The extremely hot and dry weather experienced during the 2022 season, coupled with the effect of reduced fertiliser inputs on some farms have resulted in lower forage yields than would normally be expected.. Weed control in established grassland and in young grass leys should therefore be a top priority for producers in spring, to maximise forage potential.
In recent times there has been some debate about the ideal chop length for rumen health. In this respect, a useful gauge for chop length is that it should be the width of a cow's mouth! However, only a maximum of 10 per cent should be this long. If there is too much long chopped forage cows will sort the ration and only eat the short chop. In terms of good compaction in a silage clamp, it is absolutely essential to alter the chop length depending on the dry matter content of the forage to be ensiled.
The effect of regional weather patterns is clearly visible again this season. In areas that experienced low rainfall and high temperatures during the critical establishment and early development phase, the crop has clearly suffered. Contrast this with other parts of the country where periods of hot weather were interspersed with regular rainfall, and well-established maize crops have high yield potential. Given the variability, I advise growers to monitor their crops as we progress through September to ensure the crop is harvested at the optimum maturity.
Small mistakes with harvest management can lead to costly results. Getting the details right at this stage will help to ensure all the resource that has been invested in growing the crop, doesn't go to waste!
With high fertiliser costs should you ‘batten down the hatches’ or focus even harder on producing good grass silage this season?
Quality grass is a cost-effective part of feeding and regular reseeding ensures that the required nutritional value of the ley is maintained. In a year with soaring nitrogen costs and other inputs rising the production of high-quality forage is crucial. 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%.
Read our top tips on how to get the most from your root seed and best methods for root seed utilisation.
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 now as a high yielding wholecrop for livestock production.
With its huge yield potential, flexible drilling dates, vigorous growth habit and very early maturity, it provides growers with the opportunity for increased flexibility, in terms of the position of energy crops in their rotation.
The 2021/22 AHDB Recommended List sees several high yielding varieties introduced in the wheat and barley groups. For maximum potential yield to be achieved, crops need to be provided with the correct balance of essential nutrients throughout the growing season.
Improving Nitrogen fertiliser Use Efficiency (NfUE) will be one of the most important ways in which UK growers can improve their business productivity in the future.
The single most important decision you can make to maximise your NfUE lies in the type of fertiliser you choose in the first place, says CF Fertilisers’ head agronomy Dr. Sajjad Awan. Whilst good management can help finetune the effectiveness of your applications, start with the wrong Nitrogen source and you’ll be locked into lower levels of NfUE with little you can do to lift it, he says.
“NfUE is essentially a measure of how much of the Nitrogen applied ends up in the crop. “In simple terms, if you apply 100kg N/ha and only 50kg N/ha is taken up by your crop, you will have an NfUE of 50% and half of the N you have paid for has gone somewhere other than into your crops as intended “Improving NfUE benefits your crop, your pocket and the wider environment.
Whether you are looking at it from the perspective of clean air, reducing your carbon footprint or increasing production efficiency, loss of N from the cropping system is a major problem.”
