Cut and silage technique

As a dairy farmer consider the following questions: How high is your herd performance? How high is the milk yield from basic fodder? And how high are your production costs per liter of milk (full cost calculation)? Quite possibly you will come to the conclusion that you could well increase your herd performance through your own basic fodder. High fodder efficiency corresponds with high milk yields. You should aim to produce over 60% of your milk production from basic fodder. We will show you how you can achieve exactly this with the right cut and silage technique:

1. Cutting date

Withdraw a representative fresh grass probe from your stock (about 8 to 10 days before the expected cutting date) and send it to the LUFA. Within 24 to 36 hours you should receive the results of your test. This allows you to determine both the energy content in MJ NEL as well as the exact cutting date. Thus, the risk of a late cut (with corresponding low energy density) is avoided.

2. Cutting weather

Just as important as the right cutting date is the weather on that date. If it is primarily raining you shouldn´t avoid driving onto the pasture area. Damage caused by ruts would be greater than any potential benefits, as such ruts permanently damage the soil structure and ground fabric. In this situation, you should wait for „dry weather" to ensure that the stock is sufficiently dried and the area can be navigated safely. The sun needs not necessarily shine as it could possibly lead to too high TS levels.

3. Cutting height

The optimum cutting height cannot be specified in centimeters because it can vary in terms of stock and grass composition. Generally, the following definition is valid: the grass stem and its respective leaf mass should remain on the surface after the cut. In the case of an old lawn this can be 3 to 4 cm while on arable grass it might well be over 8 cm. The meadow should, ideally, look green and vigorous after the cut, but should definitely not have „shaved" look. This has the following advantages:

1) The residual leaf mass allows the plants to assimilate and continue to grow without breaking 

2) Due to the high cut trailing appliances such as rakes and pickups have only very limited ground contact. This reduces the entry of coliforms and clostridia via registered soil particles and significantly reduces yeast and mold, which get into the silage by means of dead plant material. Conclusion: the silage is clean (little or no butyric acid!), has only miniscule fungus (almost no risk of secondary fermentation!) and a high energy density.

3) When a drought occurs - as can happen in May - the grass is not brown, it remains green and continues to grow well.

All mowers, regardless if they are knife, plate, or rotary mowers, and all other trailing equipment have to be set to the same stockdependant height. Depending on circumstance, you might want to construct valve spacers into a plate mower. Remember: A green stock may well achieve an energy density of 7 to 8 MJ NEL and can thus achieve the same potential yield as corn (6 back to 7 MJ NEL). Although the mass yield seems low at first glance, this is offset by the cutting frequency on grassland areas. Educate yourself about your grass composition of your area, as every type requires a different cut frequency. Some grasses need 4 or 5 cuts in order to also be able to achieve yield potential in the following year. Contrary to accepted wisdom the energy density is not reduced even in the case of high cutting utilization. Avoid the use of manure after the first cut as there is a risk that the slurry particles will not wash off the grass (in the absence of sufficient rain). This would lead to a renewed influx of undesirable microorganisms into the silage. Instead, why not use an easily soluble mineral fertilizer such as KAS? After the second cut when rain is more likely, you can again revert back to well-homogenized manure as fertilizer.

4. Swathing has to be done properly

After the first cut try to avoid twirling and use mowers with broad stacking instead. Because of the high cutting height the cut grass lies on top of the stubble, so that air can circulate from below and dry the grass. 30% TS are optimal for ensiling. Which method you now use for the salvage of cut yield does not matter as long as you adjust the swath to the working width of the device. In general, the area should only be raked, preferably with a broad swath, when the grass is driven off. Make sure not to swathe too early, too high or too wide. This can lead to undesirable fermentation processes in the swath already. As a result, a loss of 10% of the available carbohydrates can occur due to breathing unwanted micro-organisms (yeasts, fungi, Enterobacteria). Adjust the swath to the weather: Sunny weather and light winds should ensure a rapid removal of grass. Otherwise, grass will dry too fast in the upper layers and will reach a dry matter content of over 45%. Avoid ensiling on hay weather days, after all, you want to produce silage and no hay. Moderately warm, sunny weather is optimal. Target: 30 to 35% TS, not higher!

KOFASIL. Ensiles. Acts. 

Pict. 1: Measuring, not estimating the grass heigh

Determine the perfect cutting date; cut high enough (leave wood on the field!); try to avoid veering around; avoid contamination and dead plant mass due to low set salvage devices; do not swathe the evening before you ensile; exit quickly. If need be create wet silage with KOFASIL LIQUID.