Rethinking rotations: Increasing digestible fiber per acre using forage annuals

LEWISTON, Minn. — Driftless Area Ag Alliance members, along with local community members and supporters, attended a Conservation Conversation event hosted by Thompson Family Dairy in Lewiston, MN. DAAA board member Mitch Thompson took the group to his freshly cut stand and shared with attendees how he used a no-till grain drill to plant and the progress the crop had made in just sixty days. Mitch works with agronomist Daniel Olson from Forage Innovation on designing his customized mix of about 70% annual grasses and 30% annual legumes that he will use as feed for his dairy herd.

Daniel talked about the benefits of planting annuals as part of a crop rotation. One of the benefits is that annuals have high amounts of digestible fiber. This allows them to be fed at higher levels in the ration without maxing out undigestible fiber levels. Because they are much lower in undigestible fiber, there is also more flexibility in harvest timing than with alfalfa. Additionally, annual grasses have a positive impact on soil health. Each time grass is cut, some of the root system dies off, and new roots grow, which adds a significant amount of organic matter to the soil.

This is Mitch’s first year experimenting with planting annuals for forage, and he is looking forward to seeing the benefits on his farm. He will keep the group updated on how this first year goes and what he would recommend to others who want to try growing annuals.

Thank you to all who attended DAAA’s first Conservation Conversation field event. We look forward to hosting more events this season!

Written by Kaitlin Heusel

About Driftless Area Ag Alliance:

Driftless Area Ag Alliance is a nonprofit farmer-led conservation group based in the City of Lewiston, Minn. This group of area farmers is devoted to keeping their local water, soil and air healthy as they adopt innovative technologies and share their stories. Their vision is to ensure a healthy environment and community for generations to come. More information: driftlessareaag.org.