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The flashy red 1930 Model A Ford depicted in the logo for B&B Technologies is more than just eye-catching artwork. It pays homage to the real-life hot rod that the company’s owner, Bill Japp, has prized for 58 years.

He restored the classic car himself in the early 1960s, customizing the roadster into a drag-racing dream. To build—and race—hot rods, it takes patience, courage and mechanical aptitude. And those traits served Bill well when he launched B&B Technologies in 1994 and started building his own line of spraying equipment.

“I worked at an equipment dealer in Omaha for 22 years, selling tractor loader backhoes and golf course equipment,” Bill said. “The company that made the sprayers we sold to golf courses closed down, and a gentleman who worked for that company, Bob LeClair, and I decided to start this business to fill that gap. He was the other ‘B’ in our name.”

Bob left the business about six months later, but Bill kept the pedal to the metal, expanding from the initial offerings of small, 12-volt spot sprayers and large pull-type sprayers to a dozen different product lines and more than 50 individual models within those categories today. In addition to a full range of agriculture, turf and lawn-care sprayers, parts and accessories, some of B&B’s newest offerings are carriers for combine heads and lawn spreader-sprayer equipment.

All of the products are designed, fabricated, assembled and shipped at B&B’s facilities in Tekamah, Neb., about 25 miles away from Bill’s homeplace in Kennard, Neb. It’s now a family affair, with Bill’s wife of 51 years, Mari, and their son, Jason, working side-by-side in the business along with six other employees. Mari, who has a banking and secretarial background, handles the finances and bookkeeping while Jason manages the shop and shares responsibilities for orders and customer service. He started working here with his father 25 years ago right out of high school.

“Through the years, I’ve done everything from welding to painting to assembly,” Jason said. “That’s one thing I always tell the guys—I’m not going to make you do anything that I haven’t done before.”

Bill also has been hands-on from the start, using his engineering degree and sales background to not only design and build B&B’s products but also grow the business across the country. True to the company’s roots, golf courses are still very much a part of B&B’s customer base along with lawn care and agricultural markets. And MFA has been a loyal customer all along, Bill said.

“I’ve appreciated MFA’s business all these years,” he said. “They’ve always had good people who are excellent to work with. A lot of the products we offer today have come from ideas we’ve gotten from conversations with the managers, employees and customers at MFA.”

MFA’s exclusive Brush Buster range and pasture sprayer is one such example. The 300-gallon boom sprayer mounted on a high-clearance trailer was developed by B&B in collaboration with MFA’s Farm Supply Department.

“Right now, our most popular items from B&B are sprayers designed for range and pasture, such as the Brush Buster, and UTV sprayers,” said Ryan Mauzey, MFA Farm Supply product manager. “The biggest reasons that we work with B&B are their vast product knowledge and high level of service.”

B&B also began offering sprayers with boomless nozzles for producers who need to control pasture weeds in Missouri’s hilly terrain, Bill said.

“If you listen to your market, they’ll tell you want they want,” Bill said. “We’ve never wanted to be the biggest company but rather offer products that fit into niche markets like MFA stores. As a small, family-owned company, we can more easily adapt to specialized needs of our customers. Our products are tailored for the kind of geography we’re selling into and the types of farms our customers have.”

Along with flexibility and creativity, B&B employees also pride themselves on attentive customer service and strict quality control, Bill said.

“We want to be more of a service company, just like MFA,” Bill said. “Customers know they can call up here and get an answer to the problem. And we try to keep everything as simple as possible. We ship our sprayers already assembled so we know that they are put together correctly and will work properly for the customers.”

The Japps have personal proving grounds for their company’s products. Bill and Jason raise 600 acres of corn and soybeans on the family farm, where they put B&B’s sprayers and combine head carriers to the test in real-world conditions. Bill and Mari’s other son, also named Bill, was a golf course superintendent and now owns his own seeding and landscaping business. Their son-in-law, Jamie, married to their daughter, Heather, also owns a lawn-care company. B&B’s turf and lawn-care sprayers and equipment carriers are used daily in their businesses.

“We use everything we make,” Bill said. “There are a lot of people who build widgets and have good ideas for widgets. But they don’t know how to use the widgets. We don’t do that. We go out, use it, see how it works and how we can make it better.”

With his company generating a little over $2 million in sales annually, Bill said he believes B&B is positioned well for the future. Orders have continued to roll in despite agriculture’s challenges over the past few years. Like any business, however, he knows B&B must continue to evolve with its customers.

“After 27 years in business, we’re seeing newer generations—the younger generations—taking over,” Bill said. “Product lines don’t necessarily have to change, but the way you do business has to change. I’d say our future depends upon where the future of agricultural products go and our ability to keep relating to those needs. We can’t be everything to everybody, but we can be the best at what we do.”

For more information, visit b-btech.com to browse B&B’s online product catalog or talk with the experts at your local MFA or AGChoice retailer.
As corn and soybean prices go up, feed prices are expected to follow. Producers need to be thinking about how to survive these market conditions, said MFA Livestock Specialist Stephen Daume. Efficiency will be imperative to remain profitable.

“In the past few weeks, it seems like the No. 1 question I’ve gotten from livestock producers is, ‘What can we do to decrease feed costs?’” said Daume. “Throughout my years at MFA, I can definitively say cow/ calf or dairy producers who are most successful in the long term are those who do an excellent job with their forages.”

Chip Thomure is one such producer. He raises more than 400 head of commercial cattle on his farm near Park Hills, Mo.

“I’ve been in the cattle business since I was old enough to make money and buy one,” Thomure said.

The cattleman set out on his own when he was 16 years old. Living in a horse trailer at the time, he made money as a farrier. By age 20, Thomure had purchased 10 acres and operated his own concrete company. Everything he’s built has been carefully crafted from the ground up.

Thomure had done business sporadically with MFA for around 20 years, but three years ago, MFA Key Account Manager Chris Klein engaged him in a deeper discussion about the farming operation and its needs.

“We just started talking to him about what he does and what we do,” Klein said. “He was feeding a commodity feed at that time. Stephen and I have done enough research on how our feeds compare that we knew we could do better for him.”

Thomure started using MFA feed and enrolled his cattle in MFA’s Health Track program, but in 2019, he decided to go all in with MFA— adding Nutri-Track’s precision agronomy services.

“We really started looking at our pastures,” Thomure said. “If you can’t grow it, you can’t mow it. We had ground that wouldn’t even grow ragweed, and now we’re getting hay production off of it. It’s phenomenal.”

Daume and Klein said they recommended the Nutri-Track program because they have experienced the results first-hand on their own farms.

“It’s something we make a point of talking about to all our beef producers because we believe it is always the right thing to do,” Daume said. “We’ve seen it on our farms and on our customers’ farms. It’s absolutely one of the most important things a producer can do to ensure he’s spending money on the most essential nutrients to maximize the amount of beef produced on an acre of grass.”

Thomure began with 230 acres of his pastures in Nutri- Track, and MFA Precision Agronomy Specialist Rob Rickenberg put together fertility and weed-control plans for his forage production.

“We went in and grid-sampled his pastures to see if his lime and other nutrient levels were up to par,” Rickenberg said. “Then we applied a round of P and K in the fall, which generates good root growth. In the spring, we’ll come back and put on nitrogen.”

Thomure said the split application actually saved him money when fertilizer prices jumped earlier this year.

“I’m really glad I did it,” he said. “Rob could see the writing on the wall and let Chris know it would save me a little money to do it then. It ended up saving me a ton. What I really like about grid sampling, though, is you’re only putting on exactly what the field needs, where it needs it, and that’s where you’re investing your dollar. Over-fertilizing is just as bad as under-fertilizing.”

With Nutri-Track, Thomure said he has more grass than he’s ever produced, and controlling weeds allowed the grass to grow and take over, choking out future undesirable invaders.

“We more than tripled our hay production on that field and were able to graze our cattle on it until February,” Thomure added.

According to Daume, that’s what producers want when facing unfavorable market conditions.

“During this time of high feed costs, maximizing the amount of beef produced with forage is key to minimizing cost of production,” Daume said. “Producers who do a good job producing and managing high-quality forage rely less on harvested feed or grain to produce a pound of beef. They have better performance with lower costs. Animal health and productivity are also better when high-quality forages are present in an operation.”

The phrase “one-stop shop” gets thrown around a lot in business. Daume would rather describe it as having more tools in the toolbox.

“MFA offers everything from start to finish,” he said. “We have the tools to assist producers with being efficient, raising beef, producing pounds of milk or whatever it might be. It could be using Shield to help improve calf survivability or Ricochet FesQ Max mineral to help cows utilize fescue-based forage more efficiently, meaning they gain better, milk better and conceive better. We can help with fertility and weed pressure so there are more nutrients available to the plants. We have fencing materials to help put in a decent rotational grazing system. And when it comes time to sell those cows, we can help with that, too.”

In addition to participating in Health Track and Nutri-Track, Thomure uses MFA silage wrap, helping mitigate problems with spoilage. He provides the herd with Ricochet mineral, and his calves get a dose of Shield Plus when they are born.

“We had 200 head of calves weaned to sell, and we didn’t have to doctor but one calf,” Thomure said. “It’s good insurance for us.”

MFA’s business model was built to support the idea of “going all in.” Everything works together, Daume said. But, for Thomure, it’s not just about the products and services. It’s about the people.

“MFA has people who are experienced,” Thomure said. “They know what they’re talking about and will treat you with respect.”

Daume, Rickenberg and Klein have 35-plus years of collective experience with MFA. Their individual knowledge of agronomy, livestock and farm management is evident and extensive, but coming up with a plan to fit a producer’s needs and goals is a team effort.

Roughly three years ago, MFA Incorporated restructured, introducing the key account manager position into the field. That concept was designed to facilitate better customer experience.

“When I first started in this position, MFA leadership said ‘Build relationships. Sales will come from that,’” Klein said. “That was a true statement.”

And that’s what he set out to do.

“Chip’s been there for us, just as often as we’re there for him,” Klein said. “He’s one of our best promoters of MFA and he’s even helped us work cattle on another customer’s farm.”

Likewise, Thomure said all three men go out of their way to ensure his experience is a good one.

“I don’t even have to look at the feeder,” Thomure said. “They come out and check my grain bins. They know the amount of feed I’m feeding every day—whether that’s a ton or a ton and a half. They know how many days to count so I don’t run out of feed. They schedule around holidays. They help me work cattle. The other day, I had a bull in bad shape and Rob called to make sure I checked it. It’s just a good deal.”

That level of service is important to Thomure, who still operates his concrete business in addition to farming. With two full-time jobs, he understands that time is money, and money is also money.

“With what MFA offers, I’ve been able to have more production on this farm,” Thomure said. “I think that’s the true value in this relationship.”

For more information on what MFA can do for your farm, visit your local MFA Agri Services.

Expert advice for flourishing forages

Stephen Daume, livestock specialist for MFA Incorporated, shares these considerations to produce a quality, highly productive forage crop:

1. Understand your field’s fertility. Nutri-Track has proven very beneficial in increasing the quantity and quality of forage harvested per acre. It allows producers to take inventory of soil nutrients and prioritize cash expenditures on nutrients that will provide the most benefit per dollar spent.

2. Control weeds and brush. Timely, targeted application of herbicides to control weeds also greatly improves quantity and quality of forage harvested per acre. “I’ve seen producers go on their own and end up using the wrong product for the job or at the wrong stage of growth and get less-than-desirable results,” Daume said. “That’s expensive!”

3. Use nitrogen stabilizers. These products are environmentally responsible and economically smart, especially with higher fertilizer costs. Stabilizing nitrogen ensures it will stay where you put it.

4. Implement rotational grazing plans. This practice will help keep forages vegetative and more productive. Don’t overgraze.

5. Pay attention to timing. Harvest forage for hay or silage at optimum time for peak quality and quantity.
As the elementary school principal in Grant City, Mo., Chuck Borey works hard to ensure his 150 students have healthy, productive environment for growing and performing. He’s doing the same thing for the 180 head of beef cattle on the nearby farm he operates with his wife, Janice.

Ultimately, being a good principal—and a good farmer—means being a good manager. In both roles, Borey is responsible for providing inputs, creating efficiencies, setting goals, monitoring progress, adopting new technology and using resources wisely.

That’s why he was willing to try MFA’s Nutri-Track program when it was recommended by his stepson, Jared Harding, MFA district precision manager in Northwest Missouri, to help improve the farm’s forage production. The precision nutrient program manages soil fertility on an acre-by-acre basis, giving farmers the information and technology needed to adjust fertilizer application rates by zones.

“I knew a little about Nutri-Track, but I had always assumed it was for row-crop farmers,” Borey said. “One day, I was talking to Jared about the variability in our hay ground, and he said Nutri-Track could help even out the hot spots and weak spots. Instead of applying a flat rate of fertilizer like we had been doing, now we put it just where it’s needed. Our hay production has been much more consistent ever since.”

Precision agriculture may, indeed, be more commonly associated with row-crop production, but Harding said forages often have the highest opportunity for returns when using practices such as variable-rate nutrient application. In fact, he pointed out, hay and pasture ground consistently has more variable fertility than crop fields.

“Our grasses need precision just as much as row crops—maybe even more,” Harding said. “We have to replace the nutrients removed through grazing and haying, but a shotgun approach isn’t the most efficient way. Cows do put some of those nutrients back, but they’re not very good at applying them evenly. They tend to gather around waterers, feeders and shade, so those areas have high fertility levels, while areas that have the best potential for forage production tend to be deficient. Nutri-Track is designed to help that uneven distribution of nutrients.”

Borey prudently began with 80 acres in the Nutri-Track program six years ago, but the positive results were so obvious that he decided to enroll 720 acres of hay ground and pastures.

“After Jared signed us up, we limed those first 80 acres on a variable-rate basis, and the grid-sampling paid for itself with that application,” Borey said. “I could see the benefits of Nutri- Track right from the start.”

While lime savings are common with Nutri-Track, Harding said producers shouldn’t expect to use less fertilizer with precision applications. Those applications will, however, be more accurate and effective.

“What we’re trying to do is be more efficient with your fertilizer dollar,” Harding said. “We’ll put inputs where they are needed and pull back where they are not. With margins tighter and tighter for growers, efficiency is the name of the game.”

For Borey, the benefits have continued to abound. His pastures and hay fields are much cleaner because the flourishing forages outcompete the weeds. He’s able to graze his cattle longer and feed hay for fewer months. Balanced fertility also promotes stand persistence. Healthy plants are better able to withstand traffic and tough conditions, whether due to a drought or a severe winter.

“We haven’t added more cows—although we could—but we’re now able to graze our pastures until early January every year,” Borey said. “During the drought a few years ago, instead of selling off some of the herd because we couldn’t support that many head, like some producers had to do, we were able to keep the cows we had. I think Nutri-Track is what made that possible for us.”

While the abundance of grass means he may not need as much hay, Borey is nonetheless harvesting more bales from the same acreage. Harding said the difference is particularly apparent on the initial 80 acres the producer enrolled in Nutri-Track.

“It was essentially his worst-producing hay field, and he’d rarely gotten a second cutting off it,” Harding said. “After we got the fertility leveled out, he’s consistently getting second cuttings. It’s producing so well that he is able to fence off about 25 acres and use it for extra grazing days.”

No matter what type of acreage is enrolled, the Nutri-Track program begins with grid sampling to create a baseline for soil nutrient levels. Grid sampling uses GPS mapping to break the field down into smaller management units from which several soil cores are taken for analysis. The soil-test results guide MFA’s precision agronomy staff in building fertility recommendations based on the producer’s goals.

“We pull the soil samples on 2.5-acre grids to get a good representation of the field and find out what’s going on in the soil,” Harding explained. “Then we can sit down with the grower and go over all the spots in the field that are showing high, optimum or low soil-test values. Then we start addressing those areas with variable-rate fertilizer application from our MFA locations.”

Correcting soil pH with precision lime applications is typically the first priority, he added, because pH plays such a critical role in availability of nutrients and overall performance of the forage crop. Addressing phosphorus and potassium fertility is also important in maintaining quality pastures.

“Nitrogen is important and does increase grass yield, but if phosphorus and potassium are ignored too long, you will see diminishing returns,” Harding said. “If the soil is low in these nutrients, your pasture will never reach full yield potential regardless of how much nitrogen is applied.”

The grid-sampling process is repeated every four years to evaluate the progress, determine if any other deficiencies or excesses need to be addressed and adjust recommendations accordingly. Unlike row-crop growers, forage producers don’t have the benefit of yield monitors to precisely measure harvest.

“With grasses, we have to make an educated guess about much fertility we’re removing that season, so we like to revisit yield goals every year, making sure we’re not overshooting or under-producing,” Harding said. “Then every four years, we want to sample again, get another picture of what’s going on and see if there’s something we need to improve. If producers are following recommendations, the low-testing spots four years ago are going to rise, and spots that were high four years ago are going to drop.”

That’s exactly the trend Borey has seen since joining the Nutri-Track program, and the benefits are not just agronomic and economic but also environmental. Precision fertility management helps reduce nutrient loss and waste by targeting inputs to specific areas, and Borey said such stewardship is important to the future of the farm, which has been in his wife’s family for generations.

“You want to invest your money in something that will give you a return, and there are so many ways Nutri-Track is paying off,” Borey said. “As much time as you put into farming, you want to do what’s best for it. We feel that by using the Nutri-Track system, we’re doing what’s best for the land and what’s best for our cows.”

For more information, visit mfa-inc.com/PrecisionAg/Nutri_Track and click on “Contact” to find the precision specialist nearest you. You can also watch Nutri-Track in action on Chuck Borey’s farm at mfa.ag/nutri-trackpasture.
MFA INCORPORATED IS PARTNERING with the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council and the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) to launch a pilot program focused on exploring carbon and water-quality markets.

MFA and its partner organizations are enrolling a limited number of corn and soybean acres into the pilot. The aim is to help farmers generate certified ecosystem credits that can be sold once verified by ESMC, a nonprofit member-based organization. The two-year pilot program is now under way and will conclude in December 2022.

“As grower partners, we have a role to play in these markets,” said Adam Jones, MFA Incorporated conservation specialist. “There are good agronomic reasons to adopt the practices these ecosystem or carbon markets require to participate. MFA’s participation is a natural extension of what we currently do with our precision services.”

Eligible growers will implement conservation farming practices such as planting cover crops, applying fertilizer more efficiently or moving away from conventional tillage. There is no cost for farmers to participate. Soil sampling is required but will be made possible by the corn and soybean checkoff programs and MFA. Soil data results will also be made available to participants.

“I think it’s important from an MFA standpoint to stay current with some of the new things that are happening for our producers and bring those services and verification to them,” said Dr. Jason Weirich, MFA Incorporated vice president of Agri Services. “We want to give our farmers every opportunity possible to stay competitive in the marketplace.”

In addition to providing the soil-sampling services required to measure outcomes of the eligible practices, MFA will assist with data collection and provide guidance to growers throughout the process.

“There’s a lot of data that goes along with these programs, so we need to be able to prove the practice change and the management that happens over the course of the program,” Jones said. “We have the ability to enter all the planting passes, tillage passes, yield data—everything that’s necessary for verification and ensuring growers are meeting the deadlines and requirements that go along with a carbon-credit program.”

MFA’s statewide network of field staff and precision agronomy services will fill a key role and help ensure success in meeting pilot goals, according to Darrick Steen, director of environmental programs for Missouri Corn and Missouri Soybean associations. He said the partnering organizations all share a common commitment to the state’s farmers.

“Missouri farmers have lots of questions about emerging agricultural carbon markets,” Steen said. “This pilot and partnership with ESMC will answer some of those questions and help farmers tap into the full benefits of the stored carbon that their hard work and soil investments are generating. Our goal is to provide farmers a chance to better understand this voluntary agriculture carbon market space.”

Talk surrounding carbon and emissions has ramped up in recent years, and industrial manufacturers may need to purchase carbon credits to stay in line with certain environmental standards. Through the practices ESMC has set forth in this pilot program, farmers may be able to create these credits for companies to buy.

ESMC has established pilot programs across the nation and plans to launch a fully functioning national-scale ecosystem services market designed to sell both carbon and water-quality credits for the agricultural sector by 2022. The Missouri program is one of more than 10 pilots ESMC is launching this year. Growers who enroll acreage during the pilot phase will have the opportunity to gain advanced entry into the full market once launched.

“A lot of players have entered this carbon market space,” Jones said. “Some of these companies are aggregators, profiting both off of the data collected through the verification process and the sale of the credit itself. Because ESMC is a nonprofit, they recover costs to the point of covering their own expenses, and that’s all they’re looking to do.”

Farmers who enroll in the pilot phase will have the opportunity to test new innovations in quantifying these carbon and water-quality benefits to help guide ESMC’s program development. There are no minimum or maximum acreage limits to enroll, and farmers don’t have to enroll all of their acreage to participate. In the pilot phase, contracts are annual, and there is no penalty for dropping out of the program. This provides more flexibility and decreases risk for participants.

Conceptually, there is the potential for farmers to stack multiple ecosystem credits, including those related to soil carbon and greenhouse gas as well as water quality and quantity. That idea makes working with ESMC an attractive option for many farmers, Jones said.

“We’re looking for people who want to learn with us about these markets,” he said. “The ESMC program is outcomes driven, so there’s no carrot or promises up front other than the creation of these credits. I think this is a good opportunity to see how this type of program will fit our geography and management practices on Missouri farms.”

For more information on the program or to express interest in participating, visit www.mocarbonpilot.com.
FEATURES

Plants vs. pathogens (Cover Story)
Help your crop win the arms race for survival
by Kerri Lotvin
(Related Sidebar story)
Looming Threat, Leading Players
by Kerri Lotvin

New MFA chair is champion for cooperatives
Keri Jacobs joins Mizzou in endowed position that supports industry outreach, education
by Allison Jenkins

Plotting a path to performance
MFA’s 2020 crop trials provide valuable data for decisions, even without in-person trainings
By Cameron Horine

Meals of milo
Grazing grain sorghum over the winter can be a cost-effective feeding strategy
By Allison Jenkins

Feed forages a balanced diet
Good growth depends on proper nutrition and weed control
By David Moore

Battle bacteria with good hygiene, nutrition
Vaccines aren’t the only answer to keeping calves healthy
By Dr. Jim White

DEPARTMENTS & OPINION

Country Corner
Moving forward with optimism
by Allison Jenkins

UpFront
Clean out the chemicals
Drive to Feed Kids donates 1 million meals in 2020
Spotlighting stewardship

Markets (External Link)
Corn: Exports climb, spring acreage likely to rise
Soybeans: South American crop, USDA reports will influence price
Cattle: Slight decline in the beef herd
Wheat: Weather degrades winter wheat conditions

Recipes (External Link)
Pass the pasta

BUY, sell, trade (External Link)
Marketplace

Viewpoint
Strong start, ready for spring
by Ernie Verslues

Click to view the magazine as printed using a flipbook.
Planting milo for winter grazing is now standard practice on Lee Farms in Truxton, Mo. Even when covered in snow and ice, the grain, stalks and leaves are still accessible to the cattle. The Lees strip-graze about 12 acres of milo, which provides energy-rich feed for their cattle and sheep from about Nov. 1 to early spring.
milo

William Lee rolls up a strand of electric polywire to open a strip of milo for the cattle. Although this task has to be done daily, William says he finds it less laborious than feeding hay. “You’re not having to start up a tractor and wallow through the mud trying to set bales out,” he said. “You just have to get on the four-wheeler and move the wire.”
milo1

The cattle eat the milo heads first and then graze the rest of the plant down to about 18 inches. The 20 head of red Angus-based cows and two bulls can clear a strip of milo in about two hours, the Lees say.
milo2

Rusty Lee, left, and son William farm together on land that’s been in their family for four generations. It originally belonged to the maternal grandparents of Rusty’s wife, Teresa. William, 18, is studying plant sciences at the University of Missouri in Columbia and his 15-year-old sister, Dora Lyn, is a student at Warrenton High School. Rusty also serves as MU Extension agronomy specialist in Montgomery County.
milo3

Milo typically provides ample amounts of total digestible nutrients but lacks adequate protein. Supplementing with another protein source is critical to making this forage system work, the Lees said. They have used soybean meal and high-quality hay to supply additional nutrition. MFA also offers supplements such as tubs, minerals, range cubes and liquid feed that serve this purpose.
milo4

The Lees also graze their flock of Katahdin sheep on milo. They currently have 32 ewes, but William has plans to expand that side of the operation. He’s raising the hair sheep breed for meat.
milo5

Rusty interseeded kale and forage turnips in standing milo fields this past year to supplement protein for the animals. “The milo provided too much shade to allow much of a crop to grow, but we succeeded in getting some kale and turnips to come up,” he said. He also experimented with using a drone to plant the cover-crop mix. The drone only held 14 pounds of seed at a time, which is impractical for large acreages, but it’s far less expensive than using an airplane to fly on the seed. Rusty said he intends to keep evaluating this practice.
milo6
Planting milo for winter grazing is now standard practice on Lee Farms in Truxton, Mo. Even when covered in snow and ice, the grain, stalks and leaves are still accessible to the cattle. The Lees strip-graze about 12 acres of milo, which provides energy-rich feed for their cattle and sheep from about Nov. 1 to early spring.

William Lee rolls up a strand of electric polywire to open a strip of milo for the cattle. Although this task has to be done daily, William says he finds it less laborious than feeding hay. “You’re not having to start up a tractor and wallow through the mud trying to set bales out,” he said. “You just have to get on the four-wheeler and move the wire.”

The cattle eat the milo heads first and then graze the rest of the plant down to about 18 inches. The 20 head of red Angus-based cows and two bulls can clear a strip of milo in about two hours, the Lees say.

Rusty Lee, left, and son William farm together on land that’s been in their family for four generations. It originally belonged to the maternal grandparents of Rusty’s wife, Teresa. William, 18, is studying plant sciences at the University of Missouri in Columbia and his 15-year-old sister, Dora Lyn, is a student at Warrenton High School. Rusty also serves as MU Extension agronomy specialist in Montgomery County.

Milo typically provides ample amounts of total digestible nutrients but lacks adequate protein. Supplementing with another protein source is critical to making this forage system work, the Lees said. They have used soybean meal and high-quality hay to supply additional nutrition. MFA also offers supplements such as tubs, minerals, range cubes and liquid feed that serve this purpose.

The Lees also graze their flock of Katahdin sheep on milo. They currently have 32 ewes, but William has plans to expand that side of the operation. He’s raising the hair sheep breed for meat.

Rusty interseeded kale and forage turnips in standing milo fields this past year to supplement protein for the animals. “The milo provided too much shade to allow much of a crop to grow, but we succeeded in getting some kale and turnips to come up,” he said. He also experimented with using a drone to plant the cover-crop mix. The drone only held 14 pounds of seed at a time, which is impractical for large acreages, but it’s far less expensive than using an airplane to fly on the seed. Rusty said he intends to keep evaluating this practice.
Like a bouncer unhooking the velvet rope restraining the crowd outside a trendy nightclub, William Lee releases the polywire electric fence holding his hungry cattle out of a strip of standing milo.

The cows, calves and bulls rush through the opening, fervently feasting on the grain, leaves and stalks covered in snow and ice from an early January storm. The cattle don’t seem to mind that their lunch is frozen. It doesn’t take long before the patch is mostly depleted, and the herd wanders back into the adjacent fallow field.

“You can tell they love this stuff,” said Rusty, William’s father, as they watch the animals devour their daily meal of milo. “The cattle will eat the heads first, which takes them about 30 minutes. Then it takes about two hours to eat everything else. They only leave about the bottom 18 inches of stalk.”

The Lees have been growing and grazing milo—or grain sorghum— for the past seven years on their diversified farm in Truxton, Mo. The crop makes up most of the late fall and winter diet for their cow/calf herd as well as their flock of Katahdin hair sheep. The family also raises corn and soybeans, maintains grass pastures and produces garlic for seed stock and direct sales to consumers.

Rusty, who serves as University of Missouri Extension agronomy field specialist in Montgomery County, was introduced to strip-grazing milo by a neighbor who has been successfully using the unconventional concept for more than 20 years. After seeing the benefits for himself, Rusty was a believer. Now, he likes to tell other producers it’s the “best-kept secret” in winter cow feeding.

“You can actually cut your feed costs by half or more by grazing milo, which is huge,” Rusty said. “The single largest factor determining profit and loss in cow/calf production is feed expenses. If we can get a handle on reducing that cost, those dollars go straight to the bottom line.”

He has the numbers to prove it. The Lees grow 12 acres of milo, which Rusty figures at 400 cow-days of feed per acre. That gives him 218 days’ worth of feed for his 22 head of cattle.

“It doesn’t take a lot of acres to generate a lot of feed,” Rusty said. “Now, the cows don’t get all that. The sheep are taking a cut out of it, but we still end up with plenty of milo to get us through the winter.”

Landry Jones, MFA grazing conservation specialist, is also a proponent of this practice, which he said is gaining momentum among livestock producers.

“There aren’t a lot of options for grazing annuals, other than some cover crops or small grains, that provide nutrition through the winter,” Landry said. “Milo, on the other hand, will withstand the weather and remain upright, even with snow on the ground. The animals can still pick the grain and have good access to the forage.”

Minimal resources required

Similar to rotationally grazing grass pastures, the Lees partition their milo fields into strips that will provide cattle a daily allowance of grain and forage. Step-in fenceposts, a quality fence charger and a single strand of electric polywire are the only equipment required.

“To feed the cows today will take me about 15 or 20 minutes,” said William, an MFA Foundation scholarship recipient and student at the University of Missouri in Columbia. “I just roll up the wire, and the cattle will be standing there waiting. They walk in and start eating. I move the wire once a day for the cows, but I give the sheep a bigger section. Because they’re smaller animals, they won’t trample as much, so I can give them about a week-and-a-half’s worth.”

While the simplicity of this system is certainly an advantage, the Lees said the economic benefits are even better. They found that grazing milo ultimately pencils out more profitably than feeding hay.

“Let’s say that a 1,200-pound cow consumes somewhere close to 3% of her body weight for dry matter intake. The hay costs you about 3 cents a pound, if you figure $30 for a 1,000-pound round bale,” Rusty explained. “So, it’s costing you over $1 a day, per head, per cow, to feed hay.”

“But I tell producers in my meetings, if anybody’s got any bales of hay they want to sell for $30, let me know,” he continued. “We’re really looking at more like $45 a bale, and that’s not the extreme years. Now, you’re around $1.60 per day per cow—and you’ll need to supplement some energy.”

On the other hand, Rusty continued, feeding milo in the field calculates to about 60 cents per head, per day, according to MU Extension’s crop management budget.

“In the expenses, we include the fertilizer and the land rent and the machinery and depreciation, all that stuff, but we don’t need to figure in the expenses of the combine, semi or grain bin,” he said. “The cattle are harvesting it for you. When you take those harvest expenses out, you just removed 40% of the cost of growing milo.”

With milo, however, protein supplementation is needed. Samples of the Lees’ grain sorghum show that it provides more than 70% total digestible nutrients but only 7.5% protein.

“There’s a lot of energy, but it’s shy on protein,” Rusty said. “So, you want to provide extra protein. If you don’t, the animal’s performance will suffer. Straight milo by itself, with absolutely no hay, no pasture and no supplementation, is a train wreck. So, you can feed hay and supplement energy or graze milo and supplement protein. Protein is cheaper to supplement.”

Good-quality hay can provide some of those nutritional needs, and the Lees are even experimenting with interseeding their milo with kale and turnips to boost protein levels. Self-fed, free-choice supplements such as tubs, liquid feed or minerals are also effective options. Dr. Jim White, MFA director of livestock nutrition, recommends 20% Performance First Tubs or Ultralyx 20% AN Tub, MFA Salt Mix, QLF lick tanks and Ricochet or XI minerals. If hand-feeding, White said, 2 pounds a day of MFA Cattle Breeder Cubes is also a good alternative.

“Fundamentally, the objective of supplemental feeding of grazing cows is to provide adequate nutrients to the animal and to enhance forage utilization,” White advised. “Having said that, the other objective is to make money. Producers need to match forage nutrients and requisite supplements with animal requirements. Get the forage base tested so you know where you are starting.”

Push for grain production

Even when grazing is the main goal, Rusty emphasized that milo needs to be grown for grain. Seed selection, fertilization and herbicide and insecticide applications should all be made with maximum yields in mind.

“You’re a grain farmer, trying to make bushels,” he said. “If you try to do anything other than what you would for a combine crop, you’re messing up. Fertilize milo like you do corn, just not quite as heavy. If you try to grow it without the right fertility, you’re going to get a forage crop, not a grain crop.”

Under the right growing conditions, the Lees said their milo typically produces 120 bushels per acre. Other farmers may not have the soil to support such high yields, Landry cautions.

“If you’ve got the ground, then milo really works,” he said. “Whether it’s good or bad soil, you’re still going to have the input costs. It comes down to how much you can produce. Folks need to consider whether they can grow good-quality milo. If not, then some other forage type may need to be considered.”

The Lees plant milo at the end of May or first part of June, after their corn and soybeans are in the ground. They typically start grazing milo in early November after the first killing frost.

“With milo, the biggest thing you have to watch out for is prussic acid poisoning,” Rusty said. “Where you will see that be a problem is right after the fall frost. You’ve got this green, growing milo, and frost comes along and kills it. At that point, it’s poisonous to the cattle for a week to 10 days. Our average fall frost is around Oct. 14, so we stay out of the milo until about Nov. 1.”

When choosing milo varieties, Rusty emphasized that growers should select for standability.

“By Valentine’s Day, stalk quality starts degrading and the milo starts trying to blow over,” he said. “Producers need to choose varieties with good stalk strength. I also like heads that are a little tighter so they don’t spring out and catch a bunch of snow load. A compact head also makes it a little harder for the birds to eat.”

But the Lees don’t mind sharing their milo with wildlife. Even when limiting the cattle with daily allocations, Rusty said, they waste some of the grain, which becomes prime pickings for birds, deer and other animals.

“We estimate that about 80% goes in the mouth of the cow,” he said. “If you’re producing 100-bushel milo, there’s 20 bushels spilled on the ground. There’s a lot of wildlife feed, and that’s fine. We have been big quail hunters in the past, so we keep old fencerows and do some things a little more conservation-minded. The doves love this field, and so do the ducks.”

Benefits abound

Beyond savings in feed costs, the Lees have realized benefits that are less obvious but just as significant. For example, instead of removing plant nutrients with the harvested crop, much of the fertility remains in the field where it’s grazed.

“From a nutrient cycling standpoint, it’s very beneficial,” Landry said. “The animals are trampling a lot of the fodder they’re not consuming, so that promotes organic matter. It’s better from a stewardship standpoint than a harvested field that remains bare.”

What’s more, the Lees said they have seen improved conception rates in their herd since switching from stockpiled fescue to grazing milo over the winter.

“I can’t claim that we did that on purpose,” Rusty admitted. “We do fall calving, and the bulls get turned in Dec. 1. So our cattle have been getting 30 days on milo before breeding started. Animal science data shows that if you take cows off infected fescue for as little as 30 days prior to breeding, you’ll see a boost in conception rates. Essentially, that’s what is happening here.”

For all its advantages, however, there are some drawbacks, the Lees admit. Someone has to be on the farm to move the fence every day, and the cattle make a mess trampling through the milo in wet, snowy conditions.

“Consider the potential for erosion when you plant milo for grazing,” Landry suggests. “Maybe choose a site that is good and flat or up on a hill, an area that’s not going to weather badly in our winter conditions.”

He also points out that the availability of water can make a difference in where a milo patch is placed.

“Water is critical, so that can sometimes be a limiting factor on where you plant,” he said. “You need a water source that those animals can easily access. From a planning standpoint, keep that in mind.”

While it may not be appropriate for every livestock operation, Landry said the practice of grazing milo has been gaining ground as producers seek ways to improve profitability.

“There’s been a mindshift with producers realizing that their biggest expense is in stored feed, and they’re figuring out how to reduce those costs,” he said. “Extending the grazing season, whether it be with perennial or annual forage, is one practice that’s becoming more common. Any time those animals are out grazing is going to be more profitable for an operation.”

For more information, visit with the agronomy and livestock experts at your MFA or AGChoice location or reach out to Landry Jones at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Rusty Lee at 573-564-3733 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Zoom in on the crowd

Interactive photo from MFA’s annual meeting