Silage thread

Cut 14 ares yesterday evening . Will try to leave down until Wednesday. Forecast not great for dryong but running a week late anyway. Hybrid and red clover gone a little too far but very heavy crop. If no drying will have a good few bles to the acre:mad: so will cost extra. Cut about 5 acrs of ryegrass this is dense leafy sward hope nitrogen is gone out of it. Have 8 acres left to cut of ryegrass. However this was grazed in late march and it got fertlizer for targeted cutting date of June1st.

As well I have started to strip graze one paddock of this as I am very tight for grass. The good thing is they are eating it to the butt.

How soon after baling can you send a sample for analysis?

Muckit wrote: »

You need to let it go into silage so 2-3 weeks at least. Is there any reason you need to know results asap. Be handier especially with bales to wait until you start feeding out. I'd imagine it'd be tricky to pull a bit moreof a bale then try seal it back up

Not that hard really. Cut a cross in the plastic and through the net ( use a stanly type blade about 4-5'' long. Ose a knife to cut through silage to allow you to pull out sample. When you have your samplepush the plastic back in and tape up with silage tape overpapping well. Do it on a dry day and have a rag to clean plastic before applying tape.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Lol be as good as a yearling bull

Be some craic if he breaks something. ...clear your throat young lad

C4d78 wrote: »

Whats the optimum wilt time in this weather for PIT silage. Fairly sunny here now and good breeze blowing. Crop cut dry Sun lunch time, Tedded tea time and contractors don't think they'll be on until Tue lunch time. Is there a worry this will get too dry and therefor hard to preserve.? Did have this problem previously when DM was 46% and silage ended up heating.
This however was July for a second cut and temps were probably 20 +.
Would this be a worry again or what would people guesstimate DM would be on this occasion?

It'll be fine and preserve well just make sure roll it well and seal well.mine was cut sat afternoon ,Tedded ,again Sunday and again today.will be at least 45% dm I hope and 75 plus DMd .wont have room in pit so will bale some of it.will be raked around 10 in morning and picked an hour later .

C4d78 wrote: »

Whats the optimum wilt time in this weather for PIT silage. Fairly sunny here now and good breeze blowing. Crop cut dry Sun lunch time, Tedded tea time and contractors don't think they'll be on until Tue lunch time. Is there a worry this will get too dry and therefor hard to preserve.? Did have this problem previously when DM was 46% and silage ended up heating.
This however was July for a second cut and temps were probably 20 +.
Would this be a worry again or what would people guesstimate DM would be on this occasion?

Would not be over duly worried unless it is very hot had to see DM exceeding 30% even with tedding. Most lads would be delighted that it was down two days. I was hoping to let bales down until Wednesday but forecast has changed and showers expected Tuesday night so baling tomorrow evening/night.

It would make great bales:D

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

Would not be over duly worried unless it is very hot had to see DM exceeding 30% even with tedding. Most lads would be delighted that it was down two days. I was hoping to let bales down until Wednesday but forecast has changed and showers expected Tuesday night so baling tomorrow evening/night.

It would make great bales:D

It sure would make rocket fuel of bales. Should still be good pit silage thou. Just don't like too high DM in pit from previous experience, difficult to manage..

Cow Porter wrote: »

Any have bother with moulds at high dry matters, thought that at above 30 you'd be thinking of an additive??

Nope ,going into 36*90 pit with walls,,only additive will be 2 buckets of silos save on top back and sides after final roll .shear grab used at feed out and don't foresee any issues.sunny windy evening here and it's crispy dry.pit silage dear enough without paying to draw in water ,collect it and spread it back

mahoney_j wrote: »

Nope ,going into 36*90 pit with walls,,only additive will be 2 buckets of silos save on top back and sides after final roll .shear grab used at feed out and don't foresee any issues.sunny windy evening here and it's crispy dry.pit silage dear enough without paying to draw in water ,collect it and spread it back

Suppose key is to have it well compacted, contractors around here need to keep harvester going, so handy crop and big harvester means man on pit has to be on top of his Job.

Anyway pit covered today, hoping min 70 dmd @ 30+ DM

I have a massive problem with the pit for the last few year. The top foot all around rots and has to be forked off. Usually have 30 acres in the pit that is pretty much around or within 400 yards of pit. I have a feeling that the lad on the loader (big Volvo) is not packing it right as it's coming in too quick due to the short draw. He stays about 20 minutes after the trailers have left to roll more but you'd see the silage springing up after he's passed over it. It's like the wheels are too big on these yokes and not enough weight per inch iykwim. I'll tell him to stay longer buy not sure if I will make a difference. Gets silasave and covered straight after.