Cutting edge silage advice
Seventy five is the magic number for farmers planning their silage target, reports Tom Coll
outlined in the table. Delayed harvesting, low percentage of ryegrass in the sward, dead leaf at the base of the sward and the crop lodging can quickly reduce a potential 75 DMD crop to low 60’s over a relatively short period of time.
SLURRY SPREADING
Aim to spread 75pc of slurry directly after silage cutting to replace some of the offtake of P and K removed by harvesting. Slurry should of course be spread as early as possible in the year to take advantage of the N, P and K supply. Ground conditions don’t always allow for early application of slurry and are normally at their best after cutting. In the last few years farmers who waited to spread slurry later on in the year faced issues with ground trafficability.
Savings of up to €75 per livestock unit can be achieved by feeding top quality silage rather than concentrates or poor quality silage.
Around 300kgs of concen- trates valued at €250 per tonne for every livestock unit of cattle on the farm can be eliminated when silage is 75DMD.
75 DMD silage is too good for dry cows but can be restricted thus reducing the amount of silage required over winter period.
The amount of concentrates required by ewes pre-lambing can be reduced by up to 25kgs per ewe by making silage which is 75DMD or higher which results in a saving of €7.50 per ewe or €75 for every ewe 10 ewes on the farm. “We are very aware of the current fodder issues that exist on farm but farmers need to take action now to prepare for next winter,” said Vincent Griffith, Aurivo farm profitability programme manager.
“Applying an extra bag of nitrogen to bring total N applied to 80-90units as soon as ground conditions allow — and where lime P and K status is correct — will allow farmers to yield a crop of 10 bales per acre of wilted silage before the end of May. Lime is critical to achieve a soil pH of 6.3 so that the bank of N, P and K in the soil is available to the plant for maximum growth to occur.”