Buckeye Dairy News: VOLUME 23, ISSUE 2

Dianne Shoemaker, Dairy Farm Management Field Specialist, Ohio State University Extension

The cost of raising a ton of corn silage, like the cost of producing a hundredweight of milk, varies across farms and years. For example, in 2019 the 33 Ohio Farm Business Analysis corn silage enterprises reported an average yield of 18.8 ton/acre, but yields ranged from 10 to 25 ton/acre. Yields directly impact cost of production and subsequently feed costs. 

When dairy farms participate in the Ohio Farm Business Analysis program, we do an enterprise analysis for the dairy, and most farms also complete enterprise analysis of their crop enterprises. Let’s take a closer look at corn silage production for the three-year period from 2017 through 2019 (Table 1).

Table 1. Annual and average yields and returns per acre for corn silage grown on owned and rented land, 2017-2019.

Every year, at least a few of the farms experience poor local weather conditions, which explains much of the typical range of yields. On an annual basis, yield per acre ranged from 11 to 28 ton/acre in 2017, 17 to 28 ton/acre in 2018, and 10 to 25 ton/acre in 2019. While some corn silage yielded well in 2019, the $67 average crop insurance revenue per acre and lowest average yield per acre reflects 2019’s widespread weather challenges. 2019’s Market Facilitation Program payments are included in the “Other Crop Income” category whether they were received in 2019 or 2020 (the third tranche).

In this 3-year period, the average total cost of producing corn silage was $746 per acre (Table 3). What inputs were the biggest contributors? The largest are shown in Table 2. Seed, fertilizer, custom hire, and the cost of land represented by either cash rent, or for owned land, the cost of real estate taxes and mortgage interest.

Table 2. Five highest expenses per acre for corn silage grown on owned and rented land, annual and average for 2017-2019.

¹Rented land only, ²Costs associated with land ownership, interest estimated.

For these dairy farms, home grown forage is “sold” or charged to the dairy enterprise at the total (direct + overhead expenses) cost of production per ton. Some farms also sell corn silage to other farms above their cost of production. 

Once the crop is in the ground, the biggest factor impacting the farm’s cost of production per ton is the final yield. Keeping in mind the range in yields helps to explain the range in cost of production in 2019, from less than $18 per ton to more than $100 per ton. While some of the cost of the $100+ per ton corn silage might be offset by crop insurance revenues, low yields and the need to purchase replacement forages will impact those farms’ finances well into the future.

Table 3. Annual and average direct and total costs per acre and per ton for corn silage grown on owned and rented land, 2017 - 2019.

Cost of feed impacts dairy enterprise profitability. Input costs and yields impact costs of feed. In 2019, the median cost of production for corn silage was $37.32/ton. That means that half of the corn silage fed cost between $18 and $37.32/ton to feed, and half cost between $37.32 and $100+/ton to feed. Which side of $37 are you on? Which side do you want to be on?

If you want to choose sides, enroll in the 2020 Ohio Farm Business Analysis Program. Farms can enroll now and work with their technician to complete their analysis by the May 27^th deadline. The information you receive from your analysis will tell you where you were in 2020. Integrating that information with your agronomic decisions will help you choose sides and line up for a profitable future.C ontact me at shoemaker.3@osu.edu or 330.257.3377 to discuss analysis for your farm.

Jason Hartschuh, Extension Educator, Crawford County, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension

March is one of the most challenging months on the farm to keep barns properly ventilated. We often see temperatures in the teens and less than a week later see highs in the 70’s. Our ventilation system recently roared to life as temperatures in the barn crossed 65°F, reminding me that we still had not gotten around to winter fan maintenance as belts squealed and louvers hung half shut.

Fan maintenance is critical to keeping your cows cool and saving energy. Ventilation systems often consume between 20 to 25% of the total energy used on the farm. Lack of cleaning can reduce fan efficiency by as much as 40%. Meaning that your electric bill stays the same, but less air is moving through the barn. Monthly maintenance through the summer is critical to keep fans clean. Even a thin layer of dirt on the fan blades, shutters, and protective shrouds decreases air movement and increases the power requirements from the fan. Heavy cleaners and a pressure washer work well to remove dirt from the fans.

Dirty fans in need of cleaning.

Be sure to disconnect the power supply before washing the fan and be extra cautious of water entering unsealed motors. After washing, allow fans to dry and grease bearings before turning the power back on. During washing, inspect the fans closely using the following maintenance checklist:

• Do all shafts turn smooth; are bearings showing wear?
• Inspect impeller for cracks.
• Are belts worn?
• Are pulleys still aligned?
• Bolts and set-screws tight.

While monitoring fan performance and wear can be challenging, there are a few tools that can help you. Fans should be monitored on a routine basis, such as every month in the summer or on the manufacturer’s recommended grease internal.

Logbook - If you assign a number to each fan on the farm, it will help track the maintenance cost of each individual fan. The logbook allows you to monitor when a fan is having increased belt wear or motors that are not lasting as long as they should, which is a sign of greater problems occurring. Recording air velocity also helps to notice wear issues before they become major problems.

Digital Anemometer - A anemometer is used to measure the air velocity to determine if fans are operating properly. Be sure to record these values in your logbook so that you can find changes in fan performance. Lower air velocity is often caused by either dirt build up or improper belt tension, allowing for slippage. Ideal wind speed through the barn is 5 mph.  

Digital Tachometer - A tachometer is used to help determine why your fan may not be producing enough air velocity. This can be used to help determine the RPM of both your fan and the motor. When the motor is running at the correct RPM, but the blades are not, it may be due to poor belt tension, damaged or worn pulleys, or poor belt alignment.

Groove Gage - This can be used to identify pulleys that are worn and need replaced. Worn pulleys increase belt wear and slippage and decrease fan RPM. Belts should ride at the top of a pulley and not sunken into the pulley. The gage should fit tightly; if more than 1/32 inches of wear can be seen, poor belt life can be expected. If the gauge hits the bottom of the pulley, it is worn out.

Source: Dayton motor

Belt Tension Tester - This can be used to measure the force required to move a belt 1/64inch per inch of span. It helps troubleshoot fans that are turning slower than they should. If tension is correct but fans are turning too slow, pulleys or belts may be worn out. If belts with spring tensioners cannot be tensioned correctly, it may be a sign that the spring tensioner is weak or that belts are stretched or improperly sized. 

Multi-Meter - This allows you to check the amperage draw of the fan motor; high amperage draws waste electric and can lead to premature motor failure. This can be caused by too high of belt tension, dirt build-up on blades and housing, or bearings that are binding and need replaced.

When adding new or replacing ventilation fans, it is important to look at more than the price. Many motors have electric efficiency ratings; the higher efficiency motors have more copper windings, increasing their cost. High efficiency motors usually pay for themselves with decreased electric consumption within one to three years. When adding or replacing fans, it is important to not buy the cheapest but also consider the fans efficiency rating for lifetime electrical use.

When inspecting ventilation systems and placing new fans, it is important to check air speed throughout the barn. The minimum cooling airspeed at cow resting height is 2.25 mph, which can be measured with an anemometer with little additional cooling effect found from air speeds over 4.5 mph. When measuring air speed throughout the barn, be sure to check for dead zones caused by fans having less air throw than expected. For example, depending on fan velocity, 36-inch fans may have to be placed every 24 feet instead of 30 to 32 feet. While large or more efficient fans can push air further; every cow acts as a baffle that disrupts air flow.

Through proper fan maintenance, we can keep ventilation systems working at maximum efficiency, keeping cows cool and comfortable. The ideal ventilation system will provide between 40 and 60 air changes per hour.   

Dr. Mark Sulc, Professor and Extension Forage Specialist, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science and Jason Hartschuh, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Crawford County, Ohio State University Extension

The current weather outlook for early spring planting season is starting to sound like a broken record of the last few years – a wetter pattern than normal for Ohio and the Great Lakes region, along with a warmer than average pattern. So, it is more important than ever to be ready to take full advantage of any short windows of opportunity we will get to be in the fields this spring. This is particularly important because most forages should be planted earlier rather than later, the exception being the warm-season grasses like sorghum-sudangrass.

Start preparing by imagining your first day of planting forages. What will you do the day you plant? It might even help jog your thoughts to physically “walk through” those activities. List every single activity needed to get the whole job done.

Then ask the question, “What can I do NOW that will make that first planting day go smoothly?”

Below are some examples of preparations to do now:

1. Make sure your fuel supply is full and fill the tanks of all tractors that will be used. Service all tractors.
2. Get any needed fertilizer on hand or order it to be spread as soon as the field is fit (hopefully you pulled a soil sample last fall, and if not, do it ASAP and send to the lab).
3. Calibrate the fertilizer spreader.
4. Buy the seed (including any companion crops you will use) and have it on the farm, if not done already.
5. Buy inoculant if seed is not pre-inoculated.
6. Service all tillage equipment that will be used and have it ready to go, including hooking it to the tractor if possible.
7. Get the drill/planter out, service it, and set the planting depth so it is ready to go. Arrange for equipment you will rent or borrow. Consider contingency plans for your borrowed equipment if used to also plant forages on other farms each spring.
8. Calibrate the drill to the desired seeding rate using the seed that will be planted and then don’t touch the drill settings. Watch this video about calibrating drills: https://forages.osu.edu/video/drill-calibration?width=657px&height=460px&inline=true#colorbox-inline-239078345).
9. If contracting planting, get agreements and expectations in place now.
10. Finally, list the field work tasks that you will need to do when the weather and soils are fit, then prioritize them. Think through the tough choices you might have to make between competing activities. Think through contingency plans if each specific activity cannot be completed in a timely manner, or if it can’t get done at all this spring because of wet weather.

This last #10 item is the hardest. When the windows of opportunity are shorter than the list of work that can be accomplished, then tough choices are necessary. For example, how do you prioritize planting forages versus manure spreading in the spring? It will likely depend on the specific situation.  If the manure is stored in a lagoon, then when the lagoon is full, the manure must be pumped out and spread on the field rather than planting forages, so the forage planting might have to wait. But planting forages too late in the spring brings a lot of risk to stand establishment and low yields (maybe only one cutting). If forage planting will be delayed past May 10, it might be better to plant a summer annual for a couple cuttings, then kill it and plant the perennial forages in August. But if the manure is a dry pack, perhaps it is better to take those first days of field work to plant the perennial forage and spread the manure later on other fields. Thinking through these choices and establishing a game plan will help you be more efficient and not waste time with indecision or making a less than optimal choice for the situation.

We surely all hope for good opportunities for planting this spring, but climatologists are forecasting another possibly challenging planting season. Do what is in your control now to prepare as much as possible for when planting time comes. You do not want to waste hours of potential field planting doing stuff you can do today. Try to be completely ready, as if you will be planting tomorrow morning…which we hope will be true one day very soon!