Silage Insights - Industry Trends: Poland

About 90% of permanent grasslands in Poland are situated on lowlands with the remaining grasslands situated in the mountain region. The area in 2006 was approximately 3,215 hectares, which represents 20.15% of the total agriculture land in Poland, with significant differentiation by region (Figure 1). The area of permanent grasslands meadows is over 2,390 hectares, which is nearly 75% of all permanent grasslands. There are usually two or three recently cut meadows, with un-used production potential. Permanent grasslands in Poland are usually mowed 2 or 3 times per year. Their production potential is not used because about 15% of permanent grasslands in the first cut are not mowed and not utilized. Also the yields of hay harvested from grasslands are lower in relation to their production potential.  The obtained yields in 2005 were on mean level of 4.3 tonnes of hay per hectare (in the 1st cut 2.4 t/ha, in the 2nd cut - 1.3 and in the 3rd - 0.6 t per ha). Previous total yields are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 - Yields from permanent grasslands in hay in thousand tons

Source: Main Statistical Office, 2005

Permanent grasslands in Poland are a source of feed for ruminants. Cattle and more recently sheep play an important role. The livestock population of cattle in 2006 was 5,606.4 heads, and the livestock density per 100 hectares of agriculture lands was 35.1 heads.

Polish winters are long and cold with animals being fed indoor for up to 200 days. In the run up to this period farmers prepare the conserved feeds and the volume reserves. Hay is the item that is the most conserved, using the surface of the meadow. The hay produced from permanent meadows in 2005 was in total over 108 million tonnes (Table 2), and the quality of harvested hay was evaluated on 3.6 qualifications level (in 5-levels scale).

Table 2 - Structure of harvests from permanent meadows in particular cuts in Poland in 2005 (% of harvests yields from meadows)

Source: Main Statistical Office, 2005

In 2000, grass silage was not a popular method, with only 3-4% of yields from meadows ensilaged. Today, it is becoming increasingly popular year-on-year, with 12% of yields from meadows ensilaged in 2005 (Figure 2).

The reasons for the slow increase in popularity are: lack of tradition, lack or high costs of equipment needed for silage production - rolling presses, wrapping machines and appropriate equipment for bales transportation - and the high costs of plastic film. Factors also include the lack of profitability of animal production during a time of political transformation in the country and the lack of knowledge of technology of meadow sward conservation by ensilage.
The interest in producing high quality feed for ruminants is growing. An increasing number of farmers today make silage, particularly in those regions where the production of dairy cattle is most developed and in regions with permanent grasslands.

Figure 2 - Structure of conservation of yields from permanent meadows (% )

In Poland silage is made in clamps, silos and in big round bales (400 kg), rarely as "sausage silage".

More often the meadow sward is ensilaged in big bales wrapped in plastic film. For wrapping, stretch film is used, 0,025-0,030 mm thick and 500 mm wide, usually in white or black colour. This technology, despite its higher cost than its alternative methods, has many advantages: high quality of silage, independence on weather conditions and easy feeding, particularly in small and medium farms, where lower number of animals needs smaller daily portions of silage.

Today, however, the average quality of the silage produced in Poland is not good enough. Reasons for this are:

• wrong preparation of crops for silage production
• un-balanced fertilisation of grasslands, late cutting, in phase of earring, and sometimes flowering the dominant grass species
• mistakes during the ensilage process
• lack of use of conditioners, fastening the wilting process of the chopped crop
• ensilaging too wet sward - dry matter content about 20% (losses with effluents) or to pre-wilted (to dry)- dry matter content over 50%
• soil contamination
• little compression
• low number of film layers applied on a bale for cost savings reasons. Polish farmers usually use 4 layers of films and sometimes even less. They try to save costs by wrapping with 4 or 2 layers because of the high cost of plastic film (about the half of the total silage production cost)
• seldom use of silage additives improving the ensilaging process and preventing from a second fermentation.

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