Silage too dry???

BPH35172

Any concerns about silage going into the pit too dry this year???
The auld fella asked the contractor to mow down 24hrs before picking up today, and was strongly advised by the contractor not too as it would be too dry. Advising 4-6 hrs at most. It is an exceptional week moisture wise, but can you really over wilt at 24hrs in this weather spell???

IPFree

I've definitely found that if brought in too dry it doesn't ferment quickly enough and when feeding it out I'd get secondary spoiling if I don't get over and back across the face fast enough. I think the "ideal" DM at ensiling is 28-30.
This year for example I got the contractor to mow and swart it late afternoon and pick up first thing in am even though I've a mower/conditioner but it would require ranking if I'd mowed it. Only the slightest trace of effluent 2 weeks later!

iverjohnston

BPH35172 wrote: »

Any concerns about silage going into the pit too dry this year???
The auld fella asked the contractor to mow down 24hrs before picking up today, and was strongly advised by the contractor not too as it would be too dry. Advising 4-6 hrs at most. It is an exceptional week moisture wise, but can you really over wilt at 24hrs in this weather spell???

never a problem here! Only issue one year was a breezy day and it was blowing about like confetti. Just roll better than usual and be thankfull.

mahoney_j

Wouldnt be too bothered about it been too dry,Mine tested around 57% dry matter (78 dmd)last year and it was pure amber nectar!!.Stock only had to eat a few mouthfulls and they were happy out but give them wet stemmy bales and theyd motor through it.Cut mine this day last week and picked last saturday.It was tedded out twice and i reckon it should be 45 to 50% dry matter.No effulent and ammount in pit is as it was when it was put in.Cant understand contractor complaning,Much esier stuff to pick up and less diesel to burn

iverjohnston

Went to Belgium on a agri tour about 15 years ago. The stuff they were putting in the clamp was only an hour or so away from hay . Some farmers had neither pit nor slab, just clamp it on the clay top soil, then when rolled pull a cover on and drive round the clamp with a yoke like a potato spinner , which dug a trench about a foot deep and 18 inches wide , trswing all the soil up on the edge of the cover. No worries about effluent there!

jomoloney

looks like it won't be too dry after Monday next

BPH35172

tbh, I was very surprised when I heard this from the contractor. I can see where he is coming from in that it is a very very dry year, but I think he is happy to make good silage, where as I'm thinking, hang on here, why make good when we can have exceptional??? The suggestion of turning out swarths was scorned upon!!!
It's not my farm, my father's in charge (for the time being), but I am fairly convinced we are doing things the contractors way. He is a great operator, but he is covering a massive acreage and that brings pressure too. To finish off, when my own time comes, I'll make it my business to have seen the dryest of swarths harvested and what the real outcome is. I'll know what to demand when harvest time comes.

freedominacup

jomoloney wrote: »

looks like it won't be too dry after Monday next

That's after changing a couple of times in the past 2 days. It was saying a bit of rain towards the end of next week yesterday this morning it was carry on as you are and now all this rain forecast.

Damo810

There'll be a few extra quid in it for him if they're lower DM. Guess the timing might just suit him too, can't see how it being dry would make it bad silage, some of our stuff was dry this year and the cattle were mad for it!

delaval

BPH35172 wrote: »

Any concerns about silage going into the pit too dry this year???
The auld fella asked the contractor to mow down 24hrs before picking up today, and was strongly advised by the contractor not too as it would be too dry. Advising 4-6 hrs at most. It is an exceptional week moisture wise, but can you really over wilt at 24hrs in this weather spell???

Your contractor is only suiting himself here. When to guy on the pit is finished rolling get him to roll again, that's the secret

just do it

My lad's the same. It will wait till this evening getting about 20hrs wilt.

jomoloney

freedominacup wrote: »

That's after changing a couple of times in the past 2 days. It was saying a bit of rain towards the end of next week yesterday this morning it was carry on as you are and now all this rain forecast.

her#s this morning update

maxxuumman

jomoloney wrote: »

her#s this morning update

Ya, most of the forecasts keep going back to light rain from Mon or Tuesday on.

delaval

mahoney_j wrote: »

Wouldnt be too bothered about it been too dry,Mine tested around 57% dry matter (78 dmd)last year and it was pure amber nectar!!.Stock only had to eat a few mouthfulls and they were happy out but give them wet stemmy bales and theyd motor through it.Cut mine this day last week and picked last saturday.It was tedded out twice and i reckon it should be 45 to 50% dry matter.No effulent and ammount in pit is as it was when it was put in.Cant understand contractor complaning,Much esier stuff to pick up and less diesel to burn

That was good gear. Would you know approx what dm I could expect from grass mown and wilted for 24 hrs then raked, we've no seep what ever?

delaval

jomoloney wrote: »

her#s this morning update

I am mowing Sat to pick mon, do you think I should bring all back a day?

mahoney_j

delaval wrote: »

That was good gear. Would you know approx what dm I could expect from grass mown and wilted for 24 hrs then raked, we've no seep what ever?

If there's no seepage then I reckon if cut dry and in 10 ft unconditioned swarths with current weather it could be around 40% dm

Farmer Pudsey

This is why bale silage is better value for smaller farmers. most contractors do not want to allow silage to wilt. They want the pickup following the mower. I get it cut with a conditioner and after 24 hours it is usually about 30dmd. With pit silage that is in large rows unless it is rowed after cutting it would generally be only 30dmd after 24 hours. Weather is good but temperatures are generally about 22 degrees not heading for 30 degrees.

I think he is busy and wants to keep going in one direction.

mahoney_j

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

This is why bale silage is better value for smaller farmers. most contractors do not want to allow silage to wilt. They want the pickup following the mower. I get it cut with a conditioner and after 24 hours it is usually about 30dmd. With pit silage that is in large rows unless it is rowed after cutting it would generally be only 30dmd after 24 hours. Weather is good but temperatures are generally about 22 degrees not heading for 30 degrees.

I think he is busy and wants to keep going in one direction.

30 dmd jaysus thatd be some slop!!!:):)

Farmer Pudsey

mahoney_j wrote: »

30 dmd jaysus thatd be some slop!!!:):)

Sorry 30 DM

yupyupyup

HI guys. Whats the hazards with mowing down silage that was only ferilised on the 1st of may and got approx 3 bags of 27.5% n per acre. Is it too soon by right to mow it? It would have got about 2500gallons slurry per acre too a few weeks before that. I've heard the grass uses circa 14units of N per week, making it about 2 weeks too soon idealy, but with rain coming and my faith in the weather at an all time low we're gonna chance it. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Muckit

worse thing you could do is panic. Two weeks is a long time. Even if this H pressure goes, another one could row in behind it after a brief broken spell. Bet you a fiver to a pound it will be nice weather to cut in two weeks time!

bogman_bass

delaval wrote: »

I am mowing Sat to pick mon, do you think I should bring all back a day?

just dont leave it too late in the evening
http://www.met.ie/forecasts/5day-ireland.asp

Allyol77

Just wondering we have about 30 acres of silage to cut and bale and for a few different reasons we were going to leave doing it till the week after next. Are we crazy?

mahoney_j

Yep we could be getting our summer as we speak and when the weather breaks it might be a while before it settles again.Cut tomorrow tedd out if u can and bale on monday would be my advice.How many extra bales will u get in anither 2 weeks and at what dmd.At the moment itd be around 70 if all newish grass leave it and your back to mid 60s.I would go for quality over quantity and by cutting now u could get fertliser and get some second cut before end of july.Grass will be hopping out of the grounf next week after rain

BPH35172

delaval wrote: »

Your contractor is only suiting himself here. When to guy on the pit is finished rolling get him to roll again, that's the secret

Got about 8-10 hrs on the ground after. Finished up Thursday night, all loads in the pit. Contractor left me his loader after he went home, and i rolled the pit for 2hrs solid, and we covered 6 hrs later the following morning. Looking forward to the results later in the year!