Joe Lawrence: The right forage for the right cow

Forages are crucial to support an adequate diet for cows. Because of that, we must monitor and improve its growth. Also, when it comes to silage management, we need to follow the best practices for harvesting corn silage and haylage. As for optimizing forage quality and fiber digestibility, we must consider weather conditions and other factors. So there’s a lot to be considered, right? In this episode, Joe Lawrence and I discuss a whole farming approach meant to determine which crops are best suited for a farming operation and that takes into account soil types, climate, management, and facilities. In addition, we talk about some aspects of renewable energy and sustainability in agriculture.

What you'll learn:

1. Alfalfa and corn silage this year
2. Alternative forages?
3. Team communication and extension on farms
4. Producers’ current interests on dairy farms
5. How to reduce input costs on dairy farms
6. Expectations for next year’s forages
7. Agriculture, renewable energy, and sustainability

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Meet the guest:

Joe Lawrence serves as the Dairy Forage Systems Specialist with the Cornell PRO-DAIRY team. He has been involved with the US northeastern dairy industry his entire life, having grown up on a farm in Northern NY and worked as an Extension Educator and private sector Crop Advisor prior to his current role. His work has always had a strong focus on approaching forage management on the farm by integrating the growth, harvest, and storage of forage crops to assure these feeds meet the goals of the farm.