First-cut silage was mowed, clamped and covered on Thursday this week. In total, over 120 acres was mown. About 70 acres was classified and fertilised for first-cut silage and the rest were paddocks gone too strong for grazing. Instead of bales, the decision was taken to put them into the pit. The silage crop, like many farms, was a quick turnaround since the nitrogen went out on 1 May. Now that the first-cut has been conserved, a smaller second cut will be planned to boost silage reserves. Getting the first cut off this week will help that decision.
Already 220 round bales of silage have been made (prior to the first cut) so feed stocks are building.
In total, it means there is probably just over 230t of dry matter in the yard now. I’m estimating first cut at 5t DM/ha (30ha x 5t = 150t), 20ha of heavy grazing at 2t DM/ha (40t) and an estimate of 200kg of dry matter per round bale in the yard (220 bales x 0.2t/bale = 44 t). It’s all dry and the quality is relatively good.
The farm needs about 350t in total for wintering 220 cows from November to March. Every farmer should be planning what is needed. Do up a monthly plan on cow numbers and put dry matter requirement down at 12kg/cow.
Now remember requirement will be influenced also by:
In-calf heifers coming back. How quick not-in-calf cows leave the farm.Silage needed in back end while milkers are at grass to stretch the rotation. The need to have two quality round bales per cow for March and April next year when growth is slow. In these figures, I haven’t mentioned having a reserve that could stay in the clamp from one year to the next. Milk sold dropped during the week as high cell count cows were treated. Milk produced continues where it was last week about 21 to 22 litres. The latest fat (30 May) was 4.36%, and the latest protein 3.87%. SCC was 172,000 and lactose 4.82%. The farm received over 25mm of rain on Friday night.
Read more
Acting on early fertility signals in Kilkenny
First-cut silage was mowed, clamped and covered on Thursday this week. In total, over 120 acres was mown. About 70 acres was classified and fertilised for first-cut silage and the rest were paddocks gone too strong for grazing. Instead of bales, the decision was taken to put them into the pit. The silage crop, like many farms, was a quick turnaround since the nitrogen went out on 1 May. Now that the first-cut has been conserved, a smaller second cut will be planned to boost silage reserves. Getting the first cut off this week will help that decision.
Already 220 round bales of silage have been made (prior to the first cut) so feed stocks are building.
In total, it means there is probably just over 230t of dry matter in the yard now. I’m estimating first cut at 5t DM/ha (30ha x 5t = 150t), 20ha of heavy grazing at 2t DM/ha (40t) and an estimate of 200kg of dry matter per round bale in the yard (220 bales x 0.2t/bale = 44 t). It’s all dry and the quality is relatively good.
The farm needs about 350t in total for wintering 220 cows from November to March. Every farmer should be planning what is needed. Do up a monthly plan on cow numbers and put dry matter requirement down at 12kg/cow.
Now remember requirement will be influenced also by:
In-calf heifers coming back. How quick not-in-calf cows leave the farm.Silage needed in back end while milkers are at grass to stretch the rotation. The need to have two quality round bales per cow for March and April next year when growth is slow. In these figures, I haven’t mentioned having a reserve that could stay in the clamp from one year to the next. Milk sold dropped during the week as high cell count cows were treated. Milk produced continues where it was last week about 21 to 22 litres. The latest fat (30 May) was 4.36%, and the latest protein 3.87%. SCC was 172,000 and lactose 4.82%. The farm received over 25mm of rain on Friday night.
Read more
Acting on early fertility signals in Kilkenny
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: