Forage & Silage News

As we head into the colder months, Farmers Guide offers three top tips to prepare for housing cattle this season – from building maintenance and farm safety, to animal health and nutrition.

Understanding forage quality will be key to making the most of this year’s silage stocks, and farmers will need to think carefully about balancing diets with appropriate supplements to increase forage intakes and digestibility in the rumen, advised Dr Liz Homer of Trouw Nutrition.

Dairy farmers are being urged to make the most of the recent grass growth to produce good quality third and fourth cut silages.

A timely appraisal of forage stocks now could pay dividends this winter, with experts predicting farmers could battle severe shortages in the housing season following a wet spring and mixed summer.

Home-grown concentrates such as crimped grain are a cost-effective way of balancing low energy and nutrient levels in first cut silage that was harvested later this season as a result of wet weather, Lientjie Colahan from Lallemand explained.

Wynnstay’s new Forage4Profit campaign is aimed at helping dairy farmers maximise milk from forage and cut feed costs by improving the quality of homegrown forage, which can also help reduce farms’ environmental footprint.

A strategic management plan ahead of first cut silage will help farmers make the most of the valuable low-cost crop.

Farmers are being urged not to compromise on safety in the rush for the first silage cut of the season.

New analysis conducted by Volac has revealed that cutting grass in a multi-cut silage system has the potential to be over £700/ha more profitable than a traditional three-cut approach, even at a modest milk price of 40 pence/litre (p/l).

A South Yorkshire family contracting business says investments in quality machinery has been integral to its success. Farmers Guide finds out more.

As soil sulphur concentrations have declined, with over 90% of UK soils now deficient, awareness has grown of the need to apply this vital nutrient to grassland and forage crops.

A change in grazing management has helped an Oxfordshire farm successfully outwinter cattle and save almost £25,000 in annual winter housing costs.