Q: Tell us about your operation.
A: We milk 1400 cows on a 40 stall rotary housing our cows in a hybrid ventilated freestall barn. We raise 75% of our youngstock on site. We operate 2000 acres of corn and alfalfa which we harvest our self for the livestock.
Q: What sustainability practices do you implement on your farm? When thinking about the future generations of farmers, why is practicing sustainability so important?
A: We utilize many sustainable practices on the farm from cover crops to recycling sand. This allows us to utilize the resources we are blessed with for the future generations and be better stewards of the land in the present.
Q: What sustainability practices have had the most impact on your farm?
A: The sustainable practice that has had the largest impact on our farm is our water management. We have our water used to cool our milk. After that it is used to water the cows and create milk and urine. The milk is sold and the urine is used to recycle our sand before it is spread on the field as fertilizer for next years crops that will be used to feed our cows.
Q: What Silostop Agri products do you use on the farm? And what has been your experience using those products?
A: We use a variety of silo stop products on our farm depending on the forage we are putting up. We use the 1 step 5 mil white and black silo stop Max plus on our haylage piles for the convenience of the one layer of plastic with a built in oxygen barrier. For our corn silage bunkers we use a thinner 3 mil silostop max orange and black with a secure cover over the top. On our snaplage bunkers we use the 1.8 mil silo stop orange 2 step solution and a secure cover over the plastic.
Q: What differences have you noticed in your operation since implementing Silostop Agri products?
A: The oxygen barrier layers in the silo stop products have improved our feed quality and quantity by reducing spoiled feed at the surface. This has saved us time from less feed having to be pitched of the surface leaving more feed for the cows to eat. We also have had problems with birds creating holes in our plastic and the secure covers have eliminated this problem again saving us spoiled and wasted feed.
Q: What would you tell a farmer who is considering using Silostop Agri products on their own operation?
A: Give it a try, spoiled feed is a cost the can add up huge. Not only do you have the cost to grow and harvest, but any spoiled feed you also have the cost to pitch off the feed and haul it back out to the field without feeding it to the animals first.
