Silage has long been the flagship supplementary feed on Australian and New Zealand dairy farms, with a higher energy value per hectare than hay and a lower cost to grow than many other crops.
It’s also easy to grow, easy to harvest, but also easy to lose all of these benefits if your storage and handling system is not up to spec!
Why worry about silage handling and storage?
When grass is ensiled the sugars are convert into lactic acid which pickles the grass. This ensures the silage can be preserved for extended lengths of time for feeding out in times of feed deficit without losses in feed quality. A well-preserved grass silage at time of feed out can be of similar quality to what it was in pasture at the time of harvest! This helps to point out the importance of proper storage and handling methods.
Maintaining quality and preventing losses in grass silage all comes back to your ability to isolate it from air from the time of harvest to feeding out.
Each time silage is exposed to air the silage heats up as microorganisms use the sugars and protein you preserved through the ensilation process to begin aerobic spoilage, this turns silage into heat energy and results in lost feed value and quality.
Feeding out spoiled and moldy silage is highly advised against, doing so can cause the following issues:
Including spoiled silage in the feed ration at rates as little as 5% can have serious effects on your stock as described above.
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Preventing dry matter loss and spoilage in stack silage all comes back to your stack face management. It has been advised that you open the stack at the opposite end of any prevailing winds as this can help to prevent air penetrating into the stack under the cover. Read the below pointers for some highly effective stack management tips:
Fodder Beet has boomed in popularity as a supplementary feed among dairy farms in New Zealand, particularly in the South Island and some parts of the Central North Island such as the Waikato and Taranaki, some Australian dairy farmers in Victoria & Tasmania are beginning to include this into their supplementary feed system as well.
It’s very high yielding with extremely high amounts of energy which is a big plus in the colder southern climates, it’s fertilization requirements are also very low which further add to its benefits as a low cost crop to grow. However, fodder beet doesn’t come without its pitfalls.
Avoid the Fodder Beet pitfalls
If you are going to include fodder beet in your winter feed programme it’s important you develop and adhere to a transition programme to prevent acidosis issues arising in your stock. For information regarding a successful transition onto fodder beet read, How to transition stock onto Fodder Beet
Hay Bales are much easier to handle and store than the likes of silage, simple Bale Forks and will handle hay bales with ease as spiking poses no issue to the bale, however much like any forage crop hay is still prone to dry matter losses and quality deterioration when it comes to storage.
The main thing you can do to protect hay bales against deterioration is to protect them from the elements, storing your hay under a shelter is advised to prevent contact with water, if a hay shed is not available alternatives such as wrapping or covering with a tarp are advised.
Palm Kernel provides many farmers with another cost-effective supplementary feed due to it being a waste by product in the manufacture of Palm Oil. Palm Kernel provides high levels of protein, oil, minerals such as manganese, zinc and copper along with being extremely versatile when it comes to feeding out. Palm Kernel does not require specialist handling or mixing equipment and can be feed out directly through trailers and troughs, however if you decide to use it along with other supplementary feed you can feed it alongside silage, hay and other products.
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