Nutritional balance and consistency in dairy rations benefit herds where it counts - milk production.  On average, producers like Vic Elmhorst, a dairy producer who farms with his sons in Granton, Wis., invest nearly half their milk production costs in feed.  Delivering the right balance of nutrients can improve feed efficiency, milk production, milk components (fat and protein), herd health and return on investment. 

Keeping rations balanced can challenge producers and nutritionists, but customizing forage seed selection to fit a herd’s nutritional needs is the first step toward this goal.  Elmhorst, for example, feeds a ration mix of 50 percent corn silage, 25 percent haylage and 25 percent high moisture corn.  He selects corn hybrids and alfalfa based on digestibility and yield, and he relies on NK^® Brand forage products to supply the key components of the herd’s feed.

“What goes into a cow determines her output, so balanced nutrition is critical,” says Mark Mattingly, technical service manager for NK Brand Seeds.  “Most dairy rations are founded on the ratio of corn silage and alfalfa fed, a relationship that considers the fiber and starch requirements from each component.  To help producers choose forage to fit their feeding strategy, the NK Brand Ration Fit™ System rates and recommends silage components based on fiber and starch content and digestibility.  They can then select seed best suited to their current ration mix.”

According to Mattingly, the NK Brand silage portfolio focuses on both nutritional value and yield.  It is designed to help producers easily identify corn hybrids rated with high neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility and match these hybrids to their current ration mix. Two corn hybrid concepts are available - NutriCrop^® hybrids, lower in starch, developed exclusively for silage use, or Dual-Purpose hybrids, which offer more starch content and the flexibility to deliver either high silage or high grain yields.  Plus, a broad portfolio of high-quality alfalfa varieties offers excellent nutritional value, high Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) and high fiber digestibility.  In Elmhorst’s mix, high moisture corn provides starch, and corn silage needs to deliver NDF with lower starch content.  He has found that a NutriCrop hybrid is an ideal nutritional and agronomic fit.

“This is the third year we have grown a NutriCrop hybrid for dairy silage.  It is more digestible, so it feeds to the herd really well.  And agronomically, it has always performed well,” Elmhorst says.  “Our silage yields have been excellent, and this year the silage corn came through drought conditions very well.

“Our NK Brand hybrids consistently yield well for high moisture corn, too,” he adds.

The third component of the mix, alfalfa, delivers additional fiber and nutrition, but yield and winter hardiness are top of mind for Elmhorst.  “We get at least three cuttings per year off our NK Brand Rainier alfalfa.”

Overall, these pieces fit together well for Elmhorst’s system.  “Milk production has been up over the past year or so, and the herd is very healthy.  Our rations feed well, and our veterinarian, who balances our rations, recognizes the quality of our silage.  Plus, our seed dealer is conducting wet chemistry tests on our silage to show the value of the digestibility.”

Mattingly says this team approach to managing dairy nutrition plays into the Ration Fit concept, which includes the producer, seed dealer and nutritionist.  The system works to improve silage predictability and consistency, minimizing the need for rational reformulation and the resulting milk production swings.

In 2006, the NK Brand forage portfolio will feature five new Dual-Purpose corn hybrids, including a glyphosate-tolerant Agrisure™ GT hybrid, plus a broad range of Dual-Purpose hybrids with Agrisure CB and proven NutriCrop hybrids.  In addition to the popular Genoa variety, the alfalfa portfolio will feature a new variety with the latest technology.

“Our forage portfolio is built to deliver return on investment,” Mattingly says. “The flexibility of the Ration Fit System provides producers better choices to support the way they want to farm.”

NK Brand Seeds is a trusted hybrid corn, soybean and alfalfa seed supplier with more than 100 years of service in the marketplace.  The brand provides growers more yield and better choices for the way they farm through innovative products and solutions.  Located in Golden Valley, Minn., NK Brand Seeds is part of Syngenta.

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology.  The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market.  Sales in 2004 were approximately $7.3 billion.  Syngenta employs some 20,000 people in over 90 countries.  Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT).