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With an estimated 75,000 farms in the UK undertaking some form of silage production - and 'home-grown' silage becoming increasingly popular in the light of supermarket demands for better traceability - what can farmers do to maximise use of such a key resource? Is it possible to balance the benefits of silage with the parallel need to rely on cheaper, grazed grass in today's tough economic climate? According to a report into baled silage in the UK and Ireland from The Dow Chemical Company, more farmers now bale silage as opposed to using clamps or pits, with the decline of silos continuing unabated. 98% of respondents in a survey for the report said they baled at least some of the grass they ensiled in the 2006 season, with two-thirds baling a substantial proportion (81-100%).* "Farmers are increasingly turning to baled silage as it provides advantages including high quality fodder, flexibility in handling and feeding systems, limited capital expenditure and low losses during production and storage," says Norbert Schulze, Silage Marketing Manager for Dow Europe. "However, an additional, key benefit of baled silage is becoming apparent - its potential as a 'grassland management tool'." According to Schulze, baling silage enables farmers to maximise utilisation of grazed grass whilst producing high quality baled silage for use either as a buffer feed when grazing is limited or for high-yielding dairy cows that need very high quality grass silage. Using baling alongside other methods in a rotational system can lead to further, specific benefits, as Dr Dave Davies, Silage Researcher and Agricultural Outreach Manager at The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), explains. "Farmers in the UK commonly seek to take three or in some cases four cuts of silage, with lowland farms in the Cheshire Plain, Somerset Levels and Shropshire routinely taking three cuts, and the high altitude of many beef farmers often resulting in a single cut," he says. "The first cut, taken when the grass is at its nutritional best, is almost always ensiled in clamps or pits. Once the clamp has been closed to allow fermentation to begin, it should not ideally be opened until animals have been housed for the winter; meaning second and third cut grass cannot be added as it becomes available. "At times when grass growth is rapid, supply often outgrows grazing requirements, and many farmers "top" the over-supply with a mower to maintain grass quality. In the current economic climate machinery and fuel usage needs to be fully justified, and topped grass is generally wasted." According to Dr Davies, if rather than wasting surplus forage a paddock is taken out of the grazing rotation and set aside for baled silage production, then not only can grazed grass utilisation be maximised, but high quality silage can be produced in convenient bale sized quantities for feeding when grazed grass supply is insufficient. It can also be used when a small number of livestock are housed early and opening a large silage clamp is a last resort. "Provided excessive nitrogen fertilizer is not applied, silage can also be harvested earlier than the standard six week re-growth period if grazing becomes short," he adds. "And, forage options from such a system do not need to be limited to grass, as introducing legumes such as red clover brings benefits to rotation such as enhanced soil fertility, making other crops in the cycle more profitable." Dr Davies points out the potential of baling to enable 'rapid harvesting' - baling silage from daily harvestable areas in a "smash and grab raid", resulting in a harvest of easily storable, high quality silage from a crop that could otherwise be ruined by wet weather, a problem all too familiar after a series of wet summers in the UK. "Ultimately, using baled silage as a grassland management tool results in a highly flexible system which offers the potential to reduce costs whilst maximising yields and financial returns," says Norbert Schulze. "It enables farmers to make the most of grass grazing - which remains the cheapest feed on farm ranging from £30 to £50/t DM - whilst at the same time providing further opportunities for silage use when it is most needed. With silage providing the cheapest winter feeding option at £60 to £120/t DM, that is an important economic consideration for today's farmers." Download the Dow's Market Report on Baled Silage in UK and Ireland here. *Survey among 211 farmers and agricultural contractors in the UK conducted in 2007 by Dow Europe GmBH with Farm Contractor magazine.
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