Cereal prices right for moderate silage
Cereal prices right for moderate silage
LOW prices for cereals make it more economic for beef producers to opt for a moderate quality silage at a higher crop yield and rely on feeding higher levels of concentrate.
MLC beef scientist Duncan Pullar says that with concentrates at £90/t and the same feeding period and finishing weight, calculations at current market prices show feeding margins are highest – at £51 a head – on moderate quality silage. This is more than double that achieved with high quality silage and comfortably ahead of margin on low quality silage (see table).
"The extra cost of making high quality silage is clearly not worthwhile when cereals are so cheap. As well as generating superior margins, a moderate quality silage regime allows more animals to be reared on a given acreage or provides more acres for grazing as a result of higher silage yields a hectare and lower intakes a head."
Dr Pullars figures are calculated using an MLC silage rationing and performance program, developed at the Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland. It is available free to produces and advisers, allowing performance targets and financial margins to be predicted for any specific combination of silage, concentrates and stock type. *
Performance predictions on different quality silages*
Silage quality High Moderate Low
ME (MJ/kg DM) 11.5 10.3 9.4
Silage yield (t/ha) 22.7 40.9 45.5
Cost (£/t DM) 80 44 40
Silage fed (t a head) 7.32 5.67 4.77
Concentrates (kg a day) 2 4 5
Liveweight gain (kg a day) 0.99 0.99 0.99
Margin over feed (£ a head) 25 51 40
*Assumes Continental cross steers reared from 300-550 kg in 252 days realising £1.75p/kg deadweight.