Winter Forages
Winter forage will invariably be required on dairy farms to supplement dairy cattle when grass growth rate declines in early winter. The early planning of the winter feed budget is a key component in estimating the quantity of winter forage required on the individual farm.
A fodder budgeting worksheet is available to help calculate your winter forage requirement:
- Fodder Budgeting Worksheet (Excel Format)
Other useful documents:
- Bale size (PDF) for various types of bales commonly used to feed livestock during the winter
- MakingSilage (PDF) - Chapter 36 of the Teagasc Dairy Manual
- RoundBales (PDF) - Chapter 38 of Teagasc Dairy Manual
- Guideline onto the VisualAsessmentofSilage2012Vol6No2 (PDF)
Guideline supplementary feeding levels for varying quality silages are found at Chapter 34 in Teagasc Dairy Manual:
- Feeding the Diary Cow (PDF)
The principles of managing your grass are explained in Chapter 37 of Teagasc Dairy Manual:
- ManagingGrass (PDF)
Forage crops
Forage crops grazed in situ provide an option for some farmers on dry land to reduce winter feed costs. Yield and efficient utilisation will have a major impact on any potential cost saving with these crops. Issues to consider include variability in yield, quality and cross compliance.
Give the low yields of rape, min-till or no-till options may be more cost effective than ploughing:
- More information on Alternative (forage) Options for Dairying (PDF, 1.5MB)