Silage slippage is a major challenge on many dairy and beef farms throughout Northern Ireland at the present time, according to John Thompson and Sons nutritionist, Mary-Jane Robinson.
She confirmed the trend courtesy of her presentation to Ulster Grassland Society (UGS) members, who recently visited Drayne’s Farm.
Robinson attributed the slippage issue to a combination of factors. Two of these include the ensiling of wet forages and poor clamp consolidation.
Turning to the information available to farmers in silage analysis reports, the nutritionist highlighted two specific forage quality characteristics – AD lignin and ash percentage.
“The AD lignin value reflects the amount of totally indigestible fibre within a forage. This becomes an issue in terms of a silage’s intake potential if this value goes above 40g/kg.
“Ash percentage is an indicator of soil contamination within a silage; if the value exceeds 10.0. Again, forage intakes can be reduced under these circumstances.
“These figures reflect the impact that silages can have on rumen function. So we need to be mindful of this information when it comes to balancing cow diets,” Robinson said.
Wholecrop forage in Northern Ireland
Turning to spring wholecrop forages made in Northern Ireland this year, the nutritionist pointed to a trend of lower dry matter (DM) and starch values this year relative to what would be normally expected.
There is some expectation, however, that winter whole crops may be of a higher nutritive value.
Currently three cuts of silage are made at Drayne’s Farm.
“The plan is to push this up to four cuts annually. Research has confirmed that taking this approach consistently improves D values throughout the year, Robinson continued.
“Achieving this will have a direct and positive impact on milk components,” she said.
Where the concentrate component of rations fed to dairy cows is concerned, the nutritionist highlighted the value of feeding cereals at the present time.
This works at two levels – cereals have a high energy density and they are also relatively cheap at the moment.
The nutritionist also confirmed the enhanced risk of mycotoxins in silages this year: “This trend has become increasingly apparent over the past number of years.
“Where the feeding of high merit dairy cows is concerned, the inclusion of a binder in diets is strongly recommended.”