Silage thread

Dozer1 · 18-07-2013 10:04AM

got some second cut with its time up aswell but in two minds as to cut or leave it a bit longer.
Cut some last Saturday afternoon but contractor could only bale it Monday morning, dried out to nothing I know its good stuff but a few more bales to the acre would be nice.

How many bales to the acre are ye guys getting for the second cut?

raindodger · 18-07-2013 11:22PM

what way are nitrogen levels in silage . ihave fields to cut would need to go to next week to be at the two units a day.seems to be under pressure for water so not growing wonder is it safe to cut worried if thunder showers come it would just get flattened

delaval · 19-07-2013 09:33AM

raindodger wrote: »

what way are nitrogen levels in silage . ihave fields to cut would need to go to next week to be at the two units a day.seems to be under pressure for water so not growing wonder is it safe to cut worried if thunder showers come it would just get flattened

In this sun N not a big prob. Mow today oick tomorrow N not a worry

AntrimGlens · 19-07-2013 10:09AM

Mowing 15 acres of second cut this morning which has gone very shot in the past few days, don't think there'll be too many bales to the acres on it - baling tomorrow. Will have to have a look at the soil structure once its baled as think i might need to spike it before slurrying and going for a third cut. think i may have big compaction issues on this field.

redzerologhlen · 19-07-2013 11:11AM

Knocked 20 acres yesterday. Had intended to leave it another fortnight but it had stopped growing with the heat. Light crop but quality is very good, gonna give it a whack of the tedder now and id say it will be hay tomorrow evening. Would suit us better than silage for the winterage. Might even make a few squares :eek:

iverjohnston · 19-07-2013 11:18AM

http://youtu.be/ANuE_xZ3bqk

Timmaay · 19-07-2013 11:20AM

I'm letting the cows stripgraze some of the silageground due to shortage on the rest of the paddocks, the feckers knocked the stripwire lastnight, and roamed around 20acres of decent silageground (which is in around the 2000kg/ha mark. Good few spots flatten where they lay down for the night, and dungpads etc. In this heat will it take long for the grass to recover and stand back up, I'm hoping to get a good bit cut around the end of the month.

darragh_haven · 19-07-2013 12:31PM

My dad is knocking 20 acres for the pit this afternoon. No tedding needed as its bone dry and the contractor will pick up with the wagon tomorrow morning. Great quality stuff. Every thing else is light and will be baled a week after we get some rain. If we don't get rain it'll just be grazed

freedominacup · 19-07-2013 09:35PM

Wholecrop coming in at a rate of knots. We're gonna have to keep a close eye on it. Looks a massive crop.

whelan1 · 19-07-2013 09:41PM

Timmaay wrote: »

I'm letting the cows stripgraze some of the silageground due to shortage on the rest of the paddocks, the feckers knocked the stripwire lastnight, and roamed around 20acres of decent silageground (which is in around the 2000kg/ha mark. Good few spots flatten where they lay down for the night, and dungpads etc. In this heat will it take long for the grass to recover and stand back up, I'm hoping to get a good bit cut around the end of the month.

nightmare

whelan1 · 20-07-2013 09:45AM

mowing now, picking up tonight

bob charles · 20-07-2013 10:34AM

freedominacup wrote: »

Wholecrop coming in at a rate of knots. We're gonna have to keep a close eye on it. Looks a massive crop.

barley or wheat, things moving very slowly around here so must be a massive crop, Winter Barley only right for wholecropping in the last few days, wheat probably 3 weeks. make sure to cut good and high if you want any quality in the pit and not a pit of straw

freedominacup · 20-07-2013 10:41AM

bob charles wrote: »

barley or wheat, things moving very slowly around here so must be a massive crop, Winter Barley only right for wholecropping in the last few days, wheat probably 3 weeks. make sure to cut good and high if you want any quality in the pit and not a pit of straw

Spring barley. What do you call right BTW?

I know what you mean by cutting high but I need tonnes too. Maybe I'd be better off buying straw and balancing up/down depending on what's being fed.

just do it · 20-07-2013 10:55AM

Forecast seems to have changed in last 24hrs so cancelled spraying and knocking second cut today. How much of a wilt are ye giving it at the moment?

Farmer Pudsey · 20-07-2013 11:06AM

just do it wrote: »

Forecast seems to have changed in last 24hrs so cancelled spraying and knocking second cut today. How much of a wilt are ye giving it at the moment?

24-30 hour wilt is plenty cut mid-day and bale up or pit following evening.

whelan1 · 20-07-2013 11:11AM

mine was mowed this morning- still mowing- and will start picking it up this evening, it is bone dry, just brought some of it down for calves

bob charles · 20-07-2013 11:56AM

freedominacup wrote: »

Spring barley. What do you call right BTW?

I know what you mean by cutting high but I need tonnes too. Maybe I'd be better off buying straw and balancing up/down depending on what's being fed.

Depends what level of inclusion its going into the diet at and also what the DM of the other ingredients are. Cow diet typically a good bit wetter than a beef diet. Im happy around the 40%dm of a TMR mix. Pic of spring wheat last year @ 40%

whelan1 · 20-07-2013 09:01PM

are many people going for a third cut? thinking of doing bales and selling them

Timmaay · 20-07-2013 09:21PM

Seeing as the cows will have ate a good chunk of the 2nd cut before we get growth, I think I'll have no choice but to go for a 3rd cut. With our low stocking rate and decent land, we almost always have an excess of fodder, things not looking great at the minute though, will be short next winter as it stands.

AntrimGlens · 22-07-2013 12:06PM

Mowed fifteen acres on friday and lifted saturday afternoon, ended up with about 7 bales to the acre so after two cuts off this field i now have the same number of bales as i had off the first cut last year..:(
At least quality will be good, so its getting another dosing of 27% tonight for a third cut.
Problem with this field is if it gets greasy its a complete b1tch to work on and a tractor and lifter has to follow the baler as they've been known to visit neighbouring fields when exiting the baler.

f140 · 22-07-2013 04:09PM

what rates of nitrogen are ye giving it for third cut? 80 units?

Muckit · 22-07-2013 04:17PM

AntrimGlens wrote: »

Mowed fifteen acres on friday and lifted saturday afternoon, ended up with about 7 bales to the acre so after two cuts off this field i now have the same number of bales as i had off the first cut last year..:(
At least quality will be good, so its getting another dosing of 27% tonight for a third cut.
Problem with this field is if it gets greasy its a complete b1tch to work on and a tractor and lifter has to follow the baler as they've been known to visit neighbouring fields when exiting the baler.

God it looks very light, but then again I could be in the same boat once knock mine at end of week, leave it down a day and bale

just do it · 22-07-2013 05:24PM

AntrimGlens wrote: »

At least quality will be good, so its getting another dosing of 27% tonight for a third cut.

If you get a nice few showers like it's forecast you could end up with a decent enough 3rd cut. Nice bit of green in the field to take up the N. How long are you thinking of leaving it? You thinking of going in again with more N in a few weeks time?

Muckit · 22-07-2013 05:46PM

just do it wrote: »

If you get a nice few showers like it's forecast you could end up with a decent enough 3rd cut. Nice bit of green in the field to take up the N. How long are you thinking of leaving it? You thinking of going in again with more N in a few weeks time?

Did you get yours cut JDI? How did it yield for you?

just do it · 22-07-2013 08:31PM

Muckit wrote: »

Did you get yours cut JDI? How did it yield for you?

Took a walk and had a change of mind. Poor yield as growth stopped again and I badly need bulk. Going to get another bag of CAN out tomorrow evening and wait till after my holiday.

1chippy · 22-07-2013 08:45PM

Im going to have to let the cows mow it if i dont get rain in the next few days. grazing is getting very scarce around here and regrowth is a joke.

ellewood · 22-07-2013 10:32PM

just do it wrote: »

Took a walk and had a change of mind. Poor yield as growth stopped again and I badly need bulk. Going to get another bag of CAN out tomorrow evening and wait till after my holiday.

Stopped 15 acres that gone too strong to graze and it got a bag of can on July 2 it got a shower as it was spread but u can still see it nested on top of dungeon pads

Walked it again last Friday it grew nothing since about July 10 so I cut it yesterday and just finished wrapping it now Its still green to the butt so here's fir rain tomorrow and it should grew mad again- and cows can stop eating clay

supersean1999 · 23-07-2013 09:01AM

Cut yesterday evening, was bone dry at cutting, only a little mist since, but rain promised as he is due to bale this afternoon, would it need to do serious rain now to damage quality or with the grass being so dry for a few weeks, would a shower do it no harm,

freedominacup · 23-07-2013 11:16AM

supersean1999 wrote: »

Cut yesterday evening, was bone dry at cutting, only a little mist since, but rain promised as he is due to bale this afternoon, would it need to do serious rain now to damage quality or with the grass being so dry for a few weeks, would a shower do it no harm,

Ring him if he hesitates for a second about the time he's due at get another baler organised. They can't be that scarce after the past couple of weeks.

supersean1999 · 23-07-2013 11:22AM

freedominacup wrote: »

Ring him if he hesitates for a second about the time he's due at get another baler organised. They can't be that scarce after the past couple of weeks.

I'll ring him now, would be a shame after all the weather for a heavy spill to effect them, it's holding off nicely yet, I would of cut last week but had to wait enough weeks for fertiliser,

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