Yield per acre of silage/hay

[Jdunn55]

Just doubting myself and the figures I'm using and am currently trying to make sure I've got enough land for next year.

Figures I was using:
2.1t dm per acre first cut (mid may)
1t dm per acre second cut (end of June/early july)
0.5t dm per acre third cut (mid august)
0.5tdm per acre fourth cut (end of September)

Hay:
2t dm per acre first cut (mid/end of june)
1.5t dm per acre second cut (september - can be wrapped as haylage if weather is against me)

About right? I'm assuming a dm target of 30% for silage and 90% for hay

 

[vantage]

Works out around 10t DM/ha. Should be achievable given half decent swards.
In a trial we are part of, one of the farms grew 20t/ha this year of multi cut silage, young grass, productive soil.

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Does look on the conservative side.

Have found over the years though, you get what you get

 

[Jdunn55]

Does look on the conservative side.

Have found over the years though, you get what you get

True! Was just doubting myself and my figures, I'm currently in limbo waiting for the bank (have been all christmas) and it's not fun. I've gone through every figure on my business plan about 6 times and it's doing my head in would be nice to be able to get a nights sleep

I was hoping that they are a bit light as then if I get extra a can call it a bank for a dry year

 

[Beef farmer]

True! Was just doubting myself and my figures, I'm currently in limbo waiting for the bank (have been all christmas) and it's not fun. I've gone through every figure on my business plan about 6 times and it's doing my head in would be nice to be able to get a nights sleep

I was hoping that they are a bit light as then if I get extra a can call it a bank for a dry year

What bank?
They are all working from home currently, its like walking through cold frozen treacle!

 

[Jdunn55]

What bank?
They are all working from home currently, its like walking through cold frozen treacle!

That's the best way to describe them. Natwest, been on holiday since Christmas eve

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I was doubting your figures too until I read it again in acres

.. looks very achievable as others have said.
It's better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed, and about the figures we base our grazing/stocking plans on without knowing what the rain's gonna do.

 

[Jdunn55]

I was doubting your figures too until I read it again in acres

.. looks very achievable as others have said.
It's better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed, and about the figures we base our grazing/stocking plans on without knowing what the rain's gonna do.

Very true and apologies for acres I'm unfortunately one of them still use acres and foot for everything :/ mainly because our average field size is about 2 hectares

For grazing I was working off being able to grow 600kg of dm per acre (1500 per ha) every 21 days from March-may and then every 28 days from then on? Again about right? Assuming newish leys (6 years tops) decent bit of fert and ph correct and water available

 

[Beef farmer]

Very true and apologies for acres I'm unfortunately one of them still use acres and foot for everything :/ mainly because our average field size is about 2 hectares

For grazing I was working off being able to grow 600kg of dm per acre (1500 per ha) every 21 days from March-may and then every 28 days from then on? Again about right? Assuming newish leys (6 years tops) decent bit of fert and ph correct and water available

All comes down to water.

 

[Beef farmer]

That's the best way to describe them. Natwest, been on holiday since Christmas eve

Ah they are working hard if they waited till Xmas eve....

 

[Beef farmer]

Very true and apologies for acres I'm unfortunately one of them still use acres and foot for everything :/ mainly because our average field size is about 2 hectares

For grazing I was working off being able to grow 600kg of dm per acre (1500 per ha) every 21 days from March-may and then every 28 days from then on? Again about right? Assuming newish leys (6 years tops) decent bit of fert and ph correct and water available

70kgdmha will be a fair go from 1st March till end of May? 2020 we would have been about 15kgdm

 

[Beef farmer]

We also tho, sat at >100kgdm for 21 days from the end of June.

 

[Jdunn55]

Ah they are working hard if they waited till Xmas eve....

I was waiting on my accountant from the end of cotober until the third week of december and now I'm waiting on the bank

 

[Jdunn55]

70kgdmha will be a fair go from 1st March till end of May? 2020 we would have been about 15kgdm

I was thinking until the middle of may so I could take a first cut from some of the grazing platform?
But I appreciate this year that wouldnt have been possible considering the lack of moisture. In a "normal year" is 70kg dm/ha doable?

 

[Beef farmer]

I was thinking until the middle of may so I could take a first cut from some of the grazing platform?
But I appreciate this year that wouldnt have been possible considering the lack of moisture. In a "normal year" is 70kg dm/ha doable?

March is a funny month. Its a strong average.
You'll be fine

 

[Jdunn55]

March is a funny month. Its a strong average.
You'll be fine

Let's hope the bank agrees if not I've got 2 months to rewrite a business plan and get it approved

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Very true and apologies for acres I'm unfortunately one of them still use acres and foot for everything :/ mainly because our average field size is about 2 hectares

For grazing I was working off being able to grow 600kg of dm per acre (1500 per ha) every 21 days from March-may and then every 28 days from then on? Again about right? Assuming newish leys (6 years tops) decent bit of fert and ph correct and water available

I just glanced past the acres part because I read the tonnes part! Sneaky!

Water is the wildcard here, we can have 2mm or 450mm in a summer month and that puts a big spin on the ball regarding regrowth rates.

Generally mowing the first cut of the season a little higher gives a huge boost to the second cut because you don't set the plants back as much and they're growing from root stores as well as photosynthesis.
Just like how we graze here now, "conservation" for the first bit and then take it back and increase the recovery time accordingly.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I was thinking until the middle of may so I could take a first cut from some of the grazing platform?
But I appreciate this year that wouldnt have been possible considering the lack of moisture. In a "normal year" is 70kg dm/ha doable?

70 for March is ambitious but you will be like us and will grow a fair bit over winter. You want to finish your first round of grazing in the first week of April and I wouldn't budget on growing 70 until the first week in April.

 

[Jdunn55]

70 for March is ambitious but you will be like us and will grow a fair bit over winter. You want to finish your first round of grazing in the first week of April and I wouldn't budget on growing 70 until the first week in April.

That should be ok, like you say I'll grow a fair stock of grass between november and march but I'll only start calving from the last week or so of February so might only be 2/3 of the way through by mid march meaning a lighter stocking anyway?

 

[pappuller]

Let's hope the bank agrees [emoji854] if not I've got 2 months to rewrite a business plan and get it approved [emoji849]

Which path have you chosen ? Pure grass or not ?