HIGH feed, fertiliser and fuel costs are driving Northern Ireland and UK dairy farmers to want to produce better silage in 2023. And those who made multi-cut grass silage during the droughted 2022 season tended to be better off.
Those were conclusions from a new Ecosyl grass silage survey conducted among more than 700 UK dairy farmers ahead of the 2023 season – three-quarters of whom made silage conventionally (cutting up to three times a year) and a quarter of whom made multi-cut silage (cutting four times or more).
The vast majority in both groups (74 per cent and 70 per cent respectively) reported that growth of their grass silage crops had suffered from drought in 2022. But as well as making better progress with cutting, more of those making multi-cut tended to see higher silage yields and better quality, says Ecosyl silage expert Ken Stroud of the survey organiser Volac.
“Nearly half (45 per cent) of farmers in the multi-cut group had already taken two cuts by the end of May,” says Mr Stroud, “compared with only 17 per cent that had taken two cuts by the end of May in the conventional group. And this trend continued when the dry weather had hit at the end of July.
“By then, nearly three times more farmers in the multi-cut group than in the conventional group had already progressed to three cuts – at 44 per cent versus 15 per cent. More interesting still were the differences in silage yields and quality between the two groups.”
Compared with 63 per cent of conventional silage-makers who felt yields were less than normal by the end of July, Mr Stroud says just 53 per cent said this in the multi-cut group.
Quality-wise, over the season as a whole 35 per cent of conventional silage makers also rated their 2022 grass silage quality as poorer than normal, compared with only 28 per cent saying this in the multi-cut group.
“At the other end of the scale, nearly twice as many multi-cut makers as conventional silage producers felt their quality was actually better than normal in 2022 – at 20 per cent versus 12 per cent,” says Mr Stroud.
“Indeed, higher quality was the most popular advantage of multi-cut silage identified by users of the system in the survey, with 60 per cent saying this, followed by 50 per cent naming more yield over the season as an advantage.
“Clearly, multi-cut isn’t immune to the effects of drought, and it isn’t possible to make it on all farms, but the survey results repeatedly pointed to those who made multi-cut in 2022 being in a stronger position. Another advantage of a multi-cut system is that it puts some silage in the clamp early in case the weather turns too wet or dry later. This was named by 36 per cent of users,” he adds.
Also rated highly among multi-
cut’s advantages was the opport-unity it provides for more slurry applications – which can be useful for farmers cutting back on granular fertiliser, Mr Stroud notes.
“When survey respondents were asked what was likely to make them want to make better silage in 2023, averaged across both groups, 79 per cent said high feed costs, 63 per cent said high fertiliser costs and 49 per cent said high fuel costs. Clearly there was good understanding among producers that making better silage can improve business efficiency and make better use of their fertiliser investment. These are key reasons why minimising losses in silage dry matter and quality has become increasingly important,” he adds.
Results from this latest survey also mirrored a previous Volac survey conducted in the dry year of 2020, which also indicated that multi-cut grass silage put dairy farms in a stronger position, Mr Stroud notes.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
