Rolling Silage Ground

dh1985

Often see lads rolling silage ground with a heavy cover of grass. What are the benefits of doing this?

MFdaveIreland

My guess is to push down any stones and ruts caused during grazing so the mower doesn't get mangled . Could be wrong

_Brian

Our ground is heavy and we mind silage ground particularly to avoid ruts and poaching during the year..

Our silage contractor only recommends one or two rounds with the roller along ditches to avoid stones cattle might scratch down from the ditches.. The rest is fine and he says rolling will just add to compaction and burn expensive diesel..

Muckit

Sometimes when I'm out herding l'd walk along by the ditch and throw stones in a pile behind electric fence wire, even better behind a stake. Then tip around with the transport box and you've a lovely little load to fill a hole.

With silage ground, get out and walk the ditches in early spring. Easy spot stones after all the rain. Root them out when ground is soft and before the grass takes off covering them.

Never understood this thing of rolling in stones. They're only there to be rooted up by stock again!

dh1985

Thanks for replies lads. Keep stones and branches picked so I wont be rolling it. I thought I may have been missing out on a trade secret for increasing silage yields due to rolling.

munkus

Muckit wrote: »

Sometimes when I'm out herding l'd walk along by the ditch and throw stones in a pile behind electric fence wire, even better behind a stake. Then tip around with the transport box and you've a lovely little load to fill a hole.

Fair play to ya Muck, that's the most positive spin ever used to describe picking stones. You should be in politics!

Muckit

it's like any task. .. break it up into small manageable pieces and it no longer becomes so taunting

As additional motivation as you pick each stone just mutter something like. ... 'ah that's another mower bed, topper gearbox, harvester chopper box, baler reel..... saved.'

Greengrass1

I nearly cried today when I seen a young lad tearing around a field of silage that would be fit in two weeks.
He destroyed it. Crop was up at your knees and it being bet into the ground.
That will take a week to recover now and will stop growing

TITANIUM.

Muckit wrote: »

Never understood this thing of rolling in stones. They're only there to be rooted up by stock again!

I don't roll to drive down stones. Roll to flatten out tracks, rutts and ground that might have been slightly poached.
I do concentrate around the edges of fields near ditches alright but not to drive in anything that might have come off the ditch. Rather that's where animals shelter in bad weather so more damage.

Do the same thing with the rocks and stones myself. Amazing how those little piles add up.

MfMan

I generally roll, also to level out ruts etc. Do it at the time the field is being closed up.