Silage in October

[Henarar]

Nitrogen @ £260/t. 50kgs/acre £13.
£2.50 to sow it.
£13 to mow it.
£6 ted it
£5 rake it.
3bales/ acre.
£8 double wrap bale.
£1/bale bring it in
£22/bale.
Think I’d buy in.

plus the grass that will grow even without fert that can be grazed or sold for grazing it don't really add up

 

[neilo]

Nitrogen @ £260/t. 50kgs/acre £13.
£2.50 to sow it.
£13 to mow it.
£6 ted it
£5 rake it.
3bales/ acre.
£8 double wrap bale.
£1/bale bring it in
£22/bale.
Think I’d buy in.

By 'Nitrogen', given your location, I assume you mean CAN? Current price is £298/t on that.

 

[Scholsey]

I've just finished harvesting and its looking like I'm 80 bales short of what I'd like.
I could go and chuck some fertiliser on this weekend and aim for another cut but I haven't intentionally tried to silage in October before.
What is the opinion of the TFF collective?

Give it 2 months and you’ll be able to buy 1st cut bales for less than it would have cost you to bale and wrap your own once all the contractor bills start hitting the doorsteps.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

Thanks to you all.

There doesn't seem to be anyone in this area selling bales cheap and I'm not geared up for transporting bales very far which is why I wanted to make my own.
The deciding factor I think is thanks to @Derrick Hughes , I'd forgotten the huge difference it makes to grazing all winter. So I'll see if anyone has some bales for sale or just sell a few stores.

I really do appreciate this discussion as my brain currently feels fried.

 

[Scholsey]

Thanks to you all.

There doesn't seem to be anyone in this area selling bales cheap and I'm not geared up for transporting bales very far which is why I wanted to make my own.
The deciding factor I think is thanks to @Derrick Hughes , I'd forgotten the huge difference it makes to grazing all winter. So I'll see if anyone has some bales for sale or just sell a few stores.

I really do appreciate this discussion as my brain currently feels fried.

there will be plenty of dealers rushing about in lorries trying to claw back the £150+ a acre they spent on straw to sell for £65/t this winter so don’t worry about finding them local.

 

[Sid]

Nitrogen @ £260/t. 50kgs/acre £13.
£2.50 to sow it.
£13 to mow it.
£6 ted it
£5 rake it.
3bales/ acre.
£8 double wrap bale.
£1/bale bring it in
£22/bale.
Think I’d buy in.

What about the potash you have removed?

 

[andybk]

Ive made good hay in october , lovely soft green stuff , but weather was perfect warm and blowy , wouldnt rely on it even for silage as its usually damp/ grey still in october

 

[Poorbuthappy]

If you can grow the grass, why not just graze it!

This.
As Derrick says, recovery after late cuts is awful.

All you guys with a rose tinted view of Devon need to remember it varies from @Jerry on lovely ground in a rain shadow, to @egbert who measures his rain in metres. And everything in between.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Can’t think that I’ve ever made nice late silage despite tedding out and getting as dry as possible but have made some that cattle would not eat.
Mid September is late enough for me, if it isn’t ready to cut by then, it’s probably better to graze it and keep stock out a bit longer.

 

[Jerry]

This.
As Derrick says, recovery after late cuts is awful.

All you guys with a rose tinted view of Devon need to remember it varies from @Jerry on lovely ground in a rain shadow, to @egbert who measures his rain in metres. And everything in between.

Yeah need about an inch of rain end of week please.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Yeah need about an inch of rain end of week please.

You'll probably get it all in 1/2 an hour if recent performance is anything to go by!

 

[Sid]

This.
As Derrick says, recovery after late cuts is awful.

All you guys with a rose tinted view of Devon need to remember it varies from @Jerry on lovely ground in a rain shadow, to @egbert who measures his rain in metres. And everything in between.

That's without soil type

 

[TheRanger]

Can kill the good grasses off if taken just before a hard frost

 

[yin ewe]

Nitrogen @ £260/t. 50kgs/acre £13.
£2.50 to sow it.
£13 to mow it.
£6 ted it
£5 rake it.
3bales/ acre.
£8 double wrap bale.
£1/bale bring it in
£22/bale.
Think I’d buy in.

Cheaper to buy meal than make or buy iffy October silage at £22 a bale.

 

[neilo]

All you guys with a rose tinted view of Devon need to remember it varies from @Jerry on lovely ground in a rain shadow, to @egbert who measures his rain in metres. And everything in between.

Ah, you're not fooling us. I hear the grass is so good, and the seasons so kind, you could even finish pigs on it.....

 

[Henarar]

Ah, you're not fooling us. I hear the grass is so good, and the seasons so kind, you could even finish pigs on it.....

Yep they graze on the acorns just to give the pork a bit of flavour

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Ah, you're not fooling us. I hear the grass is so good, and the seasons so kind, you could even finish pigs on it.....

Easier doing that than making silage in October for sure.
Most years you'd leave ruts here doing silage in October.

 

[Agrivator]

I've just finished harvesting and its looking like I'm 80 bales short of what I'd like.
I could go and chuck some fertiliser on this weekend and aim for another cut but I haven't intentionally tried to silage in October before.
What is the opinion of the TFF collective?

You can sometimes be lucky and get an Indian or St Lukes Summer in October. But grass with late nitrogen is always difficult to wilt in short days, and can have a high nitrate content which makes it a bit unpalatable.
But it is a very cheap and effective laxative.

 

[Wishful Thinker]

Cheaper to buy meal than make or buy iffy October silage at £22 a bale.

Depends who’s meal

 

[milkloss]

Going to gamble a cut at the end of the month. There’s a danger it’s going to be lush mushy stuff which isn’t the best for bedded yards but we don’t really have enough right now and I loath buying it in. Will be going in the pit. Had some lovely stuff in the past but I appreciate it was more luck than anything.