Another dry summer has compounded forage concerns, with many farms that have chosen to feed this year’s silage already facing further losses due to clamps overheating. This, according to Rumenco specialist Chris Wheatley, could be a dangerous strategy, albeit one that some farms will struggle to avoid.
“Feeding this year’s silage will be a necessity for some who are struggling with poor grazing or insufficient stocks from last year’s drought-stricken green harvest. While feeding silage in summer is not uncommon, the extreme heat this year will make clamps not treated with an additive prone to overheating,” he says.
The use of additives such as Rumenco’s NovaSileCS help to protect clamps against overheating by providing selected homofermentative and heterofermentative bacteria that help to preserve nutrients by controlling fermentation through rapidly dropping the pH and inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Overall, reducing spoilage.
“Feeding from a clamp in summer comes with an added complication that the silage is fed out slower because many cows are grazing. In these cases, there is a greater risk because more air and heat are being introduced to the face of the clamp which will accelerate undesirable microorganisms, including yeasts and moulds, which can rapidly reduce silage stability,” he says.
For dairy herds, the combination of heat stress and reduced forage quality will almost certainly result in yield and productivity losses. However, there are ways that farms can reduce these losses, explains Chris.
“Monitoring dry matter rather than relying solely on wilting time, avoiding excessive wilting which can affect clamp compaction, and ensuring silage is ensiled with as little air as possible are all important measures to reducing spoilage. This can be made far easier and more reliable by using an additive because it does so much of the work for you,” he says.
For many farms, further losses are no longer disappointing, but dangerous to long term productivity. Silage stocks and quality have been low following last year’s drought and, with temperatures exceeding those recorded last year, there is an even greater risk.
“Good management practices will help, but, faced with the uncertainty of weather extremes and the trend for grass being burnt off by extreme heat, it is time that farms look to protect their stocks in more reliable ways. That is why Rumenco launched NovaSileCS last year, to help provide clamp stability even in extreme conditions,” he adds.
Beyond grass silage he points to the potential for maize crops to be at risk this year too. Should high temperatures endure through August and into September it will increase the dry matter content of maize, making effective compaction more difficult, which will heighten the potential for aerobic spoilage when clamps are opened.
“Crops such as maize with higher dry matter and sugar content can ferment well due to the lower buffering capacity. However, the hot conditions could lead to maize being harvested in drier than ideal conditions. This will make it harder to compact and increase the likelihood of air pockets that will subsequently lead to overheating and spoilage,” he says.
For farms stuck with little choice but to feed silage through summer, Chris suggests there are techniques that can help.
“If a clamp has to be opened in hot weather it will help to not cover the face as this will allow for a humid environment which will help harmful bacteria grow. It is too late to plan ahead now, but for farms that have experienced overheating this year, or last, due to the hot weather, it would be advantageous to plan now and select an additive that encourages good fermentation and guards against harmful yeasts and moulds,” he says.
He suggests that there is still time to make the most of late cut grass, where it is available, and make sure maize is ensiled well.
“With forage stocks low, every tonne is going to count. If we have a good maize year, then this crop could well be the difference between a good and poor overwinter season for many farms. Once any forage is spoiled it is too late and, rather than take the risk in these extreme weather conditions, it will pay dividends to invest in keeping clamps cool and stable,” he concludes.
