HIDF Silage Remains at the Heart of Dairyland Seed

When you plant a Dairyland Seed HiDF silage product, you choose from a series of hybrids that are specifically selected for operations in the upper Midwest.

Dairyland Seed’s HiDF series sets rigorous standards for silage products to provide the maximum nutrient profile possible.

“It is a truly unique program not just for Corteva, but the industry as a whole,” says Ryan Mueller, Portfolio and Agronomy Manager for Dairyland Seed.

ryan mueller explains the benefits of the HiDF silage products.

HiDF stands for highly digestible forage. This uniquely Dairyland Seed product series is selected specifically by Dairyland Seed’s Agronomy team to address nutritional concerns as well as production challenges. The goal was to develop a product series that would hit a high set of standards for both.

Calculating feed efficiency for silage products is a tricky process. Farmers look for how well cows are converting feed into milk. A BMR will produce higher milk per ton but will often sacrifice agronomics. A dual purpose grain corn hybrid may produce higher yields but will not produce as high milk when fed. HiDF seeks to give the best possible product to cover all your bases within the silage metrics.

“HiDF products are focused on whole-farm efficiency. With them, we are hoping to find the right balance of good agronomics, high tonnage and feed efficiency,” says Dairyland Seed Northern Agronomist Branden Furseth.

Dairyland Seed’s HiDF program started in the mid-1990s with product research in our Clinton, WI location. At that time, silage product selection in the agriculture industry was the wild west. Working with then-Dairyland Seed General Manager Tom Strachota, Mueller sought to separate corn genetics and start selecting for products that could produce both yield and nutrition at a higher level.

In the early 2000s, Dairyland Seed launched the HiDF program with two hybrids. The program grew slowly, but with Mueller’s diligence and Strachota’s patience it began to show signs of success. Today, HiDF products make up about 20 percent of all corn sales for Dairyland Seed.

“We were early in the game in developing a silage program. It gave us time to really figure out what we wanted to measure, what our customers wanted, and develop the skills to select for the best,” added Mueller.

Dairyland Seed remains committed to investing in the HiDF program. The Agronomy Team utilizes the entire strip plot network and around 100 test plots to actively gather additional information and test incoming products. Mueller says the team is excited to release four new hybrids in the upcoming class.

“Corteva’s genetics continue to improve. I’m confident that we will see more exciting products come down the pipeline and will be able to continue providing producers with products that are specifically matched for the Upper Midwest,” added Mueller.