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Most of the first-cut silage is now safely under wraps. As a rule of thumb, to calculate the amount of silage in a pit, measure the length by breadth by settled height in metres and divide by 1.35 to get tonnes equivalent. Then multiply by the dry matter to get the tonnes of dry matter. A round bale of silage will have between 200kg and 300kg of silage dry matter depending on how well packed it was and how dry the grass was at baling.
A dry cow will need about 360kg DM of silage per month while a weanling heifer will need about 190kg DM of silage per month. How long the winter is will depend on lots of factors, but the main one is soil type and weather. Most farmers are planning for a four-month winter on good land and a five-month winter on heavier land.
If they can get away with less they will, but after last spring they want to have the silage in reserve and not be at the mercy of the market or the generosity of others.
First-cut silage normally yields about 5tDM per hectare or 10t freshweight per acre. Second-cut silage will be back to about 3.5tDM/ha or 7t freshweight per acre. So at this stage you should have a fair idea how much feed will be in the pit and in bales by the end of August. What can you do if you think you are going to be short, or on the edge for winter feed supply?
Option one: buy a crop
The acreage of maize has more or less doubled this year and many tillage farmers who normally grow cereals have instead decided to take a punt on maize. Costs vary, but I’m hearing of prices in the region of €1,000/ac and get it cut yourself. This puts the risk back on the buyer.
Other options include paying per tonne based on starch and dry matter levels. Maize yields and quality are notoriously variable so sharing the risk between grower and buyer is essential. One template involves paying a fixed price of €50/t freshweight for maize at 30% dry matter and 30% starch with the price changing based on quality.
Adding on harvesting costs, this would work out at around 18c/kg dry matter.
Wholecrop cereal is another option. There is more of this available than maize and it is a more stable crop, although some spring-sown crops are under pressure (see page 37). Basically, to buy a crop you will have to beat the market.
If grain is worth €170/t and it yields 3.5t/ac, this is worth €595/ac. If the straw yields 10 round bales per acre and is worth €20/bale then this is worth €200/ac. So it will cost almost €800/ac to buy the crop. The advantage for the grower is the crop will be sold without the harvesting costs. For the buyer, an extra €120/ac for harvesting will be added to the cost so the total cost will be €920/ac (€2,273/ha). For this, the buyer will get a total crop of about 12.35t DM/ha which works out at 18ckg DM.
In this example, the costs of both maize and wholecrop are at the upper end of what a dairy farmer should be paying for forage. But what is probably a bigger issue is the hassle associated with feeding maize and wholecrop. Firstly, you need a good pit to store it and you need a way of feeding it out – it’s not as simple as feeding grass silage. If buying per acre, yield is critical.
Option two: reduce stock
Letting out animals to be reared on a B&B or contract-rearing basis could be an option for some farmers this year. For example, if a beef farmer decides not to buy cattle this autumn, but has the sheds and the silage, he could take in dairy stock and winter them for a set price per day.
The most suitable animals to go are weanlings, but they don’t eat a lot of silage anyway. In-calf heifers or dry cows could be considered also, but these animals will need more management, especially immediately after drying off and before they start springing up.
There are a few ways to price this option. The farmer taking in the stock needs to be paid for the silage, his or her time for feeding and a return on the shed.
Prices charged
The prices being charged for adult cattle (500kg to 600kg) are in the order of €1.60 to €1.80 per head per day with younger cattle costing a lot less. This is an attractive option for those looking to reduce stock numbers.
However, silage quality will have a big bearing on performance. The other thing to watch out for is animal health and risk of disease and what will happen in the event of TB breakdown.
SHARING OPTIONS: