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Iowa Beef Center To Survey Corn Silage And Earlage Use By Iowa Producers

Mar 09, 2017
By Russ Euken
ISU Extension Program Specialist
 
silage production
 
Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University is working on a project to characterize how Iowa producers produce and use silage and earlage for cattle feed. A two-pronged approach led by Russ Euken, extension beef specialist, will use results from a current survey of producers and lab analysis of silage and earlage samples. The combined results will better inform educational efforts by Iowa State as well as provide current data to update existing silage publications.
 
Euken said producers can request a printed copy of the survey or complete the survey online. Because both versions are identical, people should complete only one format. Some producers will receive the survey in the mail. Producers can access the online survey through a link on the Iowa Beef Center website. The survey will take only a few minutes to complete.
 
"A limited number of free silage or earlage lab analyses will be available to producers who complete the survey," Euken said. "Those interested in the analysis can provide their name and contact information on the survey and they will be contacted on how to submit a sample for analysis. The project ends in July and the limited free samples we’re able to offer are on a first-come, first-serve basis, so producers are encouraged to complete the survey as soon as possible."
 
A summary of the information collected will be available through Iowa Beef Center later this year. No individual responses will be identified, and all responses will be aggregated when it is made available.