Silage 2024

Would a run with a wuffler help that grass dry out?

I tedded out my silage that would be better than wuffling the silage.

I use an inoclant, however there is always a few bales of the second cut that do not get it as I run out. I never see mould on them either. Biggest factor on preventing mould is that the bales are made tight, that you use a decent plastic and stack them on there side three high and four if you could put them up and take them off.

Any drop in ME is more than made up by cattle spending less time having to eat and having to get rid of excess water. Cattle here doing over 500 grams per day and silage tested between 65 and 71DMD but but high DM.

Ya but unless you own one I would not be bothered. I let silage down a minimum of two days and have no issue with a third day. Get it cut with a conditioner mower which will do the job and get it raked up 6-8 hours before baling. A contractor will charge 10-16 per acre for tedding that approx 2 euro/bale. A decent tedder or wuffler will set you back 3k+

Every now and again I may have to Ted if weather is against me but I normally watch for a weather window. For one of the cuts every 3-4 years I get caught.

The one that comes in a plastic bag in a white bucket with a green lid. Have not got a clue and I expect that most inoculants are much the same.

Why did people move from hay to silage. It really show you have the inability to think outside the box.

The reason I do not entertain hay, the weather window is much longer , you need really good weather for hay and grass needs more stems which reduces feed value. If we had guaranteed weather I would consider it. However you are back to tedding it twice or three times which covers the cost of the plastic.

However I was in another yard for a good bit over the winter. He had haylage made in July/August was single cut growing since the previous November. The cows were in good condition, Two years ago on similar silage that was made during a smash and grab they were losing condition because it was basically water

If you do not know the difference between straw and high DM well made forage then you need to take the blinkers off

@Bass Reeves would leaving it down that long not introduce a lot of losses?

I've got a wuffler, so would be good to make use of it. Would also square up the sward for baler too.

Inoculant is not expensive about a euro a bale in a forage that costs 30-35/ bale irs insignificant. Plastic is 3-4/ bale, cutting,baling , wrapping and raking is12-15/ bake, tedding another 1-2/ bale if you do it, fertlizer whether artifical or slurry 10-15/ bale. A euro for an inoculant is not significant. I will buy 4 buckets @ about 80-90/ bucket. Its not something I dwell.on. I used to use the agriking on e but it went very expensive

Ya you cattle may have higher weight gains but are most of your cattle costing less than a euro a day to feed. Yearlings are costing about 60c/ day Inc minerals at present. They were getting 3/4 of a kg of ration but that was stopped over a month ago.. Stores anything from 90c-1.2/ day.

How often do you weigh them. I don't have a weight cell but I think it's something we all should have. I plan to invest in one at some stage.

A nutrients might but Teagasc do not and it was to them I was referring to. The whole theory about silage us preserve DMD even at the expenses of DM. When DM goes above 23-23% Teagasc and other entities think it unimportant related to DM. In a grass based system with early grazing and a silage only diet during the winter DM is every bit as important as DMD but no research has taken place on it comparing DM's of 20,23,30, 40, 50% etc. Actually DM above the mid 30's is seen as a disadvantage.

Yes I have seen the price of beef, but you have to allow for the genetic potential of animals many cattle are incapable of growing at more than 0.8kgs per day and some at less than that.

Even with cattle with potential above that you lose compensatory growth when they go above 600 grams per day over the winter. Cattle hitting grass in the right condition will achieve gains on 1kg and above. Grazing will reduce costs to sub 50c/ day with these days. Research has shoe that the gains achieved over the winter on cattle fed only 2kgs ration on 70 DMD silage that was nearly 40%DM ( if I remember it exactly)will hardly cover the costs. Cattle on 4kgs will be lighter at the end of the grazing season season than cattle that got no ration. Of course after publishing this once( on a online seminar during COVID).

Yes I will feed cattle at a higher rate this year. I will start 2-3 weeks earlier than normal and contine for 1-2 weeks longer depending on where the price is.

However it's immaterial to me where the price of beef is. I am a trader I buy finish and sell/slaughter. I take my margin. If the beef price us higher I pay more for stores.

I thought they could be 3 high if stored on concrete???? Stand corrected on that.

3 high on concrete with effluent collection. Ie channels to a tank.

The big one to watch for everyone is bales can't be stored within 20 meters of a watercourse and this includes a dry drain

long term looks safe out to middle of week after next

That new grass would wand a good wilt before gathering up. Have some new grass myself that I will cut and wilt for 2 or 3 days. Might shake it out also.

There is some variation in the length of time lads wilt silage for.

I've never wilted for 48hrs even when we made pit years ago.

Cut, ted & bale, 36 hours tops

I try go at least 2 days and even 3 days when heavy. Always find cattle do better on dry silage and stay clearer specially when finishing cattle on meal. But everyone has there own preference. Seen silage cut lately was baled up within 24hrs and was as green as a leak, I wouldn't like to be feeding out them bales next winter.