Clamping concentrates

[organicguy]

How do you work out how much to put on at ensiling ?
I'm feeding 4kg of wheat , not sure 1kg would touch the sides

We roll the required tonnage, we know roughly how many loads of grass, guess how many buckets of rolled barley we have and spread a bucket across the clamp after the required number of loads. Very scientific!!!
Neighbour here who is top dairy farmer, clamps brewers grains under his grass, mixes rape seed with his maize. Self feeds the lot.
Only kit on farm is a scraper/loader tractor. Highly profitable.
Years ago Bibby costings showed self feed silage and parlour cake was most profitable system.

 

[vantage]

We roll the required tonnage, we know roughly how many loads of grass, guess how many buckets of rolled barley we have and spread a bucket across the clamp after the required number of loads. Very scientific!!!
Neighbour here who is top dairy farmer, clamps brewers grains under his grass, mixes rape seed with his maize. Self feeds the lot.
Only kit on farm is a scraper/loader tractor. Highly profitable.
Years ago Bibby costings showed self feed silage and parlour cake was most profitable system.

A pity that the costings had a commercial slant,more credence if they had been independent.

 

[westwards]

We pit brewers grains ( Draff in Scotland) with beet pulp 5/1 and sheet it well and the draff is bought in summer at £21/ton
We also pitted 150 tons of potatoes with 1500 tons of silage and are getting best milk protein for years.

 

[Beef farmer]

Clamped fodder beet before, great feed but.... need to clean the beet which makes it expensive and you need a foot of silage in the bottom else the sugar from the beet will eat your clamp for fun. Got that t shirt too.

 

[organicguy]

A pity that the costings had a commercial slant,more credence if they had been independent.

Fair point but I still think that system is as profitable as you can be and get a decent output.

 

[bigw]

I have often wondered about clamping sugar beet with wetter grass silage but haven't been brave enough to try it

 

[Beef farmer]

I have often wondered about clamping sugar beet with wetter grass silage but haven't been brave enough to try it

Why wetter silage?

 

[bigw]

Why wetter silage?

To soak up the effluent

 

[Beef farmer]

To soak up the effluent

So sugar beet nuts. Not the actual best?

 

[bigw]

sugar beet nuts yes

 

[Beef farmer]

sugar beet nuts yes

Good idea

 

[Headless chicken]

Fair point but I still think that system is as profitable as you can be and get a decent output.

Depends on so many factors but I agree on the right site, right location, right cows, right parlour it’s very hard too beat. You get one of those wron though and you’ve got a shitty expensive mess imo

 

[livestock 1]

I pit 1200ton of brewers grains every year, always sandwich it between silage layers, works out about 5kg a cow

We take it over weekends and bank holidays when others won’t in spring, price is usually better that way

Get it pitted and well sheeted and then re open it and move it again at silage time

I get a tonne or two of salt for the top have you tried it?

 

[Beef farmer]

Depends on so many factors but I agree on the right site, right location, right cows, right parlour it’s very hard too beat. You get one of those wron though and you’ve got a shitty expensive mess imo

Location/site and parlour doesnt make much odds. Cow needs to suit

 

[Headless chicken]

Location/site and parlour doesnt make much odds. Cow needs to suit

Disagree massively it’s all part of the system. Location is no good if it’s pissing it down constantly and you can’t graze for half the year. Parlour needs to be matched to the system ie the correct size for the number to keep staffing cost low. Agreed that cows needing to suit is one of the most important factors though

 

[westwards]

sugar beet nuts yes

Don't put the beet pulp on the floor, as it holds the effluent and will eat your pit floor.

 

[organicguy]

Good idea

Done it, it works as long as it is wet enough. If it is too dry it can go mouldy.

 

[Grassman247]

I get a tonne or two of salt for the top have you tried it?

Tried messing about with salt but didn’t seem to make any difference

 

[livestock 1]

Tried messing about with salt but didn’t seem to make any difference

I roll it with a quad then salt the top there’s no crust or waste now

 

[I thats it]

talked with nutritionist today about doing this next year with wheat feed or rolled wheat. He thought it was a great idea, just need to check the costings at the time he said