Brian Reidy: Planning for high-quality silage

Cutting better-quality silage earlier will always result in improved animal performance, with less dependence on purchased concentrates, which will undoubtedly be critical next winter, writes ruminant nutritionist Brian Reidy

Making better-quality silage will help to reduce your overall production costs while animals are housed.

April is just around the corner, and even though spring has only just arrived, silage-making is not too far away. Many will not have finished feeding silage yet this spring, but nonetheless, next season’s crop must be planned for. 

Air temperatures are on the rise, and hopefully soil temperatures will follow. Growth, while steady, is not getting going yet, and many who turned out early are having to slow down the rotation so they don’t start the second round too quickly, while others who were unable to get to grass early will not hit target grazing areas by the start of April and may have to mow some off to get back on track.