Dorset contractor out making grass silage in dry January

Farm contractors in Dorset have been making the most of an unseasonably dry and mild winter spell, by harvesting grass silage at the end of January.

WT Box Agricultural Services managing director William Box says first-generation dairy farmer Josh Fincham called last week, saying he felt the grass silage needed cutting ahead of the usual first cut in April.

“We have cut silage in early April, but never before in January. That’s very unusual and something you would expect to see on dairy farms in New Zealand, but not here in the UK,” Mr Box told Farmers Weekly.

See also: How to prepare for the 2023 silage-making season

On Wednesday 31 January, Mr Box cut 79 round bales of silage, each weighing about 0.5t, from 14ha of pasture at Hampreston Manor Farm, near Wimborne.

“Josh was concerned the grass was going yellow, so cutting now makes sense ahead of the first cut anticipated in April,” said Mr Box.

A combination of dry, mild weather, and the gravelly ground and soils which drain well, made it possible to travel on the land.

“When we got there, the top of the swath was crispy and dry,” said Mr Box. “I thought the bales would come out looking like rugby balls, but they are actually quite good.”

Technical details due

The silage bales will be removed from the fields and tested for dry matter (DM) this week, which is expected to be fairly good.

Fertiliser will be applied at the end of February, and grass will be cut again in late April, before the fields are ploughed and prepared for maize.

WT Box Agricultural Services offers contracting services – including round and square baling, ploughing, cultivating and hedging – across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

Mr Fincham and his partner Lauren Pincombe were finalists in the 2023 Farmers Weekly Dairy Farmer of the Year category.