He’s the man behind the YouTube hit, “Water and Poo,” and now he’s also the new chairman of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. In this episode of the Milking Parlor, we meet Will Gilmer, a third-generation dairy farmer from Alabama, whose operation milks about 230 holsteins. And when those chores aren’t enough, he’s racking up more than 14,000 (and counting) views of his clever ditty sung about what to do with the waste from his cows, as he spreads that nutrient management across his pastures.
And if all that isn’t enough, Gilmer maintains a Web site, www.gilmerdairyfarm.com, along with The Dairyman’s Blog, in an effort to reach out to the public about modern farming practices. Gilmer also is active on the micro-blogging Web site Twitter under @gilmerdairy.
You can hear more of Peoria farm broadcaster Meghan Grebner’s interview with Will in this episode of the Milking Parlor in the player below. And if you haven’t seen Will’s hit, “Water and Poo” (and even if you have seen it!) it’s available right here:
To subscribe to the Milking Parlor podcast, click here. Listen to or download this episode in the player below.
Posted: March 4, 2010 at 2:08 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Pioneer director of alfalfa research, David Miller, discusses Pioneer brand alfalfa varieties, traits and testing to help producers put the right product on the right acre.
Listen to the podcast here:
David Miller on alfalfa varieties (4:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: February 26, 2010 at 8:47 am
By John Davis
The USDA has issued the final rule on organic access to pasture. This rule amends the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations to clarify the use of pasture in raising organic ruminants.
USDA officials say the final rule provides certainty to consumers that organic livestock production is a pasture based system in which animals are actively grazing pasture during the grazing season. The majority of organic dairy and ruminant livestock producers are already grazing animals and maintaining pastures that meet the requirements of this rule. These standards contain clear requirements that will provide greater assurance that all producers are being held to the same standards.
This episode of the Milking Parlor podcast features Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan, laying out out the terms regarding the final rules and telling how this underlines the ag department’s commitment to organic agriculture.
To subscribe to the Milking Parlor podcast, click here. Listen to or download this episode in the player below.
Posted: February 11, 2010 at 8:10 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
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.
Posted: January 27, 2010 at 9:47 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
New technologies make data sampling easier and more efficient. Bill Curran, Pioneer research scientist, discusses some of the technologies that measure silage traits. Curran also talks about how this information benefits producers.
Listen to the podcast here:
Bill Curran on new technologies for data sampling (5:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: January 15, 2010 at 10:48 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
Understanding how inoculant organisms interact with other organisms can have a large impact on how well an inoculant organism affects the organisms in the silage. Hear more about the cutting-edge microbial ecology from Pioneer research coordinator Bill Rutherford.
Listen to the podcast here:
Bill Rutherford on Microbial Ecology (5:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: November 19, 2009 at 4:07 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
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.
Posted: October 29, 2009 at 3:44 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
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.
Posted: October 7, 2009 at 8:54 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
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.
World Dairy Diary coverage of World Dairy Expo is sponsored by:
This edition of the Milking Parlor podcast focuses on the Dairy Price Stabilization Program proposed by Holstein Association USA as a way to address the current dairy industry economic situation and minimize milk price volatility for the long term.
I spoke with John Meyer, executive secretary and CEO of Holstein Association USA, about the plan during an interview at World Dairy Expo. “One of the beauties of this program is that nothing has to be affected,” Meyer says. “The Dairy Price Stabilization Program does not require the Farm Bill to be opened, nor does it affect any of the current dairy programs. It’s a very simple thing to be implemented and it can be done very quickly.”
Meyer says they are getting good industry support for the plan and hope to get a bill written and considered by Congress, possibly as early as the end of this year.
Posted: September 17, 2009 at 8:39 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Leo Brown, Pioneer Livestock Information manager, discusses fall alfalfa management and corn hybrid selection for silage at the 2009 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Ill. Brown says producers should evaluate alfalfa stands in the fall. Depending on stand quality, a producer can look to fertilize for optimum spring growth or apply a herbicide treatment to kill the crop for easier groundwork in the spring. Now is also the time to consider hybrid selection for corn – looking for good starch and fiber digestibility.
Listen to this edition of Forage Forum here:
Leo Brown from Farm Progress Show (5:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: September 2, 2009 at 6:18 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Pioneer has a pretty major presence at the 2009 Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois where I met up with silage expert Scott Dennis and talked about silage – past, present and future.
Pioneer likes to help producers “get more mileage” from their silage. Dennis explains how Pioneer is unique as a seed company with what they have to offer producers during these challenging economic times to get the most from their silage crop. He talks about where Pioneer is now in terms of silage corn varieties and technology, where they were 20 years ago, and where they are going in the future.
Listen to this edition of Forage Forum here:
Scott Dennis Talks Silage at Farm Progress Show (6:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: August 27, 2009 at 9:37 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
This edition of the Milking Parlor podcast focuses on what is being done on the national level to address the current dairy industry crisis. From congressional actions to USDA to the dairy industry itself, we hear from Congressman John Boccieri, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, University of Wisconsin Ag Economist Dr. Bruce Jones and National Milk Producers Federation president Jerry Kozak.
Thanks to Fort Dodge Animal Health for sponsorship of this regular monthly podcast for dairy industry professionals. We encourage your feedback, comments and questions to provide input for future editions of the program.
Posted: August 19, 2009 at 4:14 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
Bunker management can have a serious impact on the nutritional value of silage. Most management revolves around keeping oxygen out of the forage mass. Paul Porter, Pioneer dairy specialist, looks at some keys to bunker management.
Listen to this edition of Forage Forum here:
Paul Porter on Bunker Management (5:45 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: August 6, 2009 at 4:05 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
The most important thing a quality inoculant can do is maintain or retain more of the forage that is put in a bunker. Paul Porter, Pioneer dairy specialist, says that improvement in dry matter recovery can add up to some substantial dollars.
Paul Porter on Inoculants (5:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: July 22, 2009 at 9:51 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
Leo Brown, Pioneer livestock information manager, explains how to improve the nutritional value of corn silage by chopping at an optimal time. Brown also suggests packing well for good fermentation and adequate aerobic stability at feedout.
Leo Brown on Harvest Timing (5:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: July 8, 2009 at 9:19 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
Chop height can have an impact on silage nutrient composition. Leo Brown, Pioneer livestock information manager, discusses how to determine the optimum harvest window for corn silage and how that time frame can impact its nutritional value.
Leo Brown on High Chop Effect (5:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: June 24, 2009 at 10:27 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
Different crops have different requirements, which is why Pioneer offers crop-specific inoculants. Scott Dennis, Pioneer Hi-Bred ruminant microbiologist, says the goal is to get maximum performance for each crop.
Scott Dennis on Crop Specific Inoculation (5:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Posted: June 11, 2009 at 11:07 am
By Cindy Zimmerman
Inoculating silage is a standard practice, but have you wondered why or how it works? Pioneer Hi-Bred has the world’s largest collection of lactic acid bacteria, the beneficial organisms used in silage inoculants. Scott Dennis, Pioneer ruminant microbiologist, looks at why inoculates work. Dennis says the purpose of making silage is for year-round feed, and preserving nutrients aids in accomplishing that.
Scott Dennis on Silage Inoculants (5:00 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
He’s the man behind the YouTube hit, “Water and Poo,” and now he’s also the new chairman of the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. In this episode of the Milking Parlor, we meet Will Gilmer, a third-generation dairy farmer from Alabama, whose operation milks about 230 holsteins. And when those chores aren’t enough, he’s racking up more than 14,000 (and counting) views of his clever ditty sung about what to do with the waste from his cows, as he spreads that nutrient management across his pastures.
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 
This edition of the Milking Parlor podcast focuses on the 
Pioneer likes to help producers “get more mileage” from their silage. Dennis explains how Pioneer is unique as a seed company with what they have to offer producers during these challenging economic times to get the most from their silage crop. He talks about where Pioneer is now in terms of silage corn varieties and technology, where they were 20 years ago, and where they are going in the future.
This edition of the Milking Parlor podcast focuses on what is being done on the national level to address the current dairy industry crisis. From congressional actions to USDA to the dairy industry itself, we hear from Congressman John Boccieri, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, University of Wisconsin Ag Economist Dr. Bruce Jones and National Milk Producers Federation president Jerry Kozak.