This video is something a little bit different! We get into the details on how to make PERFECT (or close enough) silage! Research paper - www.sciencedir... Follow us on: TikTok - / farmtheoryni #smartfarming
Excellent video! Thank you so much for making it. It is great to have all the right information in one place and straight to the point. I like the way you're going with the channel. Keep it up!
I'm sorry to ask a question on an old video, but when you talk about leaving nitrogen in the grass before cutting for silage, does this include ammonical nitrogen, too?
I’d love to se your fertiliser plan for your multi cut system , so that would be how much artificial nitrogen and slury you spread for each cut and intended harvest dates , I learned a bit off this video thanks 👍
So the very early silage making where they made vacuum silage we’re doing 1 thing right pumping the air out of the silage if they just didn’t let it heat up would be perfect! The 4 hours drying makes sense 5th cut the driest we baled had been cut the morning we picked up
Great Video, personally I'm not a big fan of talking to camera, the key to your success is you linked practise to sound science, after 4 years of studying ag degrees I don't recall a detailed lecture on making good silage, or perfect silage, I watch guys making silage with JCB's dumping buckrake loads in one spot compared to USA where that push the silage up the heap spreading and compacting an inch thick layer, they always have 3 big tractors with lots of weight per chopper 2 rolling and 1 pushing, thanks for sharing
I agree with most of it not boring at all but making 4-5 cuts of silage and only wilting for 24 hours has the potential for clamp slippage, which I and many other producers have experienced
We actually had real issues with slippage in 2021, no issues since despite wet grass, I think the compactor has definitely reduced the risk. I'm also convinced side sheets make the problem much worse.
I do cut some Italian. The difference in sugar % is actually quite small, so the idea is you accept less sugar and don't leave the grass down overnight.
Interesting video. How do bales fit into all this then? Obviously with your set up it’s not a concern. But for a farmer without the kit and ability you have can they stack up to pit silage?
Absolutely brilliant video, it makes me sit back and smile at the things I’m doing right, unfortunately there’s the same amount of winches when I see/hear the things I’m doing wrong. Very well done
Great video Andrew. Can you justify paying a contractor €150 an acre to do four cuts? That is very expensive silage if that's the case. In this case would baling all silage be more economical
Very good video you explained a lot about making silage and a lot of common sense and rolling your silage pit which you have explained that people don't do and is so important to do
I just got an idea; you could make a weight out of concrete 6 tonne, 12 tonne for the tractor and use that with the train wheels if you wanted more weight.
Interesting.........I think though your comment that the weather doesn't play as big a part as people think is controversial........you say mow mid -day but it does make a difference how fast it drys depending what the weather is .......if its cloudy its not going to dry so fast if its hot and breezy it drys really fast and maybe 24hrs of wilt could well be too long likewise go to the other extreme (your 5th cut for example) when the ground was wet and no doubt there was going to be soil/mud in the silage i definately think the weather/ground conditions will have a negative effect on that silage. probably the conclusion to this is that it is easier said than done to make perfect silage and theres probably a bit of luck attached to it aswell also i think what the weather is doing when the grass is growing in the field makes a difference if its warm and sunny with the right amount of rain to keep it growing that makes better quality grass likewise if its wet all the time grass isn't such good quality or as you said in drought conditions theres not so much goodness in the grass
Excellent video 👏👏 not convinced with the compactor on wetter silage (kind of turned it to soup which the other cuts slid off🙈) only time we have had a problem. 4 cuts all layered in for consistency
Excellent informative video, keep it up please. So if you get caught with rain half way through harvesting do you stop until the next day or is best to carry on.
That was a very informative video. Very enjoyable love the sit down chat.look forward to your video. Ps. Tonight my wife two sons and daughter are in our sitting room looking at this video. Everyone is interested regards from wicklow
if you like to try something new i seen one of owner grass customers put strow on top of first cut just when we put in the second cut on top iv herd of fellas putting it on the grown of the pit for first cut as well.
Love all your videos good job,👍You’ve probably been asked this question before. Early June what would be the optimum mowing time with double moors to stop cutting and leave enough dry time? I’ve started at 10 am and stopped at 11 pm, sounds like we are losing quality after 5 pm?
Yeah, mowing after 5 is a bad idea. I pay extortionate prices to get help mowing so it's done before 5. This year I had 3 sets of doubles at times, all mowing done by 4pm.
Really enjoying your content. And great to have an in-depth perspective on things. I hire train wheels when they are available, so an incredible job, Do you grow any other crops? Wholcrop/ maize? Keep up the videos.
The principles the same, timing cutting at the correct stage of growth is probably the most important thing for all silage. Dry matter content should be different for clamps as verses bales, usually bales are 10-15% dryer than clamp silage. Depending on the continent you live on will be a deciding factor as to the amount of film you apply to the bales. Here in Australia I apply 6 layers to ensure longer storage due to UV degradation of the film. Bales are usually the most expensive storage method in $ per ton but are way more convenient than a clamp if you are not using a mixer or smelling smaller quantities each day. We utilise silage and hay across the year on the properties I work on to optimise animal performance!
I recon the more cuts the better. I try for 6. My reasons is u put in the pit what cows do best in the field. Well with in reason. I only cut 4 this years yield way down. Tryin to wait for dry never again. I really hav to up my pit game. It’s not rolled enough. But what bout add f. Wud it not bring the silage to a point wer u need no matter the condition. Same as propcorn in treatin barley.and I understand tbis way more that readin books
My logic of 4 is that I can get 12.1me silage and I am still remaining efficient as I'm lifting a significant crop. If you were set up for more cuts I can see it makes sense.
@@FarmTheoryNI I am tryin to get add f nc. It’s ment to b non corrosive. Cudnt get it lastyear because can only get it from Calvin cave over the water and he wudnt send it over to my meal man but he bout a grain roller of him this year an stuff to put on tbe barley he grew so he might send it over this year. Grass and silage is eather the dearests thing on the farm r the cheapest depending on how u handle it
Excellent video. For us side sheets are important for our outdoor pits to prevent rain water and wind from getting in. A lot of waste without them. Weight is also important. We found sand bags were not heavy enough and went back to the tyres.
@FarmTheoryNI pretty sophisticated! I absolutely love data and finding ways to use it. But compiling it.. I'm a loose cannon 😂 wish we had that history on our farm.
Great video! Not boring in the least. We’re too small for silage. But realize in a wet year like this has been for us we have to switch from making dry hay to at very least making baleage. One thing that has kept us from ensiling forage has been the issue with butyric acid development. All our milk goes into cheese. Improperly ensiled forage passes butyric acid into the milk and that goes into the Cheese causing Aged cheeses to blow up and burst add they ripen. There are food additives you can add to the milk to prevent this, but they’re expensive and have to be listed on the label as they’re regulated. Have you had trouble with any spoilage or butyric acid-smells like vomit in the silage- since you started using the silage additive? At the moment we’re buying our bales in and their quality is variable. We’re hoping to switch to making our own and get a proper silage baler with chopper knives. The cows really don’t do well on full stem baleage and I think it makes poor quality feed. New to the channel…do you make bales as well?
