Warm, dry conditions bring silage first cut forward

Relatively dry and warm conditions through March and April have pushed first cut silage forward, with many farmers preparing to harvest a week or two earlier than normal.  

While poor weather in the past 18 months has caused problems for some, overall grass growth across the UK is up compared with last year, says independent grassland adviser Chris Duller.

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“There is plenty of grass on the deck across the UK. Most people are ahead of the game by about a week,” he told Farmers Weekly.

“Overall, we’ve seen slow grass growth through April, with colder nights and the current dry spell, but we’re ahead compared to last year, although slightly behind the long-term average.”

But in the past week grass growth had really kicked in, he added.

“Where fields have suffered from soil damage there will be some light crops, and north facing fields will be a bit behind as well – so walk your fields to be sure they are ready to go. Don’t let the man on the mower be the one to find out there’s no grass,” he added.

Peter Smith, business manager at Ecosyl Volac, commented: “There are people out there cutting now, who I’ve never seen cut so early because the weather is here.

“The advantage of mowing now is that we’ve banked the first cut and cleared the overwintered grass, and it will grow back rapidly from now on, especially if we get some rain.”

Early cut for Shropshire farm

Ruth and Steve Ashley, who run a dairy holding of 110 Holsteins on an all-year-round calving system near Shrewsbury, started their silage harvest on 10 April.

“We have maize ground we wanted to cut so we could get ready for planting,” explained Mrs Ashley. “The rest of the fields were looking ready, nitrogen was low, we had plenty of sun and they talked of unsettled weather, so we made the decision to go before it went past its prime.”

They hope for five or six cuts over the full season.

“We caught the weather right and were able to put slurry and fertiliser on after cutting and, after some decent rain, the grass is off and growing again,” she added.

Problems ahead

While the past week’s weather has helped grass growth and quality, farmers are advised to make sure they pick it up and get it into silage pits quickly.

“We’re seeing high quality grass coming through with sugars through the roof in this current window,” said Mr Duller

“The main issue now is making sure you pick it up quickly. Best to do so in 12-24 hours, as high dry matter silages are difficult to consolidate properly.”

For those who have not had a chance to get their first cut in, there could be some problems ahead, though.

“As the ground in some places hasn’t recovered from the past 18 months of poor weather, we’re seeing soil compaction damage,” Mr Duller said.

“Add that to a low soil moisture and there’s a good chance that some aftermaths will be very slow to recover. With this in mind, don’t cut too low or second cuts will be a long time coming.”