Attention to silage-making boosts milk yields at Monyruy

Grass silage making is the most important operation on dairy farms in North-east Scotland as silage - on its own or supplemented with alternative forages - provides over 50% of a dairy cow’s dry matter intake.

An ideal grass silage for lactating dairy cows should be well preserved with good nutritive value and have a restricted fermentation. It should have a dry matter of over 30%, ME of 11.0 MJ/kg DM and a protein level of 14.5%, along with good sugars, a low ammonia level, lactic acids between 8 – 12% and NDF levels of 500 – 550gms/kg dry matter.



This type of material will form the basis of a diet allowing the farmer to provide the cow with other feed within his feeding system to produce milk successfully.



In the winter of 2007/2008, Colin Mair of Colin G Mair and Partners, who run 260 Holsteins at Monyruy, Longside averaging 8500 – 9000 litres, sat down with Bryan Harley from Harbro to look at the weak points in his forage making and feeding.



With rising fertiliser costs, it was opportune to look at these inputs and slurry usage. In previous years, over-use had taken place and timing wasn’t always as it should have been to achieve good ensiling grass material.



With a large 28m wide pit capable of holding two cuts, ensiling and feeding out were both difficult and wasteful. The decision was made to erect a centre wall giving two pits which were more manageable and this was carried out last spring.



Prior to silage making, discussions were held with Martin Bell of contractors, M and M Bell at Techmuiry, Strichen, to ensure the right timing for mowing and harvesting to achieve optimum dry matter and also to consider a shorter chop length. The aim was to avoid sorting in the trough, reducing the risk of SARA (Sub Acute Rumen Acidosis).



Modern silage making techniques, which involve spreading to maximise wilting to achieve higher dry matter, can result in a greater number of spoiling organisms which reduce quality.



With this in mind, Colin chose Harbro Dominator which has twice the number of lactic acid producing bacteria than any other silage additive inoculant on the market. These out-compete the spoilage organisms present on wilted grass ensuring a rapid conversion of grass sugar to lactic acid for a quick, effective and complete fermentation. In doing so, the pH is reduced quickly, stabilising the silage, thus minimising the loss of valuable nutrients.



At Monyruy, this current winter has seen improved cow performance from the changes implemented to silage making. First cut ticked all the boxes with only protein levels below average. The second cut was down in energy like many others in 2008. However, both cuts of well-made, palatable material allowed Colin to maximise grain feeding (milled and caustic treated), with home-grown grain being a relatively cheap input.



When making the biggest proportion of a cow’s annual diet, dairy farmers can’t trust it to luck and the weather. Forward planning and carrying out good practices at Monyruy, as undertaken by Colin and his management team, Audrey and Scott, have proved to be cost-effective.



Good, well-made forage is the basis of a sustainable dairy with sustainable cows.

Wednesday, 29 April 2009 12:50 pm