when are you cutting the silage 2014?

Muckit

Sure we'll give this a whirl again, why not!

So when are you planning main cut?

Who has paddocks taken out?

Extra bonus points for accompanying photos!

Robson99

Hope to cut approx May 20. Reseed field from last spring. Mg 30 seed. Good crop of grass in it

simx

probably wont be spreading fert for 1st cut till early next week, made 36 bales already, could of spread fert on that but wanted to start with fresh butt, also got delayed due to reseeding fields that failed after dd last fall

Farrell

Hope June bank holiday

MFdaveIreland

Local man has 150acres pit silage in, soon cut bales ourselves, grass is bouncing

Muckit

Well have you those bales in yet mahoney_j?

stanflt

alot done-more to do

Reggie.

Only doing 1 cut for the pit this year. Approx 60 acres. Then hopefully 10 acres of hay and also another 10 acres of silage bales if the year is good

ABlur

Hope to cut one field mid May its a reseed from last autumn gone mad! Hope to make the Clare Champion normally cut in July araround these parts!

darragh_haven

Will be cutting from the beginning of next week of the weather suits. First cut will be coming in in two lots about 2 weeks apart.

Reggie.

darragh_haven wrote: »

Will be cutting from the beginning of next week of the weather suits. First cut will be coming in in two lots about 2 weeks apart.

Talk of fine weather in may

131spanner

Slurry out two weeks in some fields we're hoping to graze clean and then close, fertilizer just after going out now in the last few days. We wont be early but we'll get there!

Bodacious

grazed clean .. chain harrowed the dung etc and went with 2 bags of 18 6 12 to the acre.. 3rd week in june?!

farmernewbie

Bodacious wrote: »

grazed clean .. chain harrowed the dung etc and went with 2 bags of 18 6 12 to the acre.. 3rd week in june?!

Hi Bodacious,

Would it not be fit to cut before then? You worried about the N in the grass?

Bleating Lamb

Reggie. wrote: »

Talk of fine weather in may

Right or wrong there's talk of a heat wave next week!

Reggie.

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Right or wrong there's talk of a heat wave next week!

May sort out a few days off so

Bleating Lamb

Different timescale here!;)...ewes and March born lambs still grazing meadows,grazing bare,not getting nuts this last week,will clean off at weekend,gather up wool a few annoying ewes shed and fert next wk before a shower of rain.

Seaba

Just looking for a little advice.

Reseeded ground last Autumn, was too wet to spray (according to Dad) after 6 weeks to kill all the chickweed etc, so nothing has been done to the field since Autumn. The "crop" is middlin in places but has too many weeds (no rushes or docks though) for my liking.
I was trying to get Dad to let the weanlings out at least a month/6 weeks ago (it IS a dry field and they are not 500kg weanlings!) to eat it down, hit with watery slurry, then fertiliser etc but no go.
Is it too late to do this now or would it be better to hit with fertiliser and take it for silage?!
Thanks.

frazzledhome

I'll cut in July when it bulks up

ellewood

frazzledhome wrote: »

I'll cut in July when it bulks up

:D

kevthegaff

I spread 3 1/2 bags of 24:2.5:10 last week on 45 acres, ill close up another 20 acres when i have a surplus of grass, hopefully a weeks time

Capercaille

September 15th. Have spread 1.5 bags per acre of muriate of potash and 1 bag per acre of 18-6-12. The place is spent after years of overgrazing and feck all fertiliser.

Bodacious

farmernewbie wrote: »

Hi Bodacious,

Would it not be fit to cut before then? You worried about the N in the grass?

I go for a bit of bulk as only for sucklers .. What would you usually cut in? 8 weeks

farmernewbie

Bodacious wrote: »

I go for a bit of bulk as only for sucklers .. What would you usually cut in? 8 weeks

Will be going for bulk myself as selling most of it. Currently grazing ground I reseeded last year. Was planning on putting 3 bags 18.6.12 on saturday week and cutting mid June after 5 weeks.

Maybe I am optimistic there just thought it maybe fit as its newly reseeded. Reckon thats too early? Should I be ok N wise?

The rest old meadow got 2 1/2 bags fert 2 weeks ago and hope to cut June bank holiday.

visatorro

stanflt wrote: »

alot done-more to do

How did you find the wagon silage in the pit? Is this your first time using them?

stanflt

visatorro wrote: »

How did you find the wagon silage in the pit? Is this your first time using them?

grand except i will prop buy a shear grab for this winter-had a pit of it last year and a pit of sp stuff that required straw

td5man

frazzledhome wrote: »

I'll cut in July when it bulks up

no point having a small pit of quality stuff ;-)

sheebadog

stanflt wrote: »

grand except i will prop buy a shear grab for this winter-had a pit of it last year and a pit of sp stuff that required straw

Do the SP have to pulverise it?
Had words lately with the SP driver , it's difficult to change thinking.

flat out !!

td5man wrote: »

no point having a small pit of quality stuff ;-)

Yeah, getting the balance between quality and quantity is the thing. Mediocre silage is better than no silage.

moy83

sheebadog wrote: »

Do the SP have to pulverise it?
Had words lately with the SP driver , it's difficult to change thinking.

Cant they take out a few knives if they want to chop it less ?

mahoney_j

flat out !! wrote: »

Yeah, getting the balance between quality and quantity is the thing. Mediocre silage is better than no silage.

Give Me high quality silage over stemmy crap any day.good quality silage lasts longer and stock preform better on it.bulk it up with straw if u must.u can't do that with poor stuff

RightTurnClyde

sheebadog wrote: »

Do the SP have to pulverise it?
Had words lately with the SP driver , it's difficult to change thinking.

Up until a few years ago, the silage guy couldn't do anything about the chop length in his SP harvester. Now that there are 2 wagon outfits in the area, turns out he can remove knives in the SP to improve the chop length. Amazing what a bit of peer pressure can do.

_Brian

Got docs sprayed 10 days ago and they are dieing nicely.
Bit of growth showing so went out with 3 bags 18:6:12 this evening.
Hoping to cut first week in July if growth goes to plan.

Probably just one cut. Have a few bald hanging round since last year and extra grazing will be more useful than silage lying round.

flat out !!

mahoney_j wrote: »

Give Me high quality silage over stemmy crap any day.good quality silage lasts longer and stock preform better on it.bulk it up with straw if u must.u can't do that with poor stuff

Well, you could always supplement with meal if needed. Dry cows don't need expensive 80% dmd silage.

I said

Fert out 1 April hope to cut mid May reseeded ground older paddocks 2 weeks later weather and contractor permitting.

freedominacup

What are the implications for preservation of bales cut from paddocks in broken weather. High N isn't an issue where a good wilt is easily achieved as per last year but there's no sign of a settled period over the next 10 days to get any real drying.

mahoney_j

freedominacup wrote: »

What are the implications for preservation of bales cut from paddocks in broken weather. High N isn't an issue where a good wilt is easily achieved as per last year but there's no sign of a settled period over the next 10 days to get any real drying.

Personally I wouldn't be wrapping anything unless I get a day and a half to 2 days dry weather. At the moment.even then I'd Tedd it out 3 or 4 times depending on drying and sun.ive 3 or 4 paddocks now which I want to knock but not willing to chance it with weather .if I did the bales would be full of water and not preserve and thus be crap feed.

MfMan

_Brian wrote: »

Got docs sprayed 10 days ago and they are dieing nicely.
Bit of growth showing so went out with 3 bags 18:6:12 this evening.
Hoping to cut first week in July if growth goes to plan.

Probably just one cut. Have a few bald hanging round since last year and extra grazing will be more useful than silage lying round.

Any harm to ask what spray did you use?

freedominacup

mahoney_j wrote: »

Personally I wouldn't be wrapping anything unless I get a day and a half to 2 days dry weather. At the moment.even then I'd Tedd it out 3 or 4 times depending on drying and sun.ive 3 or 4 paddocks now which I want to knock but not willing to chance it with weather .if I did the bales would be full of water and not preserve and thus be crap feed.

I'd be on the same page as you. I just wanted to check that wasn't mssing a trick on the job that's all. It's a bt of a pain having them stopped though. If the weather turned on you you could find your arse agin a stump very quckly with those paddocks out.

case885

Anyone cut yet?

stop thelights

case885 wrote: »

Anyone cut yet?

Mowed the first lot this evening picking it fri morn! Rest Won't be ready for a week or two!

grimbergen

Saw plenty of it being cut as I was driving through Meath today

visatorro

Not gonna chance mowing. Contractor doesn't think he'll get here to pick it up before the rain that's ment to be coming Sunday. Il have to wait and see what next week brings

Conmaicne Mara

Knocked the crop today............




.......on the lawn

sheebadog

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Knocked the crop today............




.......on the lawn

What cover? Stocking rate on the grazing platform now? Growth rate?

visatorro

Anyone using an additive.?

darragh_haven

visatorro wrote: »

Anyone using an additive.?

No. the grass was wilted for 30 to 48 hours and put in the pit. W have used sila save on the pit just before covering tho

Reggie.

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Knocked the crop today............




.......on the lawn

I'm with ya there bro

Bleating Lamb

Spread the fertiliser for silage today...cleaned off meadows 10 days ago but we had torrential rain at night several nights since and broken weather so reckoned it was better to wait till settled spell to spread fert,it's too dear to see it washed away!!...ewes only left meadows a fortnight ago..nice little start on the growth pre fert which should help response to fert.

Muckit

Finally got struck down with silage fever and knocked a few acres this evening

sea12

Muckit wrote: »

Finally got struck down with silage fever and knocked a few acres this evening

Did you cut it yourself Muckit or contractor job. When do you hope to bale.