Top tips for using the same pit for first and second-cut silage

Will you have to put your second-cut silage in the same clamp or pit as your first cut this season? If the answer is yes, then you will need to stop and think.

There’s a bulletproof argument for making the best-quality silage possible, as it will reduce spending on bought-in feed at farm level.

Therefore, it’s important that you don’t undo the hard work you’ve already put into making first-cut silage.

As part of Cut to Clamp, a new initiative from Volac which aims to help farmers make consistently better silage, we take a look at the important steps to get right when saving second-cut silage.

Pitting second-cut silage

Ideally, second-cut silage should go into its own pit. If you don’t have that option or the space isn’t available, it’s perfectly acceptable to put it in the same pit as first cut.

But, you need to take the appropriate precautions. The crucial thing is to prevent spoilage by minimising the ingress of air or the quantity of air entering the pit.

Top tips for minimising the ingress of air:

Remove the cover from your first cut until the absolute last minute before adding the new crop.
Keep the area of the first-cut silage exposed to the air to a minimum for the shortest possible time.
Treat plastic sheets with care and patch any holes.
Make sure you’ve also got enough sheeting to cover the new crop – including the top and the sides and allowing for adequate overlaps. You don’t want air to sneak into the pit after sealing.

Layered loading

If you are going to feed your first and second cut at the same time, ideally your first cut should have been pitted in a layer covering the entire floor of the clamp.

Second cut can then go in as a new layer on top. That way the different cuts can be managed easily at feed-out, rather than having to feed all of one and then the other.

Careful conservation

In terms of the other steps required for achieving the best conservation of your second-cut silage, the usual rules apply.

Fill quickly and in thin layers no more than 15cm deep. That’s about the maximum that can be consolidated effectively.
Achieve a good compaction to squeeze out air. This is necessary to start the fermentation process and to minimise problems with aerobic stability (spoilage).
Cover the pit thoroughly and quickly to keep air out.
Remember the importance of a quality additive for maintaining better control of the whole preservation process and, subsequently, for getting the best animal performance from your silage.

Looking to make the best second cut you can?

Second-cut silage shouldn’t be considered a second-rate crop in these days of making the most of forage.

Farmers need to keep a number of important points in mind when making second-cut silage. These are important to ensure the production of a high-quality feedstuff.

1. Quality

Second-cut grass has the potential to grow quicker than grass for first cut and, as a result, it can head out much sooner.

This is important as after heading out the digestibility falls by 0.5%/day. Therefore, it’s important to monitor growth regularly to ensure you cut at the optimum time.

This is normally about six weeks after first cut, but could be sooner depending on weather conditions.

2. Wilting

Warmer and drier weather (in theory) means there’s also potential for second cut to wilt much quicker after cutting than first cut – especially if you have a lighter crop.

This means target dry matters of 27-32% can be easily overshot. Some first-cut crops have been made very dry because of this already this year.

So watch crop conditions carefully and regularly after mowing. In the right conditions, consider mowing and picking up on same day.

3. Packing the pit

If you’ve had a lighter first cut this season – for example if you cut it early – second cut could be invaluable.

So don’t skimp on preserving it. Ensure you achieve effective consolidation, clamp sealing and use a quality additive to conserve maximum nutrients and avoid shrinkage (loss of quantity) in the clamp.

4. Beware of slurry

If slurry has been applied after first cut, then beware.

Insufficient time may have elapsed between application and second-cut harvest for the slurry bacteria to have disappeared fully from the sward.

The ideal target interval should be 10 weeks between application and harvest. Aim to alleviate this problem by increasing the dry matter of the crop through wilting and the use a quality additive to out-compete the spoilage bacteria.

5. Using an additive

You should also maximise the retention of nutrients and animal performance by using a proven silage inoculant to ensure a fast and efficient fermentation.

If you believe there is a high risk of aerobic instability, then you should speak to your forage specialist about the best and most proven product to use.

Remember that the risk of aerobic spoilage (heating) increases at high dry matter levels. So you should consider using a dual-acting additive to cover the two possible scenarios. This will not only improve fermentation, but it also reduces the aerobic spoilage risk.

This post is sponsored by Volac as part of its new Cut to Clamp initiative, which aims to raise the profile of good silage as a vital part of modern farming. Click here for more information on the Cut to Clamp initiative