Fodder deficits reduced as forage quality improves
However, grass continues to grow well around the country, and many farmers will fortunately see fodder deficits reduced hugely, as bales and pit silage are being gathered up from surplus grazing.
Forage quality on most farms will be much better than last year.
This, coupled with the prospect of cheaper concentrates, should help to achieve the desired animal performance this coming winter.
As we are now heading for the end of August, it is well worth sitting down to construct a feed budget.
This exercise will allow you to establish how much more feed you need to conserve on your own ground, if available, or what else you need to source externally.
It is too late to do a feed budget when growth has stopped, and the harvest is long over; you will have missed opportunities to source value-for-money feed by then.
Another thing well worth doing is a silage analysis.
It amazes me how many milk and beef producers still don’t test their silage to establish its nutrient value.
Many farmers will give their reasons for not bothering to test their silage, however, I have yet to hear a reasonable excuse.
Get your first cut tested now, and you can do your second cut later, if it is not yet in the pit.
Testing bales is also worthwhile, if you have a substantial amount of individual cuts.
You should test silage for dry matter, protein, energy, fibre, pH etc, and seek advice as to how best to balance it for your stock.
A more scientific approach needs to be taken on farms to ensure better nutrition for stock, and to prevent unnecessary costs through over-feeding or under-feeding of particular nutrients.
I mentioned this a few weeks ago — and the same advice still applies.
Locally grown cereals represent the best feed quality and value for your farm, any year.
The quality of cereals being combined this year is excellent. Barley has been bushelling between 68 and 72, while wheat is coming in at the mid to high 70s.
High bushel weight grain has an excellent feed value, because it contains very high levels of starch. Starch is an excellent source of energy to increase beef animal performance.
Many livestock farmers are purchasing grain off the combine for home storage at present.
Lower prices off the combine will not mean cheap concentrates for sale this winter. You can always add about €100 per tonne onto the green price for rolled cereals the following winter and spring.
Typically, a 14% nut will be around €120-€125 more than the green price for barley.
But if you have the facility to store it, the ability to feed it and the cash to buy it, buying grain off the combine really is something you consider strongly in 2013.
