Care must be taken when purchasing forage as quality can vary widely
A round bale of silage (30%DM) weighing 650kg will contain 190kg of DM. A cubic metre of 30% maize silage will contain 225kg of dry matter.
Small square bales of hay weighing 20 kg and 4x4 round bales of hay weighing 240kg contain 17kg of DM and 204kg of DM respectively, while a 5x4 bale contains 50% more.
Small square bales of straw weighing 12.5kg, and 4x4 round bales of straw weighing 150kg, contain 11kg and 132kg of DM respectively.
Forage Values
Based on dried rolled barley at €270/tonne, and soya bean at €495/tonne, approximate values can be assigned to the following forages. However, be careful when purchasing forage; the quality can vary widely and should be assessed locally.
Good hay is worth €157 per tonne (€3.15 for small square bales (20kg), €39 for 4x4 round bales, and €57 for 5x4 bales).
Good straw is worth €97 per tonne, €15 for 4x4 round bales.
Good silage has a feeding value of €205 per tonne of dry matter (DM), or €42 per tonne at 20% DM. Round bales of good silage weighing 650kg at 30% DM will contain 200kg of DM and will be worth about €42 (at 20% dry matter, worth only €28). As with all forages, silage quality varies widely, and value can vary by more than 35%.
Mouldy feed contains toxins that can be very damaging to health and performance. A lot of damage is done to animals by mouldy feed on Irish farms every year, and very often this goes unrecognised.
Good maize silage could be worth over €60 per tonne, or about €1,000 per acre growing. Good whole crop cereal silage should have a feeding value of over €60 per tonne.
Clean fodder beet has a feeding value of about €48 per tonne, delivered (varies with DM content). With a yield of 5.5 tonnes of DM per acre, fodder beet has a feeding value of €1,300 per acre.
Sugar beet has a higher feeding value due to its higher dry matter and sugar content, but has to be fed more carefully.
The feeding value of purchased forage should not be confused with price ex-farm. The additional costs of transport, storing, and feeding out must be taken into account.
Losses with wet feeds or silage can vary from 10% to 20%, compared with less than 2% with dry concentrates. Interest charges for feed purchased in the autumn must also be taken into account.
