19/03/08
Dairy producers will be able to make higher quality forage and
subsequently improve yields by up to 4.4% by applying a carefully
chosen additive to their grass silage this coming season, according
to findings from a trial carried out at Wye College. This yield
improvement works out at an additional margin of more than £56
or an investment return of 6.6:1
Two grass silages were taken from a third year grass ley – a
mix of tetraploid and diploid ryegrasses plus clover. After cutting
on 11 May and picking up two days later with a self propelled precision
chop forage harvester, half the forage was treated with Volac Agros
silage additive at a rate of 2 litres/tonne. The remainder acted
as a control.
The silages were clamped outdoors and fed to the herd on an ad
lib basis on housing. The cows were also fed supplementary concentrate.
The two silages’ analyses showed little difference, apart
from the treated which had a higher ME of 11.0 MJ/kg, compared
with 10.7MJ/kg for the untreated.
While intakes of both silages were relatively high at an average
16.25kg DM/day, there was no significant difference in intake between
the treated and untreated. However, the cows fed the treated silage
yielded an average 1.3l/day more than those fed the untreated,
and their combined milk fat and protein yield was 5% higher. See
table 1. Furthermore, the cows fed the treated silage stayed in
better condition.
Table 1: Dairy cow performance: additive treated grass silage
vs untreated
|
Volac
Agros treated silage |
Untreated
silage |
Milk
yield (l/day) |
30.9 |
29.6 |
Fat
yield (kg/day) |
1.33 |
1.28 |
Protein
yield (kg/day) |
0.94 |
0.88 |
Cow
liveweight (kg) |
635 |
631 |
Source: Wye College (London University)
“The improved yield performance from cows fed the treated
silage reflects the silage’s higher digestibility and a better
utilisation of the digested nutrient,” explains Volac International’s
Philip Jones.
“While feed and fertiliser costs continue to escalate, it
may be tempting to cut corners and make compromises this season,
however it’s a decision farmers cannot afford to make when
it comes to investing in a silage additive. Applying Volac Agros
has been proven to bring a return of 6.6:1 on milk yield alone,
a figure which will contribute to offsetting those higher input
costs.”
Best Practice Advice at Exeter Maize Growers Site Prevents Pollution
Latest United Oilseeds Advice for OSR Growers
Global Fertilizer Supply Expected to Outstrip Demand |