Dairy farmer Bryan Daniels cut silage this week in Kilmoganny, Co Kilkenny, as a result of good grass growth at the moment.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, he said that he was cutting Westerwold that was set on 20 July last year and this was his second cut of the crop since it was sown, with the first cut taken last October.
“We were zero-grazing it up to now. We brought in a load yesterday, we’re going to pit it up," he said.
"We’re finished mowing [the rest of it] now and we’ll leave it down overnight, pick it up tomorrow and cover it tomorrow.
Average farm cover is 1,134kg DM/ha at the moment. \ Bryan Daniels.
“Average farm cover at the moment is 1,134kg DM/ha, which is phenomenal given we are 920ft above sea level,” he said.
He is calving down 310 cows this year and by Saturday he will be halfway through calving.
“We have 45% heifer calves so far. We keep the heifers and sell on the bull calves and beef calves,” he said.
Working together
Daniels said that the ground he’s cut the Westerwold on is rented off a neighbouring tillage farmer.
The Kilkenny dairy farmer has the land rented off a neighbouring tillage farmer. \ Bryan Daniels.
“The ground is rented from a tillage farmer and I agreed I’d be off it by February, he’s putting it back into tillage then.
"The silage is a result of two different sectors working together. Without that tillage farmer, I would have been short of fodder this year,” he said.
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Dairy farmer Bryan Daniels cut silage this week in Kilmoganny, Co Kilkenny, as a result of good grass growth at the moment.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, he said that he was cutting Westerwold that was set on 20 July last year and this was his second cut of the crop since it was sown, with the first cut taken last October.
“We were zero-grazing it up to now. We brought in a load yesterday, we’re going to pit it up," he said.
"We’re finished mowing [the rest of it] now and we’ll leave it down overnight, pick it up tomorrow and cover it tomorrow.
Average farm cover is 1,134kg DM/ha at the moment. \ Bryan Daniels.
“Average farm cover at the moment is 1,134kg DM/ha, which is phenomenal given we are 920ft above sea level,” he said.
He is calving down 310 cows this year and by Saturday he will be halfway through calving.
“We have 45% heifer calves so far. We keep the heifers and sell on the bull calves and beef calves,” he said.
Working together
Daniels said that the ground he’s cut the Westerwold on is rented off a neighbouring tillage farmer.
The Kilkenny dairy farmer has the land rented off a neighbouring tillage farmer. \ Bryan Daniels.
“The ground is rented from a tillage farmer and I agreed I’d be off it by February, he’s putting it back into tillage then.
"The silage is a result of two different sectors working together. Without that tillage farmer, I would have been short of fodder this year,” he said.
Read more
Dairy management: once a day, preventing milk fever and calf movement rules
Grass+: lots of grass and good weather
Out day and night in west Cork
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