nutridense banner image
nutridense banner image

Seed selection for 2011

November 8th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

We recently shared an article from the October issue of Dairy Herd Management titled “Three’s Company.” Its timely examination of the many factors that go into seed selection is a good reminder for producers who are already planning for 2011.

While you’re thinking about the year ahead, remember there are a select group of seed partners that offer NutriDense grain and silage. As experts, these partners are able to provide key insights into the NutriDense opportunities offered. Learn more about our seed partners here.

And don’t forget the NutriDense Rewards program: place your NutriDense seed order with a NutriDense seed partner by Feb. 15, 2011, and you’re eligible for a variety of rewards. Want more details? Contact your seed rep, call 1-800-233-8942 or visit www.nutridense.com/rewards for more details on this offer.

Do you know enough about corn silage to make the grade? Visit Silage University and find out!

August 23rd, 2010 by Courtney Beck

As students sharpen their pencils and football fields start to fill up with fans, we’re ready to hit the books ourselves. NutriDense is excited to announce Silage University, an online learning tool for dairy producers, seed representatives and all those involved in the dairy industry.

This training module features a wealth of technical information portrayed through University researcher quotes, animated diagrams and visuals, and is a way to learn more about high-quality corn silage and the role it plays in improving profitability through increased feed efficiency.

Here are a few of the topics covered in Silage University:

  • What is high-quality corn silage?
  • Why is corn silage important to dairy production?
  • How can high-quality corn silage increase feed efficiency?
  • What are the different types of corn silage, and why are some better than others?

To “attend” Silage University or to get more information, click on the image above or visit www.silageu.com.

Cornell University Feed Efficiency Study Featured in Progressive Dairyman

August 11th, 2010 by Greg Jones

With the dairy industry facing economic constraints, producers are looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing milk production. One place to look is feed — when feed efficiency increases, producers are able to get the same milk with less feed.

The results of a recent feed efficiency study performed by Dr. Larry Chase, professor and dairy nutrition extension specialist at Cornell University, were featured in the July 1 issue of Progressive Dairyman in an article titled “Improve feed efficiency, increase profitability by selecting high-quality corn silage hybrids.” Dr. Chase revealed results that found NutriDense Silage to be six to eight percent better in feed efficacy, or converting feed to milk, than other high-quality corn silage in the study.

Click here to learn more about the study and how NutriDense stacked up against other hybrids.

Greg Jones is the NutriDense Silage product manager for BASF Plant Science. You can contact him at gregory.jones@basf.com.

New Research Validates Feed Efficiency of NutriDense Silage

August 4th, 2010 by Courtney Beck

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, August 4, 2010 – A recent study from Cornell University concluded that lactating dairy cows fed NutriDense Silage showed a 6 to 8 percent improvement in feed efficiency, or converting feed to milk. The other hybrids compared in the study were brown midrib and dual purpose.

“One of the most interesting conclusions from the study was the difference in feed efficiency. NutriDense Silage was about 6 to 8 percent better in feed efficacy, or converting feed to milk, than either of the other two hybrids that were used, so we did get a highly significant improvement in feed efficiency in NutriDense Silage in this particular trial,” said Dr. Larry Chase, professor and dairy nutrition specialist at Cornell University. “That means to get the same pounds of milk producers would feed about 6 to 8 percent less pounds of feed. In theory that would say they’re going to get the same milk income with a lower feed cost input or a wider difference between milk income and feed costs. It should improve profitability.”

The study, entitled “Milk production and feed efficiency in dairy cows fed corn silage hybrids varying in fiber digestibility,” was presented by Dr. Larry Chase at the American Dairy Science Association’s 2010 Joint Annual Meeting, held July 11-15 in Denver, Colo.

“Dr. Chase’s research has important implications for the dairy industry,” said Greg Jones, NutriDense Silage product manager. “At BASF Plant Science, our goal is to improve the profitability of dairy producers. We are excited to see university research continue to prove that NutriDense Silage improves feed efficiency and thus income over feed costs.”

For more information on the study, visit the NutriDense blog (www.nutridense.com/blog) to listen to a podcast with Dr. Chase.

NutriDense Silage is nutritionally enhanced corn silage developed specifically for efficient milk production. University studies show NutriDense Silage provides a four to eight percent improvement in feed efficiency, or converting feed to milk, giving dairy producers an income over feed cost advantage. The result is lower feed costs and greater profitability for dairy producers. NutriDense Silage yields equal to or greater than dual purpose and greater than brown midrib, so producers can achieve high-quality corn silage without sacrificing yields.

To learn more about NutriDense, visit www.nutridense.com, follow on Twitter @NutriDense or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NutriDense.

About BASF Plant Science

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals as well as oil and gas. BASF Plant Science – a BASF group company – is one of the world’s leading companies providing innovative plant biotechnology solutions for agriculture. Today, more than 750 employees are helping farmers meet the growing demand for improved agricultural productivity and healthier nutrition for humans and animals. BASF Plant Science has developed an unparalleled gene discovery platform focusing on yield and quality traits in crops such as corn, soybean and rice. Jointly with leading partners in the seed industry BASF Plant Science is commercializing its products. Current projects include higher yielding row crops, nutritionally-enhanced corn for animal feed or higher content of Omega-3’s in oil crops for preventing cardiovascular diseases. To find out more about BASF Plant Science, please visit www.basf.com/plantscience.

About BASF

BASF – The Chemical Company.

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $13 billion in 2009. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

NutriDense is a registered trademark of BASF Plant Science L.P.

Sign up for ‘Have You Herd,’ technical dairy e-Newsletter

August 3rd, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Every other month, the NutriDense team puts together a technical e-Newsletter called “Have You Herd.” Tailored to the needs of dairy nutritionists, veterinarians and consultants, the e-Newsletter is a high-level resource on topics such as agronomy, feed efficiency and dairy nutrition. It also includes a roundup of industry news and upcoming events.

Here’s a sampling of some previous Have You Herd articles:

You can now sign up to receive Have You Herd in your e-mail inbox right here on the NutriDense website. Look for the Technical e-Newsletter button on the homepage and blog sidebars, or click on the image above. In addition, check out the full e-Newsletter archives here.

Consider a foliar fungicide for more tonnage and healthier plants

June 24th, 2010 by Courtney Beck

The use of foliar fungicides in corn grain production has gained favor over the past few years.  As grain prices increased, savvy producers realized that the investment in a well-timed fungicide application could pay huge yield dividends at harvest.  Corn silage, another valuable crop especially when chopped for high-performance dairies, can benefit from a foliar fungicide application as well.  The return on fungicide investment for the corn silage producer can be more tons per acre of higher-quality silage.

Corn growers have learned that the yield increases associated with some fungicides stem not only from a decrease in leaf diseases, but also from a general increase in plant health.  By reducing the incidence and severity of fungal leaf disease, the corn plant is better able to convert light energy into starch, protein and sugars.  Healthy plants are also better able to deal with the environmental stresses often encountered during the growing season. In silage, since the entire plant is harvested, the plant health aspect becomes even more valuable.

Foliar fungicides vary in their formulation and mode of action, and only a few products are labeled for applications to corn grown for silage.  Headline® fungicide, manufactured by BASF, is the fungicide most widely used by corn growers in North America.  Data from research plots and field trials have shown very positive responses to Headline applied to corn silage.  A trial in Plainfield, Wisconsin in 2008 showed an average of 1.62 tons/acre (at 70% moisture) increase from a Headline application over an average of 35 hybrids.  This yield increase translated to an average of 2,837 additional pounds of milk per acre using the standard dairy industry tons to milk calculation.  The results from a trial in Unity, Wisconsin were even more impressive.  Averaged over 21 different hybrids, the Headline application resulted in an extra 3.26 tons/acre and an increase of 3,986 pounds of milk per acre.

Silage quality can also be maintained by a timely application of Headline.  Trials grown in Wisconsin, Maryland and New York showed increases in fiber digestibility and corresponding increases in milk per acre when compared to an untreated check.

Another important benefit of a foliar fungicide application is the increase in “stay green” or late season plant health.  This increase in plant health means a wider silage harvest window.  Whether your customers are large operations with hundreds of acres of silage to cut or smaller operations waiting on a custom chopper, cutting silage at the proper moisture is an important step in harvesting quality corn silage.  Keeping the crop healthy and green for a longer period of time can pay huge dividends in the feed bunk.

After starting with the right hybrid, your customers can help maintain the nutrition potential of that silage crop with a timely fungicide application.  A foliar fungicide such as Headline can be a management tool in your customers’ quality silage plan.

This article was written by Mark Schultz, a sales agronomist for BASF Plant Science. He can be reached at mark.schultz@basf.com.

Podcast: Jerry Weigel on test weight

April 9th, 2010 by Karlie Justus

In this week’s podcast, Jerry Weigel, BASF Plant Science manager of nutrition and technical service, responds to the 2009 USDA Production Report and offers some thoughts on test weight and its implications.

Listen in by clicking the link below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

USDA releases first 2010 planting intentions report

April 1st, 2010 by Karlie Justus

Yesterday, the USDA released its first 2010 planting intentions report, and we were interested to see the updated projections for U.S. corn acreage.

Overall, corn acreage is expected to reach 88,798,000 in the U.S., up from 86,482,000 in 2009. We also paid attention to the numbers in states where NutriDense Silage and Grain is sold and grown:

  • In Minnesota (7,600 acres) and South Dakota (5,000 acres), planting reports are right in line with 2009 acreage
  • Iowa is the only state to see a drop between 2009 and 2010, going from 13,700 to 13,500 projected acres
  • Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Delaware and Wisconsin farmers all project they’ll plant more corn acreage in 2010

Other corn acreage planting predictions have poured in from the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit, held Tuesday, March 16, in Chicago. Here’s a sampling of the corn planting predictions from the conference from a Reuters roundup of the event:

  • Food consulting firm Advanced Economic Solutions’ president Bill Lapp estimated 91 million acres
  • MF Global predicts 89.75 million acres, according to its senior vice president of commodity research Rich Feltes
  • Dan Basse from Chicago’s AgResource Co. projected 89.3 million acres of corn

News from the Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting

August 12th, 2009 by Courtney Beck

How much corn are American farmers producing? How much corn do American farmers have the potential to produce? Is there enough for both food and fuel?

Jerry Weigel, BASF Plant Science LLC manager of nutrition and technical services, tackled these questions at the 2009 Poultry Science Association annual conference where he delivered the World Poultry Science Association Lectureship.

http://www.nutridense.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/ND-Blog.flv