Act now to avoid being caught out
A challenging season which has played havoc with silage reserves means a fodder budget will be vital on most farms this winter.
With both fodder quality and quantity affected by this year’s weather – including a wet spring and dull summer – it is essential to assess forage reserves to ensure they’re sufficient for the winter ahead.
“Will it last? Will it provide the performance you need?” asks Janet Montgomery, agriculture product manager for grass and forage specialists Barenbrug. “You need to work out those answers and act accordingly.
“We’re not facing an emergency, but neither is there 100% confidence that the country has sufficient forage quantities and qualities. There is a chance that feed will be short. But if you act now, and plan, then you won’t get caught out later.”
Forage requirements
Dry cows and milkers will need up to 1.5t of silage per month, says Ms Montgomery. “The first step should be to check how much you have, and whether it’s enough for winter.”
To calculate a budget effectively effectively, producers also need to decide the condition in which pastures should be left at the end of 2024. “It’s always risky to assume that pastures will come back in time for spring.
“Ask too much of them during the critical autumn period – for example, by not managing residuals properly, or not indexing fields to prioritise grazing, or reseeding – and they won’t be ready for you in 2025. Then your fodder budget will have been for naught.
“But protect them, and pastures will pay you back handsomely.”
How to budget
To measure approximate quantities in the clamp, multiply length of the pit by width by average height to calculate the silage volume. After that, divide that figure by 1.35 for the amount in fresh tonnes.
Then take the average silage requirement per day and multiply that by the number of animals to feed, by the number of feeding days re-quired. “You’ll then be able to compare demand and supply of silage, and see if there’s likely to be a deficit.”
It’s best to assume that winter will be difficult, so plan for the worst.
“If you’re conservative about when to house the cows, even if it means breaking into the clamp earlier, there’s a good chance that the grass will be ready when you want it,” says Ms Montgomery.
Quantity is one thing – and important of course. But there are also questions about the quality of much of this year’s silage, with late cuts in particular displaying low biomass and nutritional content.
Dry matter content
“If there’s one time you don’t want to merely estimate silage quality, it’s now.
“You really need to know what you’re feeding, so the second step is to test and analyse your silage, and to calculate your dry matter content. Then you’ll know what supplements you’ll require and can plan accordingly.
“Yes, bought-in supplements will always be more expensive than home-grown feed but by knowing exactly what you will need to balance energy and protein, to maintain your performance targets, you can plan ahead and map out your options in good time.
“Treat the 24/25 fodder budget as a ‘must do’, not an optional extra. It’s worth a bit of time now to ensure you can make it through the winter comfortably, without watching performance tail off.”
Variable quality poses winter feed challenge
Farmers facing mixed silage quality should balance dairy cow rations carefully to optimise milk production this winter, says Mark McFarland, Lallemand Animal Nutrition.
“This spring saw higher rainfall followed by an almost non-existent summer. The previous mild winter also meant an increased proportion of fibrous winter growth in the first cuts done by farmers without sheep to graze swards.”
“This meant many farmers delayed cutting, resulting in reduced nutrient density, or those who couldn’t wait any longer took a wet cut, diluting what little sugar was in the grass, with soil contamination increasing the risk of poor preservation quality.”
Silage analysis results released by Trouw Nutrition reflect this nutrient density challenge, showing a higher fibre index, lower digestibility (D-value) and reduced metabolisable energy (ME) compared to last year’s first cut silage.
“Try to minimise dietary straw inclusion, and, where silage quality or dry matter differs significantly between cuts but fermentation quality is good, feed more than one cut for better diet consistency – even if it means opening another clamp,” says Mr McFarland.
He says: “Try to minimise dietary straw inclusion, and, where silage quality or dry matter differs significantly between cuts but fermentation quality is good, feed more than one cut for better diet consistency – even if it means opening another clamp.
Rumen modifier
Mr McFarland also recommends adding a proven rumen modifier to the ration to unlock more energy from the fibre fraction and to get more out of the diet overall. “Including a rumen modifier will prove particularly beneficial this year.”
Depending on the acid load level of the diet, the digestibility of grass silage in the rumen can increase by 5-9% in the presence of a rumen-specific live yeast such as Levucell SC. This in turn increases feed efficiency and milk yield.
A well-fermented silage with low digestibility is less of a challenge than any wet silage with poor preservation quality, adds Mr McFarland.
For those who didn’t inoculate silage this year, it could be a long winter. Clamp dry matter losses are colossal from grass cut with low sugar content in wet conditions. To make matters worse, it can leave you with a forage cows simply don’t want to eat.”
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