MILEAGE. MORE SILAGE

Folding Grass Forks

•Available in 12ft, 14ft and 16ft wide variants: 12ft, 14ft & 16ft with Industrial pick up and 12ft with Q-fit pick up only

•Hydraulically operated side extensions and transportation lock to ensure secure when folded

•Optional protection frame and lighting kit available for transportation

•Exceptional visibility through the fork, aiding a clear view of the tine length and 200mm spacing

•Integrated hose storage to protect couplings and hoses from damage

•Heavy duty 65mm pivot pins and bushes to ensure durability

•Smooth tine wear faces to prevent a build up of materials

Multi-cut grass silage o ered benefits in drought-hit 2022

with cutting, more of those making multi-cut tended to see higher silage yields and better quality, says Ecosyl silage expert Ken Stroud of the survey organiser, Volac.

Nearly half (45%) of the farmers in the multi-cut group had taken two cuts by the end of May, compared to 17% of the conventional group. This trend continued when the dry weather hit at the end of July. By then, nearly three times more farmers in the multi-cut group than in the conventional group had progressed to three cuts – 44% versus 15%.

High feed, fertiliser and fuel costs are pushing UK dairy farmers to look for ways of producing better silage in 2023. Those who made multi-cut grass silage during the droughted 2022 season tended to be better o , according to an Ecosyl grass silage survey.

Ecosyl surveyed more than 700 UK dairy farmers ahead of the 2023 season – three-quarters of whom made silage conventionally (cutting up to three times a year) and a quarter of whom made multi-cut silage (cutting four times or more).

The vast majority in both groups (74% and 70% respectively) reported that growth of their grass silage crops had su ered from drought in 2022. But as well as making better progress

Even more interesting, Mr Stroud said, was the di erence in silage yields and quality. While 63% of conventional silage-makers felt yields were less than normal by the end of July, 53% said this in the multi-cut group. Over the season as a whole, 35% of conventional silage makers rated their 2022 grass silage quality as poorer than normal, compared with only 28% in the multi-cut group.

“At the other end of the scale, nearly twice as many multi-cut makers as conventional silage producers felt their quality was actually better than normal in 2022 – at 20% versus 12%,” says Mr Stroud. “Indeed, higher quality was the most popular advantage of multi-cut silage identi ed by users of the system in the survey, with 60% saying this, followed by 50% naming more yield over the season as an advantage.

“Clearly, multi-cut isn’t immune to the e ects of drought, and it isn’t possible to make it on all farms, but the survey results repeatedly pointed to those who made multi-cut in 2022 being in a stronger position. Another advantage of a multi-cut system is that it puts some silage in the clamp early in case the weather turns too wet or dry later. This was named by 36% of users.”

Another highly-rated multi-cut advantage was the opportunity for more slurry applications – which can be useful for farmers cutting back on granular fertiliser.

“When survey respondents were asked what was likely to make them want to make better silage in 2023, averaged across both groups, 79% said high feed costs, 63% said high fertiliser costs and 49% said high fuel costs. Clearly there was good understanding among producers that making better silage can improve business e ciency and make better use of their fertiliser investment,” he adds. FG

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