Silage is the main winter feed on most farms and it can also fill your feed gap when the ground is too wet for grazing. Optimising your silage making steps will help you maximise animal performance, control costs, and operate more sustainably. We can help you get more out of grass and forage.
The fundamentals of making quality silage
The standard of your silage is driven by two main factors:
- Quality of grass and forage when cutting (digestibility).
- Quality of the preservation process.
Digestibility specifically depends on:
- The species in the sward (maintain a minimum of 70% perennial ryegrass in your silage swards).
- The growth stage when cut.
- How much leaf is there compared to the stem? Leaves have higher digestibility than stems.
- Weather conditions at cutting
- Type of conditioner used
- Clamping process
- Silage additives
Preservation is vital for all silages. Well-preserved silage can support animal performance at a similar level to the original forage.
Producing quality grass silage depends on using the best varieties, but optimal soil fertility is also needed for growth. Then you need to make good silage management decisions:
- How to preserve silage
- When to cut
- How to feed
How to make grass silage: The production process
- Choose the right species and varieties for making quality silage from grass and clover. Check the Grass and White Clover Recommended List to compare how varieties perform for first and second cut silage.
- Graze tightly in autumn or early spring (ideally before late March) to minimise low-quality dead and stem material in the sward. Dead material in the base of the sward can reduce digestibility by 5-6% units in May.
- Complete a soil test regularly and ensure correct pH and soil indices. Poor soil fertility will compromise the yield and quality of your silage crop. Here’s our how-to guide on soil fertility.
- Avoid applying excess nitrogen. High or late N inputs can reduce grass sugar concentration and increase buffering capacity. This makes it more difficult to preserve your silage.
- Assess in spring and control weeds if found in more than 10% of your field. Perennial broad-leaved weeds such as docks and thistles will reduce yield and quality. Click here for grassland weed control tips.
- Monitor your crop to see if the heading date is progressing as expected. To optimise your silage yield and quality, aim to harvest just before seed heads start to emerge.
- Avoid mowing or harvesting grass silage in wet conditions. Ideally, mow the grass after the dew has evaporated and place it in wide rows. Mowing in the late afternoon will increase the sugar content of the grass and help the ensiling process.
- Wilt grass silage for at least 12 hours and not more than 36 hours. Wiliting in good drying conditions is important – wilt in wide rows. A silage conditioner on your mower can help speed up wilt due to the larger surface area of the grass.
- For pit silage, produce at about 30% dry matter (DM). For bale silage, produce at about 35-45% DM.
- Chop length is a vital part of these silage making steps. Chopping grass correctly can lead to more efficient silage fermentation. Don’t cut too short as this can lead to poor rumen health.
- Fill the silage pit quickly, rolling the grass throughout and immediately seal under at least two sheets of black polythene. Then cover completely with a layer of car tyres. This will help achieve the air-free conditions needed for good silage preservation and to prevent mould growth.
- Place sandbags along the edge of the pit and regularly check for damage.
Selecting the best grass for silage
When starting your silage making steps, you need to select the right species for your sward:
- Italian ryegrass (two years) – growing at lower temperatures, Italian ryegrasses (IRG) yield earlier in spring and have quicker regrowth.
- Hybrid ryegrass (two to three years) – a cross between IRG and perennial ryegrass, hybrid varieties can produce good silage yield for two to three years.
- Perennial ryegrass (four years+) – the best long-term option is perennial ryegrass (PRG) for its superior digestibility and lasting production.
Silage grass selection tips
- We don’t recommend mixing IRG and PRG in the same sward as they have different growth patterns.
- You can also consider producing red clover silage to increase the protein content. Red clover varieties can be added with hybrid or perennial ryegrass.
- Select varieties with a heading date range no more than seven days apart for optimal yield and digestibility at cutting time. This gives flexibility at cutting time if the weather isn’t in your favour but keeps the growth habit of the plants fairly close so all plants will be at a similar stage of growth before cutting.
Driving sustainable silage production
Aber High Sugar Grass
Livestock only capture around 25% of the protein they consume from grass. This is not only damaging for production but also for the environment. The unused protein is ultimately excreted by the animal as harmful emissions.
Bred exclusively by Germinal Horizon, Aber High Sugar Grass (HSG) varieties have higher water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) compared to standard ryegrasses.
The added energy from WSC helps livestock capture around 20% more protein from grass. This can drive 20% higher liveweight gains and 2% more milk per cow. When used at scale, Aber HSG can benefit both your production and the environment.
Red clover silage
Yielding 12-15 t DM/ha and with 16-20% crude protein, red clover silage produces excellent livestock performance when grown with PRG.
With red clover, you can also benefit from reduced nitrogen inputs. Fixing around 150kg N/ha each year, clover can make your system more efficient and sustainable.
At Germinal Horizon, we are breeding red clovers that can last four to five years in silage swards. Even in year four, AberClaret has the potential to generate 14.6t DM/ha.
Ask the grass and forage experts
Contact the team below if you have any questions about our silage making steps or Climate Smart grass and forage solutions.