Dairy and beef farmers are being encouraged to start forage planning now ahead of the 2023 silage season.
Lientjie Colahan, technical sales support at Lallemand Animal Nutrition, outlines three important things farmers need to consider for the silage season ahead:
1.Develop a plan with your nutritionist, agronomist and contractor
Now is a good time to start forage-planning discussions with your nutritionist, agronomist and contractor to help make the process as efficient as possible.
Discuss the following:
- Nutrition – Work out a forage budget to include requirements for silage volumes and quality
- Agronomy – Discuss fertiliser plans and re-seeding policy to improve grass yields
- Cutting – Plan your cutting timings and clamp construction, especially if cutting earlier than usual, as young, lush grass will compact more easily, so will need to be put in the clamp in thin layers and rolled with less weight
Get your grass tested before going ahead with cutting – you cannot manage what you do not measure.
Pre-cut grass testing helps to ensure the crop is at the optimum stage for cutting. Farmers should start sampling two weeks before the previous year’s cutting date, given the yearly variation in grass growth, to monitor nitrate, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and sugar content.
3.Make sure you have everything you need
Make sure you have everything you need ahead of silage-making – including silage sheets and inoculants – at least two weeks before you plan to start cutting.
Lallemand’s Magniva range of silage inoculants utilises the bacteria strain L. hilgardii CNCM I-4785 in combination with the industry gold standard L. buchneri NCIMB 40788. The products unique combination of bacteria and enzymes offers three benefits:
- Rapidly lowers pH
- Increases aerobic stability for early and conventional clamp opening
- Reduces waste and increases energy from silage helping maximise the value of your forage – offering up to 13% more digestible fibre and up to 15% more dry matter
