The good weather over the last number of days has resulted in some farmers moving to harvest their second cut of silage.
After harvesting the second cut there are a number of things to consider, including a third cut and an application of lime.
Determining whether a third cut is required should be decided based off a fodder budget, taking into account current supplies and expected demand.
Lime after silage
Lime is often called the cheapest fertiliser farmers can spread, and for good reason. Research has shown that the return on investment from lime gives an extra €4-7 for every €1 invested.
This is likely to be even higher now, due to the higher cost of chemical fertilisers.
One thing farmers could be considering doing in late summer or early autumn is spreading lime on silage ground.
After second-cut has been harvested, the sward is clean, which means lime will not stick to the grass leaves.
This offers farmers the perfect opportunity to spread lime on these fields – if it is required.
Although some have already harvested second-cut silage, many have not, and now is a good time organise getting the lime spread.
Before spreading lime you can spread slurry, but a 10-day break is advised. So, this also means that the required time between lime and slurry of three months can be observed.
Input cost
The price of inputs such as fertiliser has drastically increased, so offsetting some of these cost should be every farmer’s goal.
Clover has the potential to play a major role in the reduction of chemical fertiliser, but soil pH needs to be corrected first.
This is why applying lime to fields is so important – to obtain the maximum amount of output from as little input as possible.