Is self feed silage back in fashion?
cows feeding themselves, and being milked by a robot, might be just nirvana. But for most (real world) dairy farmers the benefit of self feeding silage is all about saving costs. Costs in machinery and equipment, and perhaps labour too.
How to avoid mud on the road in a wet silage harvest
Mud on tyres inevitably leads to mud on road and as forage harvester output increases the amount of soil carting tractors and silage trailers can deposit on the highway increases too. Bigger foot prints spread mud on more tarmac and loads come thick and fast as does the brown stuff.
Are big mowers better mowers?
New trailed combination mowers from SIP and Kuhn are being introduced offering 13m to 15m of cutting capacity with each pass; as long as you can muster enough horsepower to drive them. But what are your chances of seeing one cutting your or your neighbours grass?
What is the best concrete for a silage clamp?
what’s the best concrete for a silage clamp and what’s the difference between good concrete and bad concrete when not comes to silage storage?
Why and how to make pea silage
Peas can be a great fit into a crop rotation. They are spring sown, fast growing, a break crop to cereals that require low inputs and they also fix nitrogen. On top of all that - they are a great forage protein so what’s not to like? Well although they can make great tasty silage, there are some things you need to be careful of.
Is it worth tedding out grass silage?
Most of us are well aware of the (theoretical) benefits of tedding out grass, but its a faff and its expensive so many just don’t bother….. Well in an attempt to upset as few as possible, I’m going to try and steer a middle course and explore why you might want to change your view on tedding grass for silage.
Silage chop length for AD plants
chop length influences the stability of the silage once its open to the elements, or how chop length effects aerobic stability. This is important to all producers of silage but the chop length of silage for an aerobic digester is super important for more than the usual reasons.
How to identify the best land to produce silage
Back in the day, the herd at grass was a constant barometer of the sward quality and quantity….. But for those housing cows 365 or feeding bacteria in an AD tank, how do you know which ground is pulling its weight and which fields need some TLC?
How to make Red Clover silage
..already thought about multi species or herbal ley silage.. ..what about crops of full clover. And even if not fully one hundred percent clover, crops that are very highly dominated by clover, what are the key points to make good silage out of these crops?
What is theoretical chop length of silage?
what is the difference between a forage harvesters theoretical and actual length of chop and why isn’t the silage tipped in the clamp the same as the pretty pictures in the brochure?
Can multi-species herbal leys make good silage?
The advocates will point out all the benefits of herbal leys or diverse grassland but how suitable is it to making good silage, and what special measures should you take to make good multi-species silage?
How many bacteria do you need to make good silage?
….. when you are faced with a “challenging crop” that might be a bit tricky to ensile. It’s tempting to up the dose rate on these crops, to “give it a bit of helping hand” with an extra dose of inoculant. But more isn’t always better because the number of bacteria is actually misleading.
How to set the conditioner for better grass silage
if you want to think about making better silage, then the conditioner settings are something you might need to consider
NIR Silage sensors, what is the future?
track the whole progress of the crop from field to trough. With the right information you could refine your practices to reduce losses and make the very most out of the forage.
Is Lasagna silage worth the bother?
Silage lasagna……, is not some sort of vegan health food, it’s just a way of making silage that might give your nutritionist a much easier time. In essence it’s all about the layers
How to avoid slurry contamination in silage
slurry in the silage is a very bad thing and something we all need to avoid but changes in regulations are increasing the chances of bringing slurry contamination in with your grass silage. ……we need to find some solutions.
Farming silage bacteria for profit
So is farming bacteria a new way for farmers to develop a new market?
Eeeerrr no, that’s not what I was thinking. Farming bacteria is really what many farmers are already doing but without really thinking about it. Being better bacteria farmers is a way of controlling the costs of production
What makes grass silage protein so low?
over the past couple of years we have had some very cold, and often quite dry spring weather during the time when we would normally expect the grass to start growing. This can have some really important implications on not only the quantity but also the quality of the silage you produce.
Should a silage clamp have a roof?
the answer to the question “should your silage clamp have a roof” is - only if its raining! …... if you're going to be stuck with either a fibre cement roof or a clear view of the heavens - which one are you going to choose?
Silage dry matter analysis
The silage analysis report tells you how you did this summer, and what you are going to have to work on during the winter. And just like the school report…. and silage dry matter really does matter