Silage 2020

[som farmer]

View attachment 912461
Is it too late for a 5th cut?
Can any of you multi cut guys tell me?

#halfabale an acre of gold?

we have some spring sown r/c grass ley, cut x3, hoping we can get a 4th, bit slow getting away in the spring, to dry, but going well now, been cut every 4/5 weeks, so quality should be good. Spring calvers, have been getting some hay, but just started to give them some bale silage, 2nd cut, off an old, no fert, pp, smells wonderful, looks nice, cows loving it, but, by all accounts, shouldn't be that good, we just cut x2, nothing more, for 20 yrs, however, we either have a problem in the dairy, because they have shot up 2.5 litres/cow !

 

[pappuller]

View attachment 912461
Is it too late for a 5th cut?
Can any of you multi cut guys tell me? [emoji848]

#halfabale an acre of gold?

As long as you can get it dry, we have 100 acres to do at the next available window. Will just mow wide, leave to lie for 24hrs and row up 24 hrs ahead of the wagon, if we get 3 dry days

 

[som farmer]

big if, seemed to have jumped from summer, to late autumn, in a week !

 

[ollie989898]

2nd cut never seen it as wet or low in protein. Going to take a bit of workView attachment 910597

Wet silage resulting low sugar and a very low pH as a consequence. There will be people with the opposite problem I expect this coming winter with silage far too dry having made it in the heat of the summer.

 

[pappuller]

big if, seemed to have jumped from summer, to late autumn, in a week !

Very big if !!! Tbf next week looks better......
As it always does [emoji23]

 

[Jdunn55]

Very big if !!! Tbf next week looks better......
As it always does [emoji23]

Theres always rain next week during the months of May-August and then sun next week during the months of September-April, never seems to happen

 

[sidjon]

View attachment 912461
Is it too late for a 5th cut?
Can any of you multi cut guys tell me?

#halfabale an acre of gold?

One of our neighbours hasn't done their 1st and only cut yet

 

[som farmer]

we will do maize tomorrow, and another 17 acres of grass, to bale monday. We have mainly wrapped our grass, this year, as and when small bits ready, it will be interesting to see, how the 'ideal' stage bales, re-act with the cows, as in yield. Bulk of clamped forage this yr, will be hybrid rye, followed by maize, should put 30 ton/ac pitted, when done that way, some followed by kale. If, the bales are good, as analysed as, should balance it nicely. We are thinking of having silage only, red clover/grass leys, cut every 4/5 weeks, as bales, to feed with the rye/maize silage, and everything else cut and graze.

 

[som farmer]

we will do maize tomorrow, and another 17 acres of grass, to bale monday. We have mainly wrapped our grass, this year, as and when small bits ready, it will be interesting to see, how the 'ideal' stage bales, re-act with the cows, as in yield. Bulk of clamped forage this yr, will be hybrid rye, followed by maize, should put 30 ton/ac pitted, when done that way, some followed by kale. If, the bales are good, as analysed as, should balance it nicely. We are thinking of having silage only, red clover/grass leys, cut every 4/5 weeks, as bales, to feed with the rye/maize silage, and everything else cut and graze.

according to our contractor, he put the rye at 18 ton/acre, and the maize, today at 15, so, according to him, 32 t/ac clamped ! Very thankful to, we have struggled with grass, all summer, and had to feed 100 ton of hay, to the cows, it's very re-assuring, to see a full pit, even better, there's a fair heap, in the 'emergency' as well. Winter stocks, now looking reasonable !

 

[M-J-G]

One of our neighbours hasn't done their 1st and only cut yet

Why is that?

 

[sidjon]

Why is that?

Sheep, no fencing or gates, they're normally very late, but looks like they aren't bothering this year which happens every few years, large farm with very low stocking rate, they probably have enough squirreled away if it's a normal winter.

 

[kill]

Mowing 4th cut for a neighbour for baling Sunday here with decent ground conditions

 

[som farmer]

cut our maize yesterday, more than we thought, had to put 100 ton, in an old pit. Cut 17 acres of grass, for 4th cut, on a spring re-seed, that looked, in june, like a write off, again more than expected, so going from desperately short of fodder, to just about enough, then, returning home, phone rings, our neighbour, did we want another 10/15 acres of maize, he has no more room, at mates rates, and it's a heavy crop. Feeling very relieved, buying fodder, for the last 2 winters, and this summer, we are now comfortable.

 

[Ducati899]

Don’t think I’ve ever made silage in October,should make some nice stuff

 

[Serup]

We took 5th cut two days ago. It's 2 month ago since we took 4th cut.
It yielded good, about 3800 kg dm/ha and 30% dm., We never cut so nice grass soo late before. Mowed monday, tedded the heaviest right after, raked and chopped wednesday.
I work in the pit, so no pictures from the actual action with the Krone 680.

 

[Scholsey]

You guys are lucky to get a contractor! Wouldn’t be a forager within 50 miles of here which hasn’t got a corn cracker in, wagoning 80 acres tomorrow and that’s me done.

 

[Serup]

You guys are lucky to get a contractor! Wouldn’t be a forager within 50 miles of here which hasn’t got a corn cracker in, wagoning 80 acres tomorrow and that’s me done.

Thats why we didn't cut it earlier. They finished with maize with one of their spfh's on tuesday.

 

[kill]

And hopefully that’s the last silage job of 2020
done

 

[Dian Landman]

Busy getting the rows ready to start baling early tomorrow morning.

 

[Beef farmer]

Whats people's silage like? 1st to 3rd here is good, but 4th would win competitions. Never made such shite in my life. Self feed and shite don't mix.