Silage 2024

The raking debate is an interesting one. I remember hearing a funny story a few years ago from our contractor when he was putting out our slurry. They were very busy one day bailing, lots hay on that day too (they would have had at least 3 balers on the go at the time). One job, probably 20+ acres of hay in one field, the farmer spent many hours rowing it up with the hay bob, only for the lads to arrive with the rake ahead of the baler.

hay stood up in a row after a haybob dries great. Then we’d fook 4 or 5 of them together with the rake for the baler to gobble up.

Fodder seems to be back everywhere around here with bales been fed. Second cuts won’t break any records. Shortages loom.

Relaxing on the Joe holliers getting notifications when contractor comes and goes
Be baled & wrapped later.

Had a local dairy man looking to buy my second cut this morning. I said what am I supposed to feed my cattle with in winter ... His response you don't have that many you're first cut would be plenty for you 🙄🙄... He is presently feeding bales but shows only care about themselves....

Talk about belittling you. Id wouldn't pay any heat to people like that. He got himself into that mess. Crazy carry-on where you have to buy in silage now a days.

Got 20 bales last week off 3 1/2 acres. Normally get 30. Serious lack of growth in the first half of the season

After the second part I tell him no problem 500/acre cash up front.

Local man here who had a tidy suckler operation big payments etc. quit this spring. Rented the place out to a few local dairy men. I heard two other dairy men saying that it’s the first year he ever made money 🙄. I wonder what he has lived on for the last 40 years.
I’ve been asked myself why I don’t have the place rented out to my dairy neighbour. I just agreed with him that I was foolish.

When the spring barley is cut in August, would it make any sense to go in straight away and sow westerwolds grass. Would I get a cut off it this year?

Peter Hynes was in an article in tge Farming Indo on Tuesday. It was about stress and farming. Not to belittle the thrust of the article but there was no question of why farmers and mainly dairy farmers were under pressure.

Nobody wants to see anyone under pressure or caught in a corner and TBF I do not think many of the dairy farmers are caught as bad as other parts if the country.

I would der is part if the grass growth issue the limits that the new fertlizer register has put on dairy farmers. Before they could buy extra N and three it out to solve a forage issue. Cash flow is probably an issue as well

Grass growth is not great, its not a complete disaster either although I am getting a bit tight but it's 2-3 weeks away.

This cane up un the discussion group in March and May about taking out excess grass as bales. I made the point in beef it was a zero sum game taking them out too early as if you got caught and had to feed bales you introduced extra cost into the system. I woukd only skip a paddock if covers tgat you were grazing were strating to go above 2000kgs.

It's takes grass to grow grass and an excess in mid/late May can quickly turn to a shortage 3-4 weeks later and all you have to show is 20 bales sitting in the yard

grazing dairy cows is a complete different ball game to dry stock. If you don’t have quality you’re goosed. Essential to take out paddocks if grass is gone too strong for dairy cows

If it was me though I would run grassland on a dry stock enterprise the same as a dairy farm. You’ll get extra weight gain. Could be thrown difference of animals being ready to kill off grass and not imo

Their a gas family, they've went into breeding/showing high end dairy stock and have spent a huge amount of money on bought in stock, he's a poor advocate for your run of the mill dairy farmer trying to keep going, Peter's probably annoyed he hasnt got the money to drop a more few k on more fancy heifers, our fly off to a few more shows in the uk/europe for the summer/autumn months

I’d find it hard to find much sympathy for that man, mental health is a real issue in farming as we’re all fully aware but saying he was feeding and housing in the autumn last year and it’s ran into this year has him completely burnt out he’d want to spare a thought for the farmers on heavy land who that is a yearly occurrence he’d never survive on any kind of challenging ground. Is he not well back in cow numbers too this year you’d imagine he’d surely have sufficient grass if he was stocked 25% higher before?

Even Teagasc have given up advising beef farmers to graze at 12-1400 covers. They are pushing 1600 covers. The cattle that are thriving best for me are on old pasture grazing 1800 think dense covers.

I have reseeded ground 10 years old and it would not wipe the face of old pasture for beef cattle. Given like for like fertlizer it's outperforming reseeds.

Quality has a quality all of itself.

Texted contractor this morning to do 30 acres for the pit whenever, did bales on it in may. He rang me and he's mowing this afternoon. I thought I'd be waiting longer. Pit has to be reopened and unfortunately I'm away and will miss out on doing it

TThey Were but they didn't put on display quite as bad before I think anyway

If I throw out fertiliser next week, how long should I wait to cut for second cut silage? I want to leave it late as possible as I don't want the aftergrass shooting up too quickly before the winter months. I won't have animals in there to feed the grass after the field is cut.

Thanks.

Depends on the grass type as well. Maybe late August/Early Sept. Need to examine the butt and see is it ok. Won't be remarkable silage, animal maintenance level.

I was thinking the same but like to see what other lads think in here. The bales will be for sale so they won't be worth alot when pricing them.

Might be a sad thing to say, but will the project actually make you any money? Not to dishearten you, but that's the reality. Agree, with Bass, wilting is critical, so early Sept is cut off point.

Know a lad that has no silage yet. Is planning to cut the weekend it was not looking great yesterday but forecast has changed. Even at that he will not cut it all as he is waiting for a heat wave in mid July.

😮😮

Crazy. The farmer I am talking about is not that old however he is penny wise pound foolish. Has lost cattle the last few winters I think due to quality of the silage. Has a couple of cows not calved and I think they are not incalf now. They were incalf according to the vet at the herd test in October.

Please be careful of the brambles when you are spying on your neighbor, some of those thorns are nasty, and also be careful when you are running down the road as fast as you can to spread the news about his farming practices and all the mistakes he makes.