When does silage start

When should I cut silage? Tags bale harvest silage Teagasc. Previous article Machinery company launches new finance scheme to help Irish farmers. Farming News. Most Popular. Load more. Editor Picks. Latest News. If your harvest will be stored in bags or upright silos, MSU Extension recommends that corn silage is harvested between 35 to 39 percent DM 65 to 60 percent moisture.

Bags and uprights allow for additional dry matter to be harvested because the techniques used for packing are different thus allowing harvest to be executed with a lower moisture content.

Silage harvested at higher-than-prescribed moisture levels can produce substantially more leachate resulting in other negative consequences.

DM can be tested on-site using a food dehydrator, a Koster moisture tester or even a conventional kitchen microwave oven. If the ideal DM or moisture content is close to your target, you can estimate cutting time following this general rule: corn will increase between 0.

For example, if a sample tests for 30 percent DM and will be stored in a pile it could be harvested within a week. Remember that cutting at the proper DM is one of the key components to maximize nutritional value, ensure proper fermentation and ultimately, have the best results when fed in future rations.

This article is one in a series of three that covers corn silage harvest from the decision of when to cut and when to feed the silage. Corn silage refresher - Part 2: Analyzing and adjusting during harvest. There is little point having wonderful quality if you will run out too soon. But, research shows that cutting early does not mean producing less in total across the season, and with increased stocks would it be a disaster if total yields are down if quality improves.

Mr Eastlake says the second objection is that with contractors charging per acre, we need to maximise yield to get the best return on costs.

And cutting early can give a better return on contract charges see table. The table summarises a trial at SRUC which was set up to explore this particular issue. The difference between early and conventional cutting for first cut was 10 days and the better quality feed reflects the better D value.

While first-cut yields were reduced, quality was significantly improved. Where weanlings are sold in autumn prior to housing and dry suckler cows are the only type of animal to be fed over the majority of the winter months, silage ground could be grazed now if it were to allow cows and calves to be turned out faster and cut at the slightly later date, around June bank holiday.

Autumn calving herds will fall into the latter category also. Close up date If silage ground was grazed late into the autumn or early winter, the chances are there was very low covers of grass on these fields going into the winter. In this scenario where there is little dead vegetation on the swards, closing up and cutting early is the preferable route however if ground was closed in early autumn and a large cover of grass with a lot of dead material has built up, it is preferable to graze these swards as the dead material will have a detrimental effect on silage quality.

System of harvesting Those making pits of silage will obviously be paying the acre and looking to harvest a slightly bulkier crop than those using all baled silage.

The aim in this scenario is to take another light crop again after 6 weeks again.