It pays to plan ahead for home-produced feed
As for next winter, for beef producers intending to finish stock on their farm, now is the time to plan for home-produced feed.
After a very slow spring, grass is beginning to grow well around the country. As we head for the end of March, our attention must turn to grass silage.
Grass silage production is getting more and more expensive every year, and its quality can unfortunately be variable, depending on weather, cutting date and grassland management and reseeding policy.
Poor or average silage in your pit will in fact increase your overall production costs.
Crops such as maize silage and whole-crop cereals provide high dry matter (DM) and starch contents. Other alternative feeds such as fodder beet, sugar beet and potatoes are also excellent energy sources.
Maize
Maize produces very high-quality forage with the potential for high dry matter intake and improved animal performance.
Where target yield is achieved, the cost per tonne of dry matter is significantly less than grass silage.
2013 proved to be a record year for maize quality.
There are no rotational constraints with maize, and it utilises slurry very well. Site selection, sufficient fertiliser, variety and weed control are critical factors in producing a successful crop of maize.
Maize grown under plastic in 2013 produced excellent quality and yields, and I would suggest that it pays for itself in both good and bad growing years. Maize is not suitable in some areas of the country, so get the right advice before growing a crop, to avoid disappointment.
Whole-crop Cereals
Whole- crop cereals, like maize, offer the opportunity of improving the returns from beef production. Whole-crop cereals, wheat, barley, oats and triticale have been ensiled for a number of years. There are two main approaches, urea treated (alkalage) or fermented.
Producing a successful whole-crop means the crop must be grown as you would grow a grain crop. Cutting back on fertiliser, weed control, disease/pest control etc, is not cost effective.
The most critical part of the operation is to get the harvest date right. The length of the harvest window will depend on the preservation method you choose.
As with all high DM forages, use a long, narrow and low pit, and consolidate very well, by constant rolling.
Root Crops
Fodder beet, sugar beet and potatoes are excellent energy sources for beef production. Many farmers may not be in a position to grow beet themselves, but now is the time to book it from a local producer for the next feeding season. When fed in a mixed ration, beet can boost performance in beef animals significantly, by promoting dry matter intakes, resulting in improved live weight gain and reduced concentrate requirements.
The addition of a second forage source along with grass silage to a beef finisher diet will increase forage dry matter intake by between 10% and 15%. This will result in reduced concentrate inputs being required. Many are considering the option of eliminating grass silage entirely from their finishing diets.
Costs
When comparing crops for feeding the important figures are cost per tonne of dry matter, and energy supply per kg of dry matter.
Not included in the Teagasc figures in the accompanying table (below, left) is maize under plastic, but it is well accepted that maize produced efficiently under plastic can be produced consistently for
€100/tonne of DM.
Alternative forages provide a much more consistent quality product from year to year than grass silage. The technology is there to help farm-ers produce these feeds on their farm.
All of the alternatives produced efficiently will cost less than grass silage, and will enhance animal performance. Apart from that, purchasing these alternatives from a specialised crop producer also remains a viable option, in light of the forever variable cost of concentrates.
