WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE FARM
On October 9th the Miner Institute crew wrapped up the 2026 corn silage harvest. All of our corn acreage was planted with conventional silage hybrids this year, and we harvested most of the fields at 34-35% dry matter. Some harvest-time sample data is being compiled, and some yield and digestibility indicators are looking like 2026 will be an above-average year. We are excited to be going into 2027 with a healthy corn silage inventory. We will be feeding some 2026 silage around December 15th this year; when we open it, it will have been covered for about 80 days.
Construction and remodeling on the new heifer barn continues. Heifers have been housed in the new section for a few weeks now, and final touches to the remodeled end will be concluding this month. New mattresses have been installed, new floors have been poured and grooved, and an insulated ceiling with chimneys is being installed to match the new end. This heifer barn will house animals from approximately 6 months of age to prepartum, and it will provide an excellent environment for growth, monitoring, and reproductive management in our young stock program.
On October 15th, we had a springing heifer showing signs of stage-two labor and making no progress. Vaginal examination revealed only calf-sized internal organs in the birth canal including a liver, and loops of small intestine. A non-viable, congenital abnormality called schistosomus reflexus was suspected, making delivery by cesarian section the best option. Schistosomus reflexus is a fatal abnormality of calves and other ruminants that results in extreme curvature of the spine so that the four limbs, the nose, and the tail point in the same direction. Additionally, the lower abdominal wall fails to close in this congenital abnormality, leaving most of the organs exposed on the other end of the calf. This makes the condition uniformly fatal, and it makes a normal delivery very difficult or impossible. One of our veterinarians performed a C-section with the assistance of our herd management staff, and follow-up care including an antimicrobial, an anti-inflammatory, and excellent access to feed, water and comfortable bedding was provided. By ten days in milk, the heifer had completed her course of follow-up medications and had her stitches removed. She was living in a free stall pen and milking about 60lbs. Our animal health monitoring system shows a slow but steady recovery of rumen activity, and the heifer is expected to have a reasonable lactation. Her future fertility will be compromised by the C-section, but, with luck, a second lactation may be possible for her.
— Blake Nguyen
