Economic Silage Production

This dairy farmer with 200 cows had always aimed for a 4-5 week cutting cycle, but in the summer of 2005 because of milk price, made the decision to reduce contractor’s costs and go to 6 weekly intervals. In spite of saving a substantial amount on the chopping bill, the losses in milk from forage meant an overall loss in profitability the following winter of well over £20,000.

As a result the farm has reverted back to cutting young highly nutritious grass and treating with Optimize to ensure the nutrients are preserved without creating lots of acid.
With young grass it is important not to chop too short and never too low.

The table below shows the amount of milk produced in litres and how milk from forage declines with more mature silage.

The farmer said, ‘ 1st and 4th cuts didn’t have the same feed value as 2nd and 3rd cuts. A five week cutting regime is aimed for and this was achieved between 2nd and 3rd cut and 3rd and 4th cut. 1st cut was a very heavy crop although cut in the 1st week of May. The fields were left white which meant the crop was mature and the cows proved it was less digestible. As well as feeding less concentrate with 2nd and 3rd cuts the cows produces more milk,’

He added, ‘Forage quality is crucial to profit. With high quality forage, cows produce more milk from cheaper and smaller amounts of concentrate. Also the cows are healthier and easier to get in calf.’