Teagasc warns on silage cost cutting

FARMERS have taken silage cost cutting too far, with the movement towards later and heavier cuts of silage now estimated to be costing up to €4 million per annum in higher concentrate feed bills.

Liam Fitzgerald, Teagasc Specialist Advisor, Athenry, says that silage analysis records show that average DMD has fallen by four units, which is equivalent to a loss of at least one kilogram of concentrates per day, for a finishing steer being fed the inferior silage.

He says: "It costs about €500 to get a hectare of grass from production to storage as silage in the pit. Since contractor costs are based on a rate per hectare, obviously the yield has a huge effect on the cost per tonne of silage made. In recent years, there is a trend towards later harvesting, partly to get greater bulk in order to spread the harvesting costs, and partly because of the reduced contribution of silage in the diet of finishing cattle."