Good milk prices mean maximising production is a “no brainer” on UK dairy farms. But high input costs mean cost-efficiency is likely to remain essential next year.
That is the message from Volac silage specialist Peter Smith who says that, although milk prices have hit 45-50p a litre this year, dramatic cost increases for fertiliser, feed and fuel mean producing milk more cost-effectively is vital.
“Feed costs account for a significant proportion of the overall cost of milk production,” says Mr Smith, “and fertiliser costs have gone through the roof, so it’s important to get a return on these increased investments.
“While purchased feeds are a key element in most rations, homegrown feeds will be the most cost-effective base to the diet. By making better silage, so that more of the cow’s nutritional needs are provided by silage, it can help to ease feed costs. And with milk prices having improved, certain steps to improve silage that may have previously been considered marginal by some farmers could now give a much better return on investment.”
Making the most of silage amid good milk price
Mr Smith says cutting grass at its nutritional peak is key. Too many fields are cut when grass has already headed, he says, but digestibility falls by 0.5 D units a day post-heading.
By one week post-heading, around 1.5kg more concentrate per cow per day will be needed to make up for this, he notes, to achieve the same yield.
Similarly, wilting grass rapidly, so that it can be clamped as soon as possible after cutting, is vital, says Mr Smith, to minimise the losses in energy and protein that continue while cut grass lies in the field.
“Our research has shown that tedding immediately after cutting in the morning can reduce wilting time by as much as 80% from a standard 24-hour wilt,” says Mr Smith, “but another area where big gains are possible is from ensiling with a proven additive.
“Here, our calculations show that, as milk has increased from 25p to 45p a litre, the return from using the additive Ecosyl has increased from £7.50 to £13.50 per tonne of silage treated. This now represents about a 10:1 return on investment.
“This is based on independent dairy cow trials which have shown that feeding a range of silage crops preserved with Ecosyl boosted milk yield by an average of 1.2 litres per cow per day. So if one tonne of silage typically feeds 25 cows for a day, this extra 1.2 litres over 25 cows equates to an extra 30 litres of milk produced per tonne of silage.”
Silage-making tips
Other silage-making tips from Mr Smith include clamp consolidation.
“Many clamps are not consolidated well enough, raising the risk of poor fermentation and aerobic spoilage.
“Grass of 30% dry matter being loaded into a clamp at 100 tonnes per hour typically needs 25 tonnes of machinery rolling it constantly to compact it properly.
“Also, don’t skimp on clamp sealing and weighting,” he adds.
“Yes, dairy input costs have increased. But with strong milk prices, for those farmers who can produce milk cost-efficiently, the next few years should be a very good time.”
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