Bill Rutherford, Pioneer research coordinator, discusses in situ analysis. In situ testing allows Pioneer researchers direct analysis of inoculant performance and fiber digestibility, providing producers additional product information.
Listen to the podcast here:
Bill Rutherford on in situ testing (6:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Have you ever wondered where the heat comes from in silage?
This really cool infrared camera can read the temperature of a silage bunker and provide a color picture of the variations in heat levels on the face. The camera has gotten cheaper since it first came out a couple of years ago, but it still retails for several thousand dollars.
A great way to measure silage heat, but not practical for most producers, so Pioneer ruminant microbiologist Scott Dennis suggests using a thermometer to quickly and easily determine whether heat is physiological or microbial.
Dennis explains more about this topic along with management techniques to reduce heating in this edition of Forage Forum, recorded at the Pioneer Forage Media day held in September at the Livestock Nutrition Center in Johnston, IA.
Listen to the podcast here:
Scott Dennis on Silage Heat (5:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Dr. Bill Mahanna, nutritional sciences manager for Pioneer, discusses ideal moisture percentages for high moisture corn. Mahanna says high moisture corn and snaplage benefit digestion. He also comments on corn particle sizes and inoculants for high moisture corn.
This edition of Forage Forum was recorded at the Pioneer Forage Media day held in September at the Livestock Nutrition Center in Johnston, IA.
Listen to the podcast here:
Bill Mahanna (4:45 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
This year, many producers are seeing a delay in corn silage harvest. Bill Curran, Pioneer research scientist, discusses harvest timing factors and how the growing season impacts the nutritional value of the silage.
Curran spoke to agricultural media recently at the Pioneer Forage Media day held at the Livestock Nutrition Center in Johnston, IA.
Listen to this edition of Forage Forum here:
Bill Curran on Delayed Forage Harvest (4:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Pioneer’s introduction last week of the Pioneer® brand 11GFT inoculant was the second in a series of products in the DuPont company’s fiber technology platform.
“The fiber technology platform is a new technology that we have been working on in the forage additive area for about the last six years,” says Pioneer Senior Research Manager Bill Rutherford. “Essentially what we’re talking about is targeting a trait, fiber digestibility in plant materials, by the utilization of enzymes which are produced directly from a proprietary strain of lactobacillus buchneri in the silage inoculant.”
The fiber technology platform was launched in 2008 with 11CFT developed for corn silage and now expanded to include 11GFT for grass and cereal silage. Dairy producers will be able to find out more about the new product at World Dairy Expo next week at the Pioneer Hi-Bred booth.
Listen to an interview with Bill Rutherford here:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Developing new varieties of “redesigned” alfalfa with reduced lignin could not only benefit provide benefits for meat and dairy animals, but also play a role in the future of cellulosic ethanol production.
Pioneer Director of Alfalfa Research Dave Miller says they believe cellulosic ethanol will need multiple feedstocks and alfalfa is a good fit for a number of reasons. “It’s great for crop rotation, its environmental benefits in terms of lack of soil erosion because it’s deep rooted and a perennial are well known, and it fixes nitrogen.”
In addition, Miller says preliminary work shows alfalfa is competitive with other feedstocks for its ability to convert to cellulosic ethanol and that a corn/alfalfa rotation creates a very favorable carbon footprint for ethanol production.
Producing varieties with less lignin would be helpful in making alfalfa even more competitive as a cellulosic ethanol feedstock. In addition, the reduced lignin alfalfa also has benefits with its more traditional use as livestock feed. “When animals are fed lower lignin forage, they perform better,” said Miller. “Both systems are digestions, one is an enzyme-acid digestion to go into a fermentation vat, the other is a digestion to make milk or meat.”
The U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center estimates that just a 10 percent increase in cell wall digestibility by decreasing lignin would increase milk and beef production by $350 million per year and decrease manure production by 2.8 million metric tons annually. Pioneer is working in cooperation with the Consortium for Alfalfa Improvement on reducing the lignin content of alfalfa.
Pioneer Forage Media Day Photo Album
Listen to or download an interview with Dave Miller here:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
After all the classroom presentations today we got to tour the Pioneer Livestock Nutrition Center. We couldn’t take photos inside but afterward I interviewed our tour guide, Scott Dennis, Pioneer Technical Services Manager, Forage Additives. Cindy took the photo of me interviewing Scott who is pictured on the left.
Scott says the facility was originally built in 1993 to measure differences in what makes silage more digestible. They do swine digestibility studies, sheep and beef cattle feeding. One of the things they do that you won’t find in a commercial lab is that they grind samples down to a 6 millimeter size instead of 1 millimeter. The grind they use is more closely tied to the size of what the animal is actually chewing and therefore creates more accurate results. They also do 16 tests for every sample instead of 1 and use multiple animals and take an average to get a much more meaningful result. He says you won’t find this in any other University or commercial lab.
Pioneer Forage Media Day Photo Album
You can listen to my interview with Scott below:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The man who got us started here at the Pioneer Hi-Bred Forage Media Day is Robin Newell. Cindy spoke to him about the “long look.” He says the Pioneer long look has four components that include: “We strive to create the best products;” “We deal honestly and fairly with our constituents;” “We represent our products vigorously;” “We help our customers get the most from our products.”
He says the focus today is on the development of corn silage and alfalfa and inoculants like their new 11GFT. He also mentioned their focus on animal welfare since they keep many animals here at the Livestock Nurition Center. He says they have an animal welfare committee that even includes “local clergy.” He says that person helps provide a good moral and ethical backbone to the committee.
Pioneer Forage Media Day Photo Album
You can listen to Cindy’s interview with Robin below:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Pioneer Hi-Bred announced a new inoculant platform this morning. The 11GFT inoculant is the second in a series of products in the Pioneer fiber technology platform. This one will offer dairy producers another avenue to enhance forage digestibility which will reduce feed costs. The product was developed exclusively for grass and cereal silage and is the first of its kind. The company says other fiber technology products are currently under development.
Cindy interviewed Kyle Whitaker, Pioneer Hi-Bred Marketing Manager, Forage Additives, about the new product. Kyle says they see three key benefits that includes good basic fermentation, aerobic stability and fiber digestibility. He says they see the product used in silage markets across the U.S. with key targests in the northeast and far west.
We also have a photo album started for the event which will be added to later today but we’ve got some photos in there for you now: Pioneer Forage Media Day Photo Album
You can listen to Cindy’s interview with Kyle below:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Pioneer Forage Media Day has started with class in session at their Livestock Nutrition Center near Des Moines, IA. We have a very good attendance from the ag media. Right now we’re listening to the first presentation by Bill Curran on corn silage reearch. He’s giving us a complete overview of their process for testing and evaluating genetics of various hybrids.
During our breaks Cindy and I will be conducting interviews with the presenters which we’ll post for you. We’ll also be building up some new Forage Forum podcasts as well. So it’s going to be a busy day here.
We’ll also be doing some special tweets on the World Dairy Diary Twitter feed so keep an eye on it too. Please feel free to follow if you aren’t yet.
Pioneer Hi-Bred has invited ag media to attend a day filled with information on their forage products.
The Pioneer Livestock Nutrition Center (PLNC), Pioneer experts will provide the latest updates on technologies designed for producers and forage growers to get the most return on their investment.
Pioneer provides the entire range of seed genetics, crop-specific forage additives, revolutionary Corn Fiber Technology, silage know-how and local services – all dedicated to the goal of producing more nutritious feed for livestock.
Cindy and I are on location and will be covering the event throughout the day here and on World Dairy Diary.