Feed coming out your ears? Grass starting to look a little hairy once the cows have left the paddock? Surplus management is one of the greatest skills of pasture management and is critical to maximise pasture eaten and feed quality.
A temporary pasture surplus, if not managed, allows ryegrass to grow to form stem and seed head, resulting in lower pasture quality.
Pasture silage is the most common way of dealing with a surplus in pasture. It's just pickled grass.
When the pasture is ensiled, its sugars are converted to lactic acid by bacteria, which pickles the pasture and allows it to be preserved longer. Pasture silage is an important source of supplementary feed for when grass growth is less than demand, and making high-quality silage is a win:win. It results in higher milk solids and body condition gain in cows.
Key points are:
- Pasture cut for silage must be of high quality
- Grazing residuals should be 1500-1600 kg DM on paddocks to be closed for silage
- Silage paddocks should not be closed for any longer than six or seven weeks
- Cutting, packing, and covering the stack must be done quickly to reduce spoilage
- Minimise losses both at the stack and the paddock/ feed pad.
