Bob Eash of Best Forage

Bob Eash of Best Forage

We are here to help.

The last few years have been tough for livestock and dairy producers. The drought of 2012 and the lingering high corn and commodity prices, along with a shortage of good quality forage, all pinched the bottom line pretty hard. Thankfully, 2013 was a better year and commodity prices have come down considerably. Competition for land is still pretty fierce in our area of the Midwest.

For those of you that don’t know us, you’ll discover that we wear two hats. The first hat most people don’t see. It’s a dusty hat with sweat around the brow from our everyday farming activities. We are more than a seed distributor, we have spent our lifetime as dairy farmers as well. We own and operate our own dairy in the northeast corner of Indiana. In fact, we are the fifth and sixth generations on the family dairy. We know what it is like to be up before dawn, have the cows milked for the morning before most people even start their day, and then eat supper well past sunset. We enjoy cows and farming.

We likewise suffered the effects of the drought and paid the price for corn and some additional hay. Yields are important and so is forage quality. We’ve been feeding a high forage ration for the last 15+ years. To do that, we had to have high-quality forages. You can’t feed a high forage ration to dairy cows using average to poor quality forages. The results have been great. No displacement abomasums (DAs), great herd health, less hoof trimming, lower cull rates and higher milk components. But forage quality is only part of the equation. You need high yields, too. Land rent and land prices are not getting any cheaper. There are two ways to grow: farm more acres or grow more per acre.

That’s why we think you may be very interested in our new resource guide. You see, with our other hat we distribute the best forage and cover crop seed we can find and share that experience with you on our best products. We have used almost all of these products on our farm at one time or another. We’ve tried a lot of different things and we’ve made our share of mistakes. Our lifetime of experience cannot be replicated overnight and no other seed company can duplicate it. No other seed company that I know of has this much experience with the products that they sell.

Here’s how we can help. Let us help you with your cropping plans. We know our products very well and how they perform. We know cows, too. Let’s sit down and discuss your goals and options. We are not afraid to tell you that something won’t work. Likewise, we know several things that do work and will readily share with you those ideas. Ultimately it is your decision.

Yesterday

Our family farm years ago.
Our cows grazing years ago.

…and Today

Our Farm Today
Our Cattle Grazing Today