In his second year of growing maize in tandem with beans, Jonathan Evans of Berry Hill Farm in Pembrokeshire has learned some valuable lessons, particularly in terms of crop establishment, variety selection and the importance of weed control.
Seen firstly as a good alternative break crop to oilseed rape – which has become harder to establish due to the difficulties in controlling flea beetle – maize is now a valuable forage for their beef finishing enterprise as well as an additional cash crop sold to neighbouring dairy and goat farms.
Ecosyl UK research has found that selecting the right wilting technique when making grass silage can speed up the process by up to five times. The research, which was conducted on farms in Wales using farm-scale silage machinery, compared the effects of tedding, time of day of cutting, and crop maturity on the rate of crop drying.
The results showed that tedding the grass after cutting increased the rate of wilting by up to 30%. Cutting the grass in the morning also resulted in faster wilting, as the dew on the grass helped to cool it down and reduce the rate of evaporation. Finally, the research found that the most mature grass wilted the fastest, as it had a higher water content.These findings suggest that farmers can speed up the silage wilting process by using the right techniques. Tedding the grass after cutting, cutting it in the morning, and harvesting the most mature grass will all help to reduce the amount of time it takes to make silage.
In a year where forage shortages are a major concern, it is important to utilise every acre to maximise forage opportunities and minimise the reliance on costly bought in feed.
With two seed locations Wynnstay are uniquely set up to provide a far-reaching service. By having one seed office in Yorkshire and another in Shropshire we are able to service a large proportion of the UK arable seed market.
We are also continuously investing and have recently expanded our teams at Shrewsbury and Yorkshire as we look towards the future.
With the drive to boost milk from forage, research has shed new light on multi-cut silage. Volac expert, Peter Smith, explains.
Create your very own native wildflower meadow with our helpful wildflower growing guide. Here, we offer advice on how to prepare your soil for the seed and how to maintain your perennials and annuals.
British gardens can suffer a number of problems that will result in dead/ empty patches, whether it is from the removal of weeds & moss or the location of last year’s paddling pool that won’t recover on its own, our guide will help show you how to fix this little problem.
Spring is the perfect time to give your lawn a health check and make those necessary steps to getting summer-ready.
It is almost impossible when drilling to ensure a field does not have a few seeds that are left on the surface either on the end of the row or where the drill has been refilled. This has not been a big concern in years gone by. However, increasingly it is being seen as unacceptable and could result in more seed treatment products being withdrawn from the market.
