Dr. Bill Mahanna, Pioneer Global Nutritional Sciences Manager explains kernel texture and the link to digestibility and touches upon current Ohio State University research on corn grain and corn silage.

Pioneer's Dr. Bill Mahanna explains total-tract starch digestibility and the importance with high corn prices.

Pioneer's Dr. Bill Mahanna says up to 60 days of fermentation before feeding can improve starch digestibility, particularly with high-moisture corn.

Pioneer's Dr. Bill Mahanna calls attention to the importance of particle hardness and distribution in processing for improved feed value.

Issues on ruminant starch digestibility (STRD) include vitreousness, harder starch vs. soft, floury endosperm in commercial corn germplasm. As part of a series of Pioneer Forage Forum segments highlighting STRD research, Dr. Bill Mahanna, Pioneer Global Nutritional Sciences Manager, condenses decades of research on this topic.

While ruminant starch digestibility (STRD) is a complex subject, producers' control can be simplified by addressing basic critical factors: harvest moisture, particle size and length of time in fermentation. Dr. Bill Mahanna, Pioneer Global Nutritional Sciences Manager, offers details, particularly on the influence of moisture and the extent of fermentation in high moisture corn.

To optimize alfalfa performance, one-size-fits-all is no longer in style. Today's grower can tailor variety selection to manage specific production challenges, observes Dave Miller, Alfalfa Research Director for Pioneer Hi-Bred. The result can be a better fit with bottom-line goals.

Among seed genetics, alfalfa is a non-conformist. Within each alfalfa variety, there is a range of performance for critical agronomic categories. As explained by Dave Miller, Alfalfa Research Director for Pioneer Hi-Bred, this is why ratings for disease and insect resistance, fall dormancy and winterkill are characterized in the context of average percentages-bag-by-bag, stand-by-stand, plot-by-plot.

Early- to mid-April, when alfalfa begins to green up, is the time to assess the degree of damage from winterkill. Dan Wiersma, account manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred, offers tips on what to look for, both above and below ground, to evaluate alfalfa stands just ahead of the upcoming growing season.

The new Milk 2006 equation for silage corn from the University of Wisconsin reflects important modifications to the Milk 2000 version, according to Dr. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer Hi-Bred. Neutral digestive fiber values can now be entered from any time point.