Dry weather silage advice

FARMERS are being encouraged to test the dry matter (DM) levels of their grass and adapt their silage-making plans accordingly, after the prolonged spell of dry weather across the UK.

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Lientjie Colahan, silage technical support at Lallemand Animal Nutrition, says many farmers are reporting little or no regrowth after taking their first cut, and this year’s grass crops are unlikely to catch up once they get some rain.

“Results from our fresh grass testing service show some standing grasses have a dry matter (DM) level as high as 24%, and normally we'd say a crop is ready to cut when the level is 16-18%," she adds.