Description
Milkway contains fescue and grass varieties that test and perform very well in the TMR of high producing dairy cows. Milkway contains high yielding meadow fescue and extremely digestible soft leaf tall fescue cultivars from Barenbrug USA. Meadow fescue provides exceptionally high NDFd and thus improved rate of digestion. It does not cause “rumen fill” as it is one of the lowest NDF grasses that can be grown in the Northern USA. Barenbrug soft leaf fescues are world renown for their suitability for dairy TMR due to their low NDF and high NDFd values. Milkway is the ideal grass blend for dairy silage production; it provides stable NDF and NDFd throughout the season so the dairyman can pack different cuttings in the same bunk. Research from University of Wisconsin shows that using Milkway grass blend in dairy TMR can improve milk production 5-15% over traditional TMR diets using wheat straw for effective fiber.
Milkway is a “NutriFiber forage“, which aids in providing Highly Digestible, Effective Fiber for use in dairy rations to promote healthy rumens, reduce acidosis, while increasing butterfat tests and supporting high milk production. Proven to work in University research and on dairy farms across the U.S.
Milkway can be planted as a monostand (25-30 lbs per acre) and produces high dry matter yields under manure application or with nitrogen fertilizer applications. It is traffic tolerant and can sustain multiple manure applications. Milkway is also ideally suited for interseeding with alfalfa (7-8 lbs with 13-15 lbs of alfalfa) as its growing rhythm matches the growth rhythm of alfalfas grown in the Northern US. Unlike traditional grasses, it is not too competitive with alfalfa and will not take over the alfalfa stand nor does it disappear after a couple of years in an alfalfa stand.
Suggested seeding rate: Seed 25-30 lbs/acre alone or 8-12 lbs/acre in a mix.
Approx. seeds/lb.: 277,000
Seeding depth: Seed ¼” deep in a firm seedbed.
Preferred soils: Medium to heavy soils, lighter soils with irrigation. Good fertility.
Management suggestions: May be planted in spring or late summer on a well-prepared seed bed. For interseeding into alfalfa, late summer is the better option. Apply 25-30 units of N at seeding, 30-40 units of N after each cutting. Total of 150 units of N/acre/year. With alfalfa, use a total of 75 units of N/acre/year.
