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At last year’s Dairy Day event, Richard O’Brien from Teagasc advised farmers to use the 1-2-3 method when spreading fertiliser for silage.
That is, three bags/acre of 0:7:30 for first-cut, two bags/acre for second-cut and one bag/acre for third-cut.
As for nitrogen, the recommendation is to go with 100kg N/ha for second and subsequent cuts.
This is the same as 80 units/acre in old money.
Third cut
So with many second cuts out of the way a lot earlier than normal, farmers will be wondering about whether or not they should do a third cut.
My advice is to grow the grass anyway and decide whether to cut it or graze it at a later date.
If grass growth is good in the autumn, it can be cut and if grass growth is poor in the autumn, it can be grazed in mid-September.
Two thousand gallons/acre of typical cattle slurry is equivalent to one bag/acre of 0:7:30, so if slurry is available to be spread then use it.
Remember, farmers in derogation must use a low-emission slurry spreading technique at this time of year.
Nitrogen
As for nitrogen, 80 units/acre is equivalent to almost three bags/acre of CAN.
In my view, this is a bit heavy handed and less would do for third cut silage.
Certainly, if there is clover in the field you won’t need as much nitrogen.
Likewise, older swards will have a lesser response to nitrogen than younger swards, so there is an increased risk of losses when spreading on older swards.
Don’t forget lime. After cutting silage is an ideal time to spread lime as the field is bare.
Don’t forget, spread slurry or urea before you spread the lime.
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