A key factor in producing quality forage is a carefully planned reseeding programme revolving around the core principle that you should aim to reseed 15% of the farm each year. It is estimated that reseeding costs £250/ acre, making it a major investment, which requires attention to detail throughout the process. The starting point to this is selecting the right grass seed mixture which will suit your end requirements.
Maize is a high value cropping choice for dairy and beef producers with its high starch and fermentable energy content. However, it can be relatively costly to grow so it pays to consider all the elements required for a successful crop, ahead of planting. If you are growing maize this year careful planning is the key to ensure the best possible return on investment.
We are encouraging our growers to make spring seed decisions early, as popular varieties are likely to be in short supply. Delayed drilling due to the ‘Beast from the East’ and little rainfall from May to August last year has impacted seed availability for 2019.
Wynnstay have launched a new range of fertilisers within the established TopCrop brand. PotashPlus offers an ideal combination of four nutrients in one single fertiliser.
Whatever the use and however much maize is going to be fed in the ration, optimising dry matter, starch yield and fibre digestibility is the key. The latter of the two being more significant, yet harder to measure.
Quality grass is a cost-effective part of feeding and regular reseeding ensures that the required nutritional value of the ley is maintained. New leys can help deliver a 33% increase in yield in the first year compared to a typical old sward, and in a drought year this can increase up to 50%.
Widely grown in northern Europe, Hybrid Rye is proving to be an increasingly popular choice for improving the performance of AD (Anaerobic Digestion) plants and has potential as a high yielding wholecrop for livestock production.
One of the biggest variable costs on livestock farms is undoubtedly feed costs and figures are often quoted that grazed grass is the cheapest feed on the farm. However, if we all agree that grazed grass is the cheapest feed on a farm then one target should be to maximise its use. The second obvious target alongside that is to maximise the use of grass silage in those periods when grazed grass is not sufficient to meet the needs of the stock on your farm. There are many choices to be made when considering grass silage the first being whether to bale or to clamp.
When it comes to making silage, and regardless of whether it’s in a clamp or in bale, one of the most important things to have at the forefront of your mind is oxygen. Or more specifically, how to reduce it in the silo at all times.
