Balancing the quantity against quality equation

“Lactating or finishing animals have very different requirements to dry or store animals, as high performance stock requires better quality silage,” he says.

“Silage production is no longer cheap so it is essential to achieve the right balance between quantity and quality to keep costs down.”

Silage considerations:

• Cutting date: “A D-value of 66 is achieved when about 50 per cent of ryegrass head is emerging, and will give a good balance between quantity and quality,” says Mr Morgan. “Better quality silage is achieved by cutting sooner, ensuring higher D-values at the expense of yield.”
• Time of cutting: “Cutting mid-afternoon captures the most sugar to aid fermentation and feed quality. Lower quality silage could be cut during the morning.”
• Dry matter: Mr Morgan says DM levels of 28-30 per cent are needed for clamp silage and 35-45 per cent for bales. He recommends using a mower conditioner and kicking out the swath within the first hour of cutting to expel 100 litres of water per tonne of grass.
• Chop length: This influences consolidation in the clamp/bale and rumination by the animal. Mr Morgan says: “The wetter the silage, the longer the chop length should be.”

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