The standard the Olivers adhere to is to test as often as necessary, even daily, if conditions dictate. In 1999, we had a dry year, so silage from the top parts of the fields, where there wasn't any moisture in the ground, was dry. A chopper load from the top had as much as 10 percent less moisture than a load from the bottom of the field. You had to monitor that silage pretty closely because that kind of fluctuation can throw your mix off a whole lot. Processors break up the kernel, macerate the stalk and cob and improve digestibility.
Acidosis is probably the number-one problem on dairy farms today.
It leads to stress, which manifests itself in all the different reasons cows leave the farm or don't live up to their potential. When we were able to limit that, our cows started to thrive. Culling rates have fallen from 42 percent to less than 30 percent. The feed has not only gotten more closely monitored, it's gotten better. The Olivers purchased a self-propelled chopper and the new machine came equipped with a kernel processor.