corn silage with alfalfa with at the same population as the 30” corn silage.
Spring soil samples will be pulled before field activities begin to collect baseline soil data for each treatment –N, P, K, pH, OM, CEC, and aggregation. Sampling at the end of the project will detect any soil health changes. Soil organic matter will estimate soil carbon.
Liquid manure is spread in the fall with semi-trucks, while solids are spread with a side-discharge manure spreader and for corn-only acres incorporated with a Lemken tillage tool.
We will interseed shade tolerant and glyphosate-resistant alfalfa for establishment into corn in the first year by V1, using a shorter-day corn hybrid to minimize corn canopy shading on the alfalfa stand in the spring and fall. In the second year, we will strip till the corn seed bed and mildly chemically suppress the alfalfa stand to protect the corn plant during the critical period for weed control. Each row in our custom harvester’s Lemken planter can be turned off and on, making the trial configuration of 30” and 60” corn rows possible.
Herbicide for the corn silage and alfalfa controls will follow chem plans recommended by our Certified Crop Adviser, Jake Standal, Liqui-Grow Location Manager. We have consulted with Jake and Corteva Agriscience for a herbicide management plan in the intercropped systems, and will use glyphosate-resistant alfalfa for better weed control.
Our custom harvester uses a CLAAS 8-row forage harvester. Treatments will be stored separately in plastic silage bags. We will fill at 750 lbs. pressure to keep replications separate and mark by treatment, plot, and replication. A drive-over scale will weigh total yield per plot, and a Koster Moisture Tester will read moisture from each plot sample to back-calculate dry matter.
Our long-time feed nutritionist, Bob Hagenow with Vita Plus Corporation, will help us assess feed quality. We will take plot samples four weeks after bagging and submit them to Rock River Laboratory for the Near Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy Comprehensive Nutrition Package for silage and forage analysis (protein & amino acid, carbohydrates, minerals & ash, and fermentation products).
Corteva Agriscience is providing corn seed and chemistry expertise, Liqui-Grow for alfalfa varietal selection and management, plus support in data analysis from Iowa State University and machinery development from Case IH engineer Bryan Browntree. Our Walworth County Senior Conservation Technician, Brian Smetana, is providing conservation and outreach expertise.
Objectives:
- Compare alfalfa-corn silage intercropping treatments at 30” and 60” spacing through field testing with controls
- Evaluate system viability as a proof-of-concept project for profitability, forage yield, and soil health/quality
- Measure soil health with a comprehensive package at the beginning and end of the trial
- Conduct one field day per year with handouts for farmers, university researchers, conservation experts, and input suppliers
- Share research results with university researchers, conservation experts, and input suppliers
- Assess protein replacement from alfalfa and supplement costs, noting animal performance when feeding
Cooperators
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
- (Educator)
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
- - Technical Advisor (Researcher)
Research
This project evaluates an alfalfa-corn silage intercropping system for ruminant forage to increase land use efficiency, improve nutrient management, and enhance soil and water conservation in the upper Midwest. This project is continued through December 2025. There are three potential harvest times for the system in the years after Yr 1 alfalfa establishment: spring alfalfa harvest, corn silage/alfalfa harvest, and possibly an additional alfalfa harvest as days stay warmer in the fall. Treatments included 1. 30” corn control, 2, 60” corn, 3. alfalfa in 30” corn, 4. alfalfa in 60” corn, and 5. alfalfa only. The goal of this study is to assess the effect of intercropping on corn and alfalfa growth, development, and yield. We will also calculate system costs to determine revenue and net returns in year 2+. Measurements include early season and post-harvest plant population, corn height and corn stage weekly, alfalfa height weekly, alfalfa plant density, and corn silage yield and quality (NIR for milk/ton and milk/acre). The plant height was taken at the tallest natural point of 6 plants in five points per strip. Baseline soil samples were taken fall 2023 before manure application and will be compared with samples at the end of the trial.
The trial location was cultivated on 16 May 2024 with equipment to (4”) depth. Corn was planted in an east-west orientation because of field access points on May 17, 2024 at 32K/acre in all treatments. Alfalfa was seeded 6 days later at 19 lb/acre PLS in 7.5” drill spacing on May 23, 2024.. Corn was glyphosate tolerant Brevant B06F91Q (Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, IN) with comparative maturity RM 106-day; alfalfa was variety R4042 with roundup ready and fall dormancy group 5 (RR FD5). Alfalfa was seeded at a greater rate than recommended for concurrent establishment with a corn silage nurse crop to account for the weather-related delay in alfalfa seeding, persistent wet spring conditions, and for alfalfa persistence in post-establishment years; alfalfa in a dual crop system is subject to additional suppression stress and extensive wheel traffic compaction from field operations including manure application, chemical application, strip tillage, corn planting, and harvest of corn plus alfalfa harvests.
All of our normal weed control was applied including glyphosate and fungicide/insecticide for quality forage production. Pesticides were applied N-S so that the sprayer did not compact the E-W alfalfa interrows.
In the first year, we had one harvest of the system for the corn silage with a Kemper chopper on September 10, 2024. Alfalfa only plots were cut with a diskbine on September 12, 2024 and raked and baled on September 15, 2024. Specifically, our custom harvester used a CLAAS 8-row forage harvester with Kemper head. We measured the weight of each harvested strip by chopping the forage into a feed mixer with scale, which we ran alongside the chopper, and collected a forage sample from each strip after we emptied the feed mixer. We took forage samples for each strip after emptying the mixer for forage analysis (protein & amino acid, carbohydrates, minerals & ash, and fermentation products) and stored separately in plastic bags. The NIR reported yield in tons/acre @ 35% DM and forage quality with milk/ton (lbs), and then we could calculate total value of the system with milk/acre (lbs). Iowa State University conducted a formal analysis on the experiment results thus far.
Please see attached report with all measured values. SARE progress report 1.10.2024 We learned that it’s possible to establish alfalfa in corn silage with yield similar to the corn silage only. We learned that there is ample interest from ag professionals and farmers in a corn silage-alfalfa system that can provide multiple cuttings of alfalfa and corn silage for better land use efficiency and soil conservation.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Adam Hurtgen and Hurtgenlea hosted 20 farmers and ag professionals during our August 22, 2024 on-site field day. We distributed field day handouts for findings thus far and for a larger perennial groundcover initiative (regenpgc.org). Iowa State University Research Scientist Dr. Cynthia Bartel presented this system at the December 4, 2024 VitaPlus meeting in New Glarus, Wisconsin, to 60+ farmers and ag professionals. At both events, farmers and ag professionals were interested in the increased forage production and natural resources conservation benefits of this system. The second year of the system will determine adoption; profitability will be determined by the alfalfa and corn silage yield and quality, which is influenced by spring suppression of the alfalfa.
Learning Outcomes
Lessons learned
What did you and/or others learn from this grant?
We learned that it’s possible to establish alfalfa in corn silage with yield similar to the corn silage only. We learned that there is ample interest from ag professionals and farmers in a corn silage-alfalfa system that can provide multiple cuttings of alfalfa and corn silage for better land use efficiency and soil conservation.
How has this affected your farm or ranch operation?
We want to be good stewards of the land and further our social responsibility. This project has allowed us to reach out to ag professionals and farmers who have great ideas to make this system work on our farm and other farms.
Did you overcome your identified barrier, and if so, how?
Our identified barrier to system adoption is really the alfalfa suppression and timely alfalfa harvesting in year 2. We are working with several stakeholder advisors and ag professionals to dial in best alfalfa suppression methods after a spring alfalfa cut. Either real competition or light quality competition from unsuppressed alfalfa for the corn through the early corn stages will decrease corn silage yield in year 2+.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a project such as yours?
The real advantages will only be answered with the second year of the corn silage alfalfa system. These advantages or disadvantages depend on if we can get a spring alfalfa cutting and then possibly a second fall alfalfa cutting for feed quality, quantity, and labor. In the first year, we established alfalfa in corn silage while producing relatively similar corn silage yield as corn silage only. There are still known benefits of having cover on the soil year-round that this system provides even in the first year, with water retention and decreasing runoff. During big rainfall events, the soil stayed put.
If asked for more information or a recommendation concerning what you examined in this project, what would you tell other farmers or ranchers?
A very important piece to establishing alfalfa in corn silage is to be patient for a planting window for the right soil conditions, especially with the increased spring rainfall events.
We would also restate what we learned that led to a delay in the trial, make sure you know how to manually adjust the implements and consider what is possible for cutter bar height in your fields. These were the two biggest problems in our first years.