Industry experts in the UK and Ireland have recently teamed up to create the Silage Advisory Centre (SilAC), designed to improve the ability of farmers to produce quality and nutritional silage at a reasonable profit and to aid decision-making regarding silage production, forage conservation and grassland management.

SilAC provides farmers with down to earth, practical advice and tools to improve silage quality and maximise their forage and grassland management systems using baled silage more effectively, and act as a key source of information for farmers weighing up the pros and cons of different silage systems, processes and materials.

Activities of the Centre include:

  • independent research trials and demo farms to test different approaches to silage making and fodder management;
  • open days at its demo farms to share best practice with farmers;
  • nutrition seminars tailored to agricultural merchants' nutrition and feed advisors;
  • silage advisory seminars for farmers;
  • a website - www.silageadvice.com - to provide a range of practical information and tools, case studies, research studies and reports at the click of a mouse.

Initial members of SilAC include The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University, stretch film manufacturer BPI, agricultural company Dow AgroSciences, resin producer Dow Europe, seed company Germinal Holdings/British Seed Houses,and agricultural merchant Mole Valley Farmers.

SilAC Logo

"We believe that baled silage provides dairy farmers with the opportunity to maximise the utilisation of grazed grass whilst at the same time providing optimal nutritional requirements to different types of stock on farm," said Dr Dave Davies, Agricultural Outreach Manager at IBERS. "There is a need to take an holistic approach to fodder management, and we think that by bringing together the expertise of a wide variety of people and organisations involved in silage production, farm management and nutrition into this Advisory Centre we can offer a relevant and valuable service to UK and Irish farmers."

For more information, please contact: Sergio Di Gesù at sergio@silageadvice.com

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Winter 2010 Newsletter
Silage Research Section