Silage 2022

DBK1

It might be a bit early in the year but I said I’d start off the silage 2022 thread now and see what lads are planning for this year.

In zone A here so slurry spreading allowed from today.

Putting out 2,000 gallons/acre of pig slurry on silage ground today. Weanlings came off it on Christmas Eve and I can’t believe the growth on it in the 3 weeks since. Planning on putting another 2,000 gallons of cattle slurry in a month or 6 weeks time, weather dependant, and maybe just a bag or bag and a half of nitrogen. Cut early then and repeat.

Take a little and often approach and it’s easy use it for grazing if needed as well. As long as cattle aren’t stool in sheds in May I’ll have enough silage in the yard until next Christmas so a few light cuts should do me fine.

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058227769/silage-2022

You getting the pig slurry for free so far? Zone C here, pig booked to come here for free, so will start looking it any day, it won't be there for long.

Easten

This year it's going to be very interesting what type of yields and are they late for anyone using slurry only. I had one meadow last year that had 14 bales/acre of dry well wilted stuff 1st cut then 7 bales/acre for second crop with a further 4 bales/acre 3rd crop. 1st cut was overgrown but this was due to it getting a double dose of fertilizer by mistake. I can't imagine getting anything near that output this year with no bag fertilizer

Fine Day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118468963#Comment_118468963

That field must of been black with bales. 8 bales chopped, wilted and from a fusion is a good crop here. You must have someone else spreading your fertilizer to make a mistake.

Wouldn’t quality of silage / hayledge drop off dramatically over say 8 or 9 bales to the acre?

Wouldnt it be very stemmy etc?

GrasstoMilk

Spreading 3k gallons of slurry on silage ground atm

will spread 80 units N on it in 2 splits and cut it mid may

stanflt

Will spread 3k gallons of cattle slurry this month and top up with 60 units in mid/late March

will cut before May 10th

Easten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118469666#Comment_118469666

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118469740#Comment_118469740

Yes it was desperate heavy, a kind of garden meadow that I put out 3 bags/acre then the young fella went over it again about 2 weeks after with another 3 bags. Quality was shite too, loads of docks through it but they were as big as jungle plants that the cows don't eat so I'm everyday filling a wheelbarrow full of dock stems.

Easten

that Maize silage on ear to the ground looks like savage feeding. That was some crops that they managed to grow last year. It was like something you'd see out in Iowa

Cavanjack

Plan on going out to silage ground with dribble bar early to mid March and two bags of can a couple of weeks after weather depending. Hope for the best after that. Will only need one cut.

Danzy

Have the Sheep grazing it now, will have them off in 2 weeks and bring in for lambing and give slurry in late February.

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118470207#Comment_118470207

Will you graze it first? Would always try to graze first even the start of April, don't always manage but try to

Aim to get slurry out on as much as ground as possible and graze every thing and fertilise for silage then when situation is clearer

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118468879#Comment_118468879

Yes pig slurry is free and I’m lucky that the piggery is about 100 yards from my silage ground so I got the whole lot covered today.

I don’t think this particular piggery has any intention of charging for slurry but it’s a first come first served basis so I said I better get in early. There’s a 3,000 gallon tank drawing from it every day since Christmas now, first filling tanks for a beef + sheep man that had empty tanks in his own yard and now filling a new lagoon for a tillage farmer. He’ll probably take 500,000 gallons. There’s another bigger tillage farmer that’ll start drawing soon as well so the place won’t be long emptying then!

Jb1989

I get it delivered by lorry and tank, its drew free of charge during winter months, when piggery is under pressure, but usually there's an 80 euro charge in summer when every man is looking it.

Maps to cover the slurry leaves it free too, unlike farms that can't supply maps.

Get as much as you can anyway if possible, as you say, first come first served.

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118471057#Comment_118471057

Piggery near here is charging €48 per 1000 gals

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118471522#Comment_118471522

Even at €80 it’s still not bad value delivered into your yard, most lorries bring about 6,000 gallons.

I’ll hopefully get time next week to draw some to the grazing ground but unfortunately the draw is much longer, the shortest being a 6 mile round trip, longest 8 miles. Some of the heavy ground won’t be dry enough to travel for another few weeks either.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118471689#Comment_118471689

If they were spreading it and all for you that’s still way to expensive, even at today’s fertiliser prices.

GrasstoMilk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118471026#Comment_118471026

No haven’t grazed it the last couple years, it’s away ground and our heifers are contract reared

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118471800#Comment_118471800

Wait till they get full then they will change thier tune

huntsman77

Lads with no slurry or fertiliser are ya at nothing making bales . I know quantity be down but would quality be bad as in stemy with no base.its a outfarm usually shake a ton of fertiliser on it bout 9 acres.

Finty Lemon

Have found in recent years that 2000 gallons slurry plus N fertilizer is not enough for a good first cut. I checked silage mineral analysis figures and the potash is 2.5% and the P is 0.28%.

So 9 bales to the acre is taking off roughly 130kg of potash and 15kg of P per cut. So the slurry is only returning part of what was taken off to grow last year's crop.

Have used 1 to 1.5 bags 0:7:30 in late Feb/early March for a few years now and it has made a big difference. Can cut 10 days earlier for the same yield and quality is far better as a result. Feeding weanling and finishing cattle, the better animal performance and meal saving more than pays off

Bass Reeves

Intend to graze off silage ground in mid/late March. Then 2.5-3k gallons/ acre with a dribble bar. Follow that with 1.5 bags of urea/ acre parcel n early April. 95-100 units if N. Never use CAN for first cut.

Plan to cut ASAP after the 25th May

Easten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472428#Comment_118472428

1 ton to 9 acres is over 2 bag/acre. You could grow silage with a Bag/acre you just have to give it a few extra weeks to bulk up. But quality would be good and weather dependent maybe better feeding than stuff made wet in the month of May

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118479771#Comment_118479771

A few extra weeks will ruin quality but I suppose it depends in what you are feeding. Pretty much anything cut after Jun 1st, unless grazed into late April, will be only good enough for dry sucklers.

Damp May stuff beats dry June stem every time.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118481571#Comment_118481571

I wouldn't totally agree with that. High dry matter silage bests wet silage a lot of the time. It's not stem is the problem it is indigestible seed heads. Flowering heads are high in protein. It's silage after the 4-10 of June where heads are going to seed rather than flowering are the problem. Having said all that I aim to cut from the 22May on depending on getting a weather window capable of getting grass to 40ish DM

Easten

It's the calendar farmers that end up making wet sloppy silage. I'd be more flexible with the dates and prepared to wait weeks for a dry spell rather than make up stuff in wet weather.

older by the day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118481571#Comment_118481571

I know we all like quality. But nothing worse than wet silage. A bit stronger and dryer makes better silage.

Bass Reeves

It's a balance you do not want seed heads, flowering is ok. It's about a weather window from the 20/5-10/6. Ideally yow want it the 25-30/5 but you want +37DM but you do not want seed heads.

ginger22

we always try to go first week of May, usually get good weather then, if you wait till last week of May and it is wet then you could be into mid June before get a chance and then shure you only have chewing gum.

Sugarbowl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118483194#Comment_118483194

When do you get bag manure out to cut so early? What do you spread?

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118483194#Comment_118483194

Would virtually never happen if you look for weather window with 20 days left in May. As it gets nearer the end of May you accept a lesser window. Got great stuff in a short window the end of May last year. Grass was down about 65 hours. 8 bales to the acre.

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118482767#Comment_118482767

Agree with this. The earlier the crop is ready the longer the window for getting it cut dry.

There's plenty of wet silage made in June too so its not simply a case of saying early silage is wet, later stuff is dry. If the crop is well set up in spring it should be well ready to cut by May 20th.

It's not about 'calendar farming' as such, its about getting the crop cut before grass heading date, which seems to be relatively consistent year on year. The lads who make the best silage, year after year, have the first cut out by late May at the latest (I have not fully managed it yet!). Look at the silage for sale on Done Deal etc, its nearly all low quality stemmy bales that will do nothing for growing stock. Made in June of course.

cute geoge

early silage is expensive because you will have no bulk in it .A lot of times it cheaper supplement poorer silage with meal and cattle will grow even more then if they are on high dmd silage .I did not make silage this year until mid june when weather dried up .It wont put condition on anything ,will just about keep them alive but am giving cow s some meal to make up the lower dmd cann't see how it pays to cut early unless you get mighty weather for cutting in May

bogman_bass

Have to disagree whit that. I think the number one reason lads don’t make a turn from beef is they make crap silage.

”I make great silage” they cry “look how dry it is”

normally it’s dry because it’s stemmy as hell and cut in mid June.

Too much emphasis is put on DM. Yes really wet stuff will decrease intakes but that once you get past 35% DM it just means they need to drink more water. Imagine eating dry bread. You would need a cut of tea to wash it down.

now toast that bread and you would need a big mug of tea.

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118483611#Comment_118483611

How much more expensive per tonne though ? Lets say you have a 9 tonne crop ready on 25th May. Or leave it 10 days until its at 10.5 tonnes to the acre. For pit silage, the cost difference is about €1.60 a tonne more for the early cut against the heavier cut. In my situation I reckon that's about €650 in silage costs, but the extra meal needed to maintain performance feeding the heavier crop is over €7000 for the winter. Fair enough if you are feeding dry sucklers but any growing cattle need the early silage .

You also gain back 10 days good growth for second cut if you do one to balance out some of the difference, or you have extra grass to graze.

No contractor cost difference if done in bales.

bogman_bass

As for early silage being expensive, if you make bales it’s only your mowing that is more expensive. You are paying per bale for baling and wrapping

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118483829#Comment_118483829

Used to be, most contractors now include the mowing in a per bale charge, either way its still a small money difference.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118483667#Comment_118483667

Couldn’t agree more. Too many lads that don’t understand the difference in good and bad silage and think just because it’s dry it must be great silage (I’m not aiming that at anyone on here, more thinking of my customers I bale for).

Unless you’re grazing the ground into April then silage should be cut by mid May, after that you’re losing quality.

Getting it dry is important but too dry is a disaster. Mid 30’s for dm should be the aim. Anything over 40 is fine for suckler cows that you don’t want to grow, but for beef stock silage over 40dm is a waste of time.

I mad silage a few years back where I got delayed with other customers and my own was left a day longer than it should have been in hot weather. I got it tested, 47dm, 76DMD and 13% protein. It was some of the worst silage I ever had, far too dry, cattle no eating enough and standing at water troughs after eating it and no thrive due to just not eating enough. It’s I mistake I’ll be hoping never to happen again.

25 - 30% dm is too wet so for me around mid 30’s is the sweet spot and cattle will thrive.

Edit to attach analysis results.

8C037B76-1E5D-4607-8902-D73E4A809D18.jpeg

ginger22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118483447#Comment_118483447

slurry first in January, then Urea and a bag of 0-7-30 in march. All good ryegrass swards, always cut when grass is still standing, it starts to green up the following day, second cut middle of June. usually over 80 DMD

FarmerBrowne

Probably a daft question but anyways, I have a few acres that was fit for cutting last backend but weather broke. If it continues to dry it would be able to be cut next weekend. Probably about 4 or 5 bales to the acre, if I cut it and baled it would it preserve ok at this time of the year?

cute geoge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118484450#Comment_118484450

no it would not

Bass Reeves

I have to disagree, cattle thrive better on higher DM silage. They spend more time lying down. In winter temp drop to an average of less than 10C. Cattle digest at 40%DM. But no matter how low DM is cattle will still intake a certain amount to clean there digestive tract.

An animal eating 40-50%DM silage will not take in much more water than at 40DM due to needing some water to clean digestive tract. However an animal eating 25%DM silage will still take in a certain amount of water to clear digestive tract. Now if the animal is 500kgs it will need 10kgs DM/day. To consume that it needs to take in and dispose of 15L +the extra water it intakes. That water needs to be risen from below 10C to an animal body heat at nearly 40C. That requires a nice bit of energy.

I feed no ration to stores over the winter. They thrive way better on low DM silage. I graze silage ground in late march and ground is closed by April 1st.all ground gets 2.5-3k gallons of slurry by a dribble bar. That should provide about 25units N/acres. After that it will get 1.5bags of N/acre.

At that I will get 8 bales of high DM silage/acre. If it was low DM it would be hitting 11. The extra 3 bales per acre would cost an extra 33-35euro/ acre between contractor charge, plastic and drawing into the yard. Plastic will not be a significant savings as I use 5 layers on higher DM silage compared to 4 on lower DM silage.

Maybe if you are feeding ration which is 85% DM then lower DM silage may be easier for animals to intake. However where silage is fed by itself to stores then high DM is a way better feed.

At present I have cattle in two bay pens. 22 stores eat 2 bales in three days, the feedface is completely cleaned after day three so they would probably eat a tad more. At a guess they are eating 9.5kgs DM/day. Each bale has over 300kgs DM IMO and are about 700kgs in weights. They are made with a Krone Handling heavier bales is a pain as well with great risk of damage when handling. Contractor uses one of the Kuhn balers I think. It can vary the size of the bales.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118483488#Comment_118483488

Would protein levels not be well back if leaving down for 65 hours - that’s nearly 3 days???

tanko

Ah, the annual debate about the best time to cut Silage. The best time here is anytime when i can get the baler in and out of the fields without ploughing them and burying the baler in one of the numerous “wet spots”.

bogman_bass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118484450#Comment_118484450

No. Daylight hours are too short this time of year and sugar levels are too high.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118486594#Comment_118486594

If the weather is good enough 48 hours is adequate. However I am not afraid to let it down until the afternoon of the third day. A few years ago contractor had the rake moving 10-12 hours ahead of him now it's just ahead of him. That was worth an extra 4-5 hours wilt.

I heard all this about lower P & sugars. Cattle thrive well on it. With the calcium I provide they grow well over the winter anyway. I do not test silage. I have it tested and told I needed to feed 2kgs/ head per day. A few years ago I had wet silage, the pain of drawing it in 3 bales extra per acre, feeding 17-20 bales per week as opposed to 12-14 and I could nothing extra in the cattle

You do not get paid for extra cost in beef when they are hanging.

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118472804#Comment_118472804

Just to add to your points that another factor is the diminished value of the slurry. If your bales are low in p and k your slurry is going to be low also as it's just what goes in comes out it's something to take account of as for the first couple of years you'll need to bump up the p and k in fertilizer maybe 18/6/12

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118488115#Comment_118488115

If you are feeding ration the gap may not be as much as you think. There is a lot of P&K in rations. 5 KGS of P/ ton fed

I use 18-6-12 on second cut. Urea cannot be used on second cut usually. It's the cheapest form of N and is ideal for first cut

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118486833#Comment_118486833

Wet land is all the more reason to target a mid-May first cut

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118488333#Comment_118488333

I wouldn't agree. On wet land you have a long winter. You are limited to a two cut system. You really need a bulky first cut. I be aiming for the 20tt May to 10th June window. If you have suckler's you are looking for bulk more than quality for cows.

If you cut in late May you have a late July target for second cut.

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118488005#Comment_118488005

A disaster if doing pit silage. Happened us in 18. The contractor got delayed by 24 hours. The lighter than usual first cut was wilting for two full days in the scorching sun. It was a mess feeding out. Couldn’t keep the pit face from going off.