Development of Whole Farm Forage Balancing Program for Small and Mid-Size Dairy/Livestock Farms

Dairy farms grow forages on their land. Since 1937, Natural Resources Conservation Service has been working with farms to reduce soil erosion. In 1985, the Food Security Act was passed requiring farms to meet stricter limits for soil loss values. The most cost effective method to reduce soil erosion is Conservation Crop Rotation, balancing soil eroding row crops with soil saving hay crops. Without holistic farm balancing, this imposed crop rotation causes farms to have 2 dimensional forage imbalances, with corresponding financial losses. Software to calculate the forage needs annually while evaluating the impact of different crop rotation alternatives over multiple years to meet the tolerable soil loss measure, is essential for NRCS, conservation planners, and farmers throughout the Northeast. More efficient, environment protecting rotations increase yields. Storage matching production reduces forage quality and quantity through spoilage. Maximized forage feeding uses that forage profitably. The whole farm forage balance program addresses the issues. The whole farm forage balance program will empower users to look at the forage matrix as a sustainable farm system of soils driving the rotation which drives what storage is necessary and what livestock are fed.