News

Dairy farmers benefiting for poor corn yields

Grain farmers seeing yield losses this season are expected to harvest some fields for corn silage.

Mark Kies and his family farms in Allen, Michigan near the Michigan/Indiana/Ohio state boarder where his family settled almost 170 years ago.

Kies says more silage acres is a good thing for dairy farmers.

“My understanding is there’s more cows in the state now than we’ve had in the recent past so I’m sure there’s going to be more acres chopped.”  Michigan dairy farmers have expanded the cow herd by 28,000 head in just the last two years, which means more feed is needed.

Kies says he expects farmers starting corn silage harvest this week will see variable yields.

“The yield checks or the walks that I’ve done in some of the silage fields look pretty darn good.” He tells Brownfield, “Grain fill has been stymied just a little bit, but overall I think the crop looks pretty good in our immediate area.

Kies, who also works as a farmer dealer for Mycogen Seeds, tells Brownfield recent rains and cooler temperatures may have slowed down crop maturity. But, he says he anticipates silage harvest to move fast, wrapping up by the end of the month.

AUDIO: Interview with Mark Kies (2:16 mp3):