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Silage 2020:
Here are some key points to note when closing for silage.
Did you know?
- It is important to have a silage plan in place for each year to quantify how much silage is needed and also to produce quality silage. This invloves calculating your existing stocking rate and availability of land. For example, a dry cow might require 8-10 kg/day dry matter intake with 68-70% dry matter digestibility. Calved cows need 12 kg/day dry matter intake and 72% DMD.
- Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD) value of silage is the best indicator of its feeding value. Each drop of five DMD units reduces milk yield by almost half a gallon of milk per day, and raises the cost of finishing cattle by over €70 which really underlines the importance of knowing what your soil requires.
- Slurry should be used to reduce the fertiliser bill. 3000 gallons of slurry typically is valued 21-21-115 (N-P-K). We have options here to use slurry inoculants to make the nutrients more available.
- Typically silage removes 4kg of P and 25kg of K/tonne of grass DM respectively. Sulphur (S) should be used as Nitrogen and S are building blocks of protein. First cut silage needs nitrogen out 50-55 days before you cut. Grass will use 1kg N per day.
At Dolan Consultancy we soil sample and take farmers through the soil index of the farm indicating the fertiliser requirements for both silage and grazing. The best time to take soil samples is between October and March before fertiliser is applied however on some farms and due to weather this year it is still not too late to sample.
The analysis report illustrates how to fix the PH of the soil allowing for better uptake of nutrients. Contact us today for a fertiliser plan tailored to your farm by clicking the link below.
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