 Starts with the soil - Soil analysis  Nutrient management planning.

Slides:



Advertisements
Similar presentations
Biogas production from sugar beet silage
Advertisements

Grassland – Part 5 Silage and Hay.  Grass conservation involves the restricting of bacterial growth and other organisms, which would otherwise cause.
A. What is it? B. Why is it important? C. How is it done?
Catch Crops.  Cabbages, Kale, Rape, Grasses, Cereals and Stubble Turnips have used from time to time as catch crops.  In Ireland, rape, kale and stubble.
“The Rest of the Story…Cost of Feeding Horses” Mindy Hubert, Small Acreage Field Specialist SDSU Extension
Rotational grazing for store cattle case study Rhidian Jones Sheep and beef specialist SAC Consulting.
Harrigan, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, MSU Forage Harvesting and Handling.
Paddock Layout and Design. Before Building Fence Guideline #1: Flexibility.
Harvesting and Storing Quality Alfalfa
Grassland – Part 4 Grassland Management.  Good Grassland Management involves the following: 1. Finding out the amount of herbage required. 2. The application.
Grazing Distribution. What is Grazing Distribution? o Pattern created by livestock grazing an area of rangeland or pasture o animals tend to graze in.
Grass Growth and Pasture Management Part of the Ruminant Livestock: Facing New Economic Realities Meetings.
Forages. Forage – the edible parts of plants, other than separated grain, that can provide feed for grazing animals, or that can be harvested for feeding.
 Grass is usually measured in kg of Dry Matter  Grass availability measured in kg DM/ha  Lowland ground has the potential to produce 12 tonnes DM per.
Organic grassland management Mary Lynch Organic Farming Adviser.
 To gain an understanding of how and when grass grows and is utilised  To understand different grazing systems  To learn how to budget grass and measure.
Dairy nutrition May Dairy production model.
Grassland Management for Stud Farms – A Practical Approach Fiona Mc Kenna B.Agr.Sc., M.Sc.
Level II Agricultural Business Operations. To gain an understanding of animal nutritional requirements To asses the quality of silage To assess the quantity.
Level II Agricultural Business Operations. Good quality silage is a key factor in profitable milk production  Silage Production  Silage Assessment.
why, where and when of Pasture Management Willie Lantz Extension Educator Ag and Natural Resources Garrett County, Maryland.
Hay Considerations Part of the Ruminant Livestock: Facing New Economic Realities Meetings.
© British Nutrition Foundation 2011 Diversity of farming systems.
Livestock Feeding Practices By: Mariah Gumfory, Arlene Barrett, Haley Vrazel, & Dennis Bratton.
Crop Management Practices Cultivation. Preparing the soil Plants need nutrients to grow so it can be a good idea to apply fertilizer to the paddock you.
The other extreme… Hay Moisture Probe Contacts.
Corn Silage Production Dr. Chad Lee Grain Crops Extension Specialist University of Kentucky.
1 Production of Meat Animals (95412) Topic 7: Feeding growing and finishing beef cattle Dr Jihad Abdallah Department of Animal Production An-najah National.
Update of COGAP and adoption by signatory states J Webb.
Grass conservation. Why do we need to conserve grass?
 To gain an understanding of the principles of soil science  To assess the nutrient content of soils through soil sampling & analysis  To understand.
Slide 1 Silage- Preserved Grass for Winter Feed. Factors That Affect Silage Quality  Use of additives  Compaction  Speed of filling & sealing the pit.
Baled Silage and Hay Preservatives Dennis Hancock, PhD. Extension Forage Specialist UGA – Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences Dennis Hancock, PhD. Extension.
Soil Respiration Unit: Soil Science. Objectives O Define: soil respiration and soil microbes O Explain the role of soil respiration in determining soil.
SILAGE MAKING Assoc. Prof. Dr. István HULLÁR (2010.)
Harvesting WHEN TO HARVEST? It is essential to adopt the right stage of harvest, which will ensure the optimum quantity of nutrients in the plant along.
 Improved animal performance  High yielding  Renovating cool season pasture  Double cropping system  Emergency situations  “Salvage crop” Advantages.
Forage Conservation. Need for conservation  Feeding during drought or floods  Utilizing surplus forage  Transport of feed.
Making, Storing, and Feeding Round Bale Silage
Keys to Success with Baleage Dennis Hancock, PhD. Extension Forage Specialist UGA – Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences Dennis Hancock, PhD. Extension Forage.
Baled Silage Storage 4-10% loss Baling 2-5% loss Feeding Minimal loss Feeding Wilting 2-5% loss Fewer Losses Accumulate With Each Step End Result: 90%
Managing surplus forage: Producing hay and baled silage Dennis Hancock Extension Forage Specialist UGA – Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences Dennis Hancock.
Silage and Hay.  Grass conservation involves the restricting of bacterial growth and other organisms, which would otherwise cause spoilage.  This can.
HARVESTED FORAGES Silage
© SSER Ltd.. Green plants manufacture organic compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids by the process of photosynthesis The manufacture of.
How much perennial ryegrass do I sow?. Today’s Plan Strengths and weakness of perennial rye & annual rye Changes to feed supply patterns Water use & WUE.
Conserving Whole Crop Cereal Silage
Soil & Nutrient Management
SGCHS AG Dept. Natural Resource Management Mr. Hochreiter
FORAGE PRODUCTION IN SOUTH GEORGIA. PASTURES CAN PROVIDE: INEXPENSIVE HIGH QUALITY FEED IN THE FORM OF GRAZING, HAY OR SILAGE PASTURES AND HAY CAN SUPPLY.
Classes of Feeds for Horses Presentation Part 4: Roughages (Continued 2) #8895-B.
Pasture Rotation Karen Hutchinson Virginia Cooperative Extension This presentation is from Virginia Tech and has not been edited by the Georgia Curriculum.
Animal Food and Feeding Practices. What we are covering this week… Nutritional value of feed Digestibility Feed requirements of maintenance, growth, pregnancy.
PastureBase Ireland - Capturing Grassland Data on Irish Drystock Farms Micheál O’Leary Teagasc Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork
Hay Moisture Probe.
FODDER BEETS IN WA Dale Thompson.
Charles Brummer UGA Forage Breeding
Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science
Top Ten Pasture Management Tips Dan Morrical Iowa State University
Lecture 1   Grasses as feed for ruminant animals The natural feed of the herbivorous animals is forage and for most of the year this forms all or most.
Grazing Distribution.
Grazing Basics Central Wisconsin Grazing Meetings March 2008
Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science
Grazing Methods and Their Role in Pasture Management
Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science
Grazing and Grassland Management
Calculating Forage Requirements and Yield
Translocation and Transpiration
Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science
Managing Stockpiled Tall Fescue to Extend the Grazing Season
Presentation transcript:

 Starts with the soil - Soil analysis  Nutrient management planning

 Silage Quality 1. Fermentation (pH & Ammonia N) 2. Feeding value (D-Value, CP & Dry Matter)  Silage Quantity 1. Tonnage required

 D-value depends on stage of growth and timing of harvesting Very high D-value>75 High D-value>70 Moderate D-value65-70 Low D-value<65

Seed head not visible but moving up the shoot Seed heads fully emerged and elongated

Grass at 67 D-value

60 D Very stemmy with a dead base

Why?  To assess feed value, predicted animal performance and the need for supplementation  To identify early the stability of the silage and possible impacts on waste and animal health How?  Wait until 6 weeks post harvest  Take several cores across clamp

 pH of between 3.8 and 4.2 is desirable  In the field after mowing - Respiration occurs breaking down sugars.  Plant proteins are also broken down.  In the silo during filling –sugars are converted to lactic acid in the absence of air until a pH of 3.8 – 4.2 is reached.

 In silo – If pH above 4.2 then undesirable bacteria grow converting sugars to butyric acid and protein to ammonia resulting in poor quality silage.  During feed-out – if pH is above 4.2 then sugars in the presence of oxygen are converted to CO 2 & heat. Yeasts & moulds also grow rapidly.

1. Sward type – PRG is better 2. Nitrogen Application 3. Stage of growth 4. Weather & Grass Dry Matter 5. Silo filling & sealing technique

 Ensure sugar content of grass is high (greater than 2.5% fresh weight) by: 1. Harvesting swards with a high PRG content. 2. Applying slurry & fertiliser at correct rate & time. 3. Harvesting in bright sunny weather. 4. Carry out ensilability analysis.

 Indicates the potential fermentation quality by giving information on: 1. Dry matter 2. Crude protein 3. Water soluble carbohydrates (sugars) 4. Nitrate 5. Buffering Capacity

 Rule of thumb – allow a day for every 2 units of Nitrogen to grow out of grass  Hence 3 bags 27%N = 81 units  81 divided by 2 units/day  41 days required between fertiliser application and cutting

Ensure silage dry matter is high by: 1. assessing % DM before harvesting. 2. harvesting grass at and/or wilting to % DM.

 Spread the herbage over as large an area as possible immediately post mowing  Max wilting period hours  Prolonged wilting reduces digestibility  Wilting results in increased silage DM intakes

 Can be used as an aid to make good silage but not a remedy for poor management  Inoculants are the main type 1. Inoculants contain one or more lactic acid bacteria and promote efficient fermentation

50mm drainage pipe 600 mm 125 mm Grass placed on top by hand 0.125mm polythene

 Clean pit thoroughly  Hang plastic side sheet to ensure good seal  Spread grass over pit evenly in shallow layers (6 – 9 inches)  Roll continuously  Rapid filling is best

 All silage effluent must be collected.  The tank must be checked regularly to ensure that it does not overflow or that it is not leaking.  Empty the tank regularly to prevent effluent reaching drains or watercourses

 Same principles apply as with pit silage  Bales should be dense and cylindrical in shape  Wrap as soon as possible after baling  layers of plastic film

 Wrap at the stacking area if possible  If not, move bales from the field immediately after wrapping  Oxygen will enter a bale every time it is handled  Avoid spiking if possible at any time (even before wrapping)

Section A: 30 x 3 x 10 = 900m 3 Plus Section B: 5 x 3 x 10 = 150m3 X 0.5 = 75 m 3 Total = = 975m 3 30m5m 3m3m Width of pit = 10m Assume silage is 30% Dry matter AB Example:

Conversion Factors Silage Dry Matter Conversion factor

Measuring Quantity Silo/Pit: Length (m) x Width (m) x Height (m) = Volume (m 3 ) X Dry Matter Conversion factor = Tonnes of silage

Measuring Quantity kg/bale ort/bale Round (unchopped) 1.3m Round (chopped) 1.3m Square (2.5mx1.2mx0.9m) (8x4x3’) Will vary enormously with dry matter, sward type and operator!

Silage Requirements Type of stockNo Requirement per month (t) Months Silage requirement Spring calver – 350 kg store 0.8 Calves0.3 Ewes0.15 Total silage required

 Cut silage around 50% ear emergence to optimise yield and quality  Allow 2 units N/day from sowing to cutting  Don’t overwilt – 30 hours max  Seal silo carefully  Handle bales carefully  Do a budget before winter

 The amount of grass grown depends on many factors 1. Soil temperature (>6° C) 2. Light 3. Water 4. Nutrient availability 5. Grass type/breed

 At peak growth there is a new leaf every 4-5 days (May)  Peak growth all 3 leaves replaced in 2-3 weeks  Best time to graze is at 2 ½ to 3 leaves

 4 main grazing systems used 1. Set stocking 2. Rotational grazing 3. Strip grazing 4. Paddock grazing

Set stocking Rotational Paddock grazing

Animals have unrestricted access over a wide area throughout the grazing season

ProsCons Low management inputLower grass yield Low capital cost (1 drinking trough, external fence) Difficult to manage and maintain grass quality and height Can work well if sward height maintained at correct level Uneven manure distribution Lower utilisation due to trampling Weeds allowed to build up

Animals move around a small number of fields based on sward height or after a certain number of days

ProsCons Higher production than set stocking More fencing required Allows pasture to rest and recover Extra drinking troughs needed Can extend the grazing season Grass production and utilisation not optimum More even distribution of manure

Animals given a new allocation of grass each day by mean of electric fence

ProsCons Useful when excess of grass at points in the year Labour intensive. Fence needs moved each day Good utilisation of grass – very little trampling or spoiling of grass Water availability a problem Very good for forage crops like kale and rape Not ideal as cattle are usually allowed back over previous days grazings Hampers re-growth Can lead to trampling along fence line

Animals are moved frequently through a series of paddocks based on measured grass heights or grass covers

ProsCons Highest grass production and use Initial cost of fencing and water troughs High quality grass & higher stocking rates More intensive management – skill required More even manure distributionRequires careful monitoring Can extend grazing season Allows for excess grass to be cut out as silage (bales) Quieter/more manageable stock?

SystemAnnual Yield (t DM/ha) Utilisation (%) Usable yield (t DM/ha) % increase Set stocking Rotational % Paddock %

 To be continued!