Spreading grass quickly speeds the drying process

“If your target silage digestibility is 70 per D then the crop needs to be cut at approximately 72 per D, as approximately two units of D are lost during ensilage,” he says.

“The difference between 65D and 70D silage is worth 1.25 litres of milk per cow per day or 0.2kg and 0.1kg of liveweight gain in cattle and sheep respectively.

When it comes to harvesting, Dr Davies says to cut when the crop is dry in the sward and, depending on field conditions and grass cover, leave 5-9cm (2-3.5 inches) of stubble, with the higher stubble height for new leys and wet conditions.

Reducing risks

“By following this guidance, you reduce the risks of soil contamination, thus poor fermentation, and increase crop recovery, thus increasing the total annual forage yields.

“Once cut it’s essential to spread the crop, doing so significantly increases the speed of drying. The pores on the leaves only stay open for two hours after cutting and wilting is five times faster when open, than closed, so the quicker the crop is spread the better.”

Dr Davies says research has shown spreading the crop improves drying times, even if it is rained on, with a 2 per cent DM difference between spreading and not spreading for eight hours.

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