How are you for silage?

mengele

I reckon I have just reached the halfway point in my silage. How are others? Is there much demand for our silage or is it only bales lads want when buying silage

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058282519/how-are-you-for-silage

Probably just enough silage until the middle of March, but I've a hay shed filled with hay that won't be touched.

I know people have bought pit silage, but I can't see there being much demand this year, certainly not around here (North East) anyway as first cuts had big yields.

kevthegaff

Fairly bad around here in the south, I have enough for mid March I'd say, that's stretching it with straw and beet. Let the fresh cows out the other day to reduce use also

_Brian

Happy so far here. Looking like maybe 20% will be carried over.

Dozer1

was going to be short so bought 50 bales to get me to late March, should have let a few cattle out the last week or so but other things got in the way

bogman_bass

Did a count there a month ago and I was ok up to 1st of April

bogman_bass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120190453#Comment_120190453

I’m in Meath and know lads that were nearly finshed their first cut pits by the time they put in the second cut.

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058282519/how-are-you-for-silage

You'd want to be using it up pretty quickly if you're taking it from a pit.

davidk1394

Big demand around me for silage. Lads will take anything. I should be OK until the end of march, but if we get an East wind I'm finished.

whelan2

Still on first pit of silage here. Have about 60 silage bales left too.

Grueller

Bought 150 bales in November and fed the cows while dry with it. Have enough for about 16 weeks left at full winter feeding rates so expect to have about 8 weeks fodder carried over.

K.G.

Tight but knew that starting winter so sold culls early.demand for silage dropping and I ll be OK if I can grass to milking cows.have a nice bit of zero if the weather comes as we could nt get it last winter with wet .

endainoz

Loads of silage around here, carried over a good bit from last year and only started this year's after Christmas.

Mooooo

Grand, fed this years bales, finishing off last years pit and prob won't open this years till middle of the month maybe. Grass covers relatively low, very little growth with wet winter at home and had calves out too late on out farm.

Packrat

Should be ok although the state of hill sheep means that they'll now get some 20 or 30 bales that I didn't plan for.

Cows are actually eating slower than expected and I'll only sell a very few bales

Should be ok till end of April or so. May better be right.

older by the day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120193835#Comment_120193835

I don't have sheep. But they are around here. What about hill sheep

Dunedin

Have enough to 15 April. Hopefully they’ll be out a few weeks before that. Aim to get them all out for last week of March but it’s often the second week of April before the weather allows.

Packrat

Many hill sheep aren't in good shape after the weather we've had since September.

I was hoping to not feed them silage this year but that ship has sailed.

Thankfully I rammed them light this year - as in there's less of them in lamb and no hoggets or thin ewes in lamb. No price for the fecking lambs anyway so better off with half of them dry.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120194113#Comment_120194113

Bass Reeves

Had 128 bales left at the start of the week. Using slightly less than 14/week. Enough until the start of April. However the silage ground needs to be grazed off before closing at the 1week of April at the latest. Should have a surplus of about 20 u less I have to feed them if grass gets tight in late April early May

Danzy

Should have 8 weeks left over.

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120191177#Comment_120191177

Have enough on full winter ration till the first week in April.

Thinking of your comment David. There's a very real prospect of a dry east wind ahead.

What I'm aiming myself to do is get every grazable bit of ground spread with slurry.

In the hash times it's the ground that got slurry are the only bits able to grow anyway normal.

Good loser

First cut on 6 acs was 84 bales and because of drought only 35 from same field for second cut.

Fed first cut - took 10.5 bales per week. looking to be out of silage by end Feb. Started second cut early last week - extremely dry bales (haylage really). It looks like demand has fallen to around 6 bales per week so silage may stretch to mid March. Have hay as a fallback.

Danzy

I won't be letting them out just because conditions allow and grass is there, lot of April's gone where grass was stripped from the cold.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120199703#Comment_120199703

If you’re worried about cold weather coming that would strip the grass would that not be all the more reason to be grazing the lush green grass that’s there now?

What would be the point in waiting for the cold April to come to burn the grass with the hash east wind and turn it brown and purple? It might as well be grazed now when there’s value in it, short grass will recover far quicker after a cold spell than long grass will also.

Anto_Meath

I have bout 10 weeks silage left of my own, so should be OK. There is a lad beside me I bought 30 bales from this last few years. He landed into me yesterday to see would I take the 30 bales this month as he wants them moved out of his way. I don't want them but going to take them anyway to keep him happy as I might need him next year and my own bales are triple wrapped to they will last until next winter any that's left over. His are only double.

memorystick

20 bales of silage and 18 of straw. A week and a half left. Going to graze the whole place and worry about silage later in summer. I bought too many cattle. All for factory in summer. Light covers but going to chance low stock rate for a few weeks and see what happens.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120200903#Comment_120200903

The heat has gone out of the baled silage prices at present. If we get a late spring prices will rise again. you will need a fair bit of grass to stay out. Remember you may not get a flush of growth untl late April that is 12 weeks away

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120201186#Comment_120201186

I'd be in an area where there was a good surplus of silage. Good bit moved up to last week. Looks quieter the past week but the next wet week will see plenty moving again. It's all going minimum of 40 miles with all purchasers saying " there is nothing to be got near home". I haven't sold silage in years but sold 100 to one man for good money 2 weeks ago. There is still some around but not a great amount either. Most lads will want to keep 8 to 10 weeks surplus for themselves.

memorystick

My neighbour got €40 a bale this morning. 21 on the load. Mad money

jimmy G M

Looks like we will have 250 to 300 bales left over this year... Feeding 2020 bales to cattle at the moment. They are 100% sound.

Have quality May cut bales up on DD at the moment. No interest. We are in NE Galway, no shortage of fodder made last year around here.

kollegeknight

Going ok here. Have about 102days worth I reckon, (90 bales). Tb test is mid April and normally let them out after that. Weather dependant.

im very happy the last few years with the wastage. I haven’t even a transport box this year so far. (Fingers crossed)

I remember a few bad years, we used have trailers of waste.

Conversations 3

When do people plan on letting cattle back out?

Mid March I'd hope, and get the silage ground grazed off and closed for slurry.

Get slurry out this week on fields with low cover, although they aren't too bad due to growth in the winter.

Jb1989

Ive put out late calvers, light stores and weanlings over the weekend. Grazing the silage ground currently. Will slurry some before the weather breaks which looks like at least 7 days away. Will rehouse anything big if weather stays broke.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120211994#Comment_120211994

Would you be able to get some out now with the dry spell. It could be bulling rain in mid March and you could have to keep them in. Be better off to make use of the grass that’s there now and if the weather turns bad you can always put them back in. I know that doesn’t always suit with fragmented farms but if the opportunity is there to do it you won’t regret it.

Conversations 3

Never really thought of that, walked the farm this evening and there's a nice bit on some fields, some are still a bit soft.

Might let the group of yearlings out and see how they go.

Few Dexter's out all winter, they've grazed off a field might get some slurry out on that.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120213135#Comment_120213135

You and the stock won't regret it, but most important is the bottom line, no expensive silage to put in, less slurry to spread etc.

I have most of the yearling out a week. Even heavy ground is doing ok with light stock even better than I thought it would.

The key at this time of the year, is small groups and the use of strip wires and back fences. Cutting down the travelling they can do is vital.

Have plenty of silage thank god even though I should have less stock. Ran out in 18, still have nightmares about that 6 month time period. Have a few light cattle out as their easy to bring back in. I find March the worst month weather wise, get all sorts. Worth leaving out even a few cattle if suitable I think.

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120206434#Comment_120206434

Sounds great. What did you change to reduce the waste? More wraps per bale?

kollegeknight

Not 100% certain. But reduced numbers mean I can be a little more selective in what to cut. If a place has too many rushes, I don’t bale. Dad used to bail everything.

another thing I do is I leave them to finish it fully. Dad used to have too much in front of them.

and a bit of luck.

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120214017#Comment_120214017

Thanks for that. I used to try to pick out "bad bits" as well, but I leave them to it now. They have all day every day to sort thru any bits they don't like!

And I'm happy to say I notice a little less waste now compared to what I used to have before.

Conversations 3

Got slurry out today, on the dry grazing paddocks, 2 others are too soft also didn't do silage fields.

One tank empty and another half full.

Approx a tank/2600 gallons an acre on 24 acres.

Hopefully the tanks will fill again for the silage fields.

Did soil sample last week so when get results will adjust for the slurry.

Hopefully it goes well.

Cattlepen

He would want every bit of it