Steps to assess your feed options this winter

Aisling Molloy, Teagasc Future Beef Programme Advisor, details how farmers enrolled in the programme are managing fodder supplies and outlines a number of simple steps to assess your feed options this winter.

Update your fodder budget

The fodder budget tool in PastureBase is a simple way to calculate your feed supply and demand. John Barry in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, was confident that he had enough silage for the winter in August. However, with the wet autumn, John fed bales of silage to cattle at grass to increase dry matter intake. This ate into his winter surplus.

“We usually have a five-month winter and, after amending my fodder budget, the silage will cover all the stock until the end of March, if housed at the end of October,” John said.

John followed an autumn rotation planner to ensure that grass is available next spring. John plans to sell store cattle in January; if feed is tight they may be sold earlier. The spring cull cows will be fed and sold in the coming month. He sowed redstart this year, which will provide an extra outdoor feed for yearlings.

“Thanks to the fodder budget I am aware of the potential feed challenge and, if necessary, I will feed ration or straights to reduce the silage required,” John commented.

For more information on John Barry’s Future Beef farm, click here.

Testing silage

All farmers in the Future Beef Programme test their silage. Proinnsias Creedon in Co. Cork has taken three silage samples from the various layers of a number of open silage bales from the same cut and mixed them together.

Outlining the process of sampling, Proinnsias explained: “I took the samples early in the week and placed them in an airtight bag. They were posted on the same day so that they would be fresh and not get stuck in the post over the weekend.”

For pit silage, take a representative sample from across the pit face. Imagine a ‘W’ pattern on the front and sample along that line. Include the top, middle and edges. Mix the samples. Repeat the process monthly as you move through the silage pit.

Using the results

Laboratory reports will show if the sample is poor, satisfactory or good. The main results are:

• Dry matter digestibility (DMD) - the nutritional quality of the silage. Target >70%;
• Crude protein - target >13%;
• Dry matter - indicates intake potential and preservation. Target 25-35%;
• pH - indicates the acidity of the silage and whether the preservation was successful. Target 4-4.7.

Proinnsias’ first-cut silage tested 72% DMD at 12.9% crude protein. The second-cut silage is 73% DMD with 14% crude protein and the surplus bales are 65.4% DMD with 11% crude protein. The finishing heifers (~480kg) will need an overall diet of 11-12% crude protein, while the store heifers (~400kg) and weanling heifers (280kg) will require a 13-14% crude protein diet.

“Based on the silage sample results, I will feed the high protein silage to the weanlings and store heifers with 1kg of a 14% crude protein ration,” Proinnsias said.

Table 1: Concentrate supplementation and silage quality

The finishing heifers will be fed the first-cut silage with 5.5kg of a 14% crude protein ration and, if necessary, can also be fed the lower protein surplus silage with 7kg of a 12% crude protein ration. The finishing cattle will be built up gradually from 2kg ration by 0.5kg every three days to avoid digestive upsets.

For more information on Proinnsias Creedon’s Future Beef farm, click here.

Value for money

Ration costs vary depending on ration type, load sizes, collection versus delivery and purchasing power. A 12% high-energy ration is currently costing approximately €330/t and a 15% ration €340/t to €370/t. The Teagasc on-line Relative Values of Feeds Calculator can help to determine what’s good value, by using the retail price of barley, soya bean meal and distiller grains. Access the calculator here.

For example, if rolled barley is €260/t and soya is €525/t, wheat would be good value if less than €265/t and rolled oats would be good value if less than €221/t. If feeding straights, remember to check that the overall diet is balanced for energy and protein, and includes adequate fibre and minerals.

Grazing catch crops

Kay O’Sullivan in Mourneabbey, Co. Cork, has sown 1.6ha of Redstart on her organic farm this year. She plans to graze her finishing cattle on the crop and then the weanlings will move onto it. A catch crop can only make up 70% of the diet and the other 30% must come from hay or silage.

Kay has the option to feed multispecies, red clover or grass silage while the crop is being grazed, and will await the silage sample results before deciding. Catch crops are low in minerals, therefore all stock will receive a mineral bolus containing iodine, copper, cobalt and selenium before grazing. The crop will be fed in strips daily, so that cattle can adapt to it gradually.

“I will avoid feeding the crop during frosty weather. I’ll also ensure that it is grazed before flowering in spring. We must prevent poaching so cattle will have access to three grass paddocks as a lie-back area, water will be available at all times,” Kay explained.

Watch the video below, where Kay speaks to Aisling about how she manages the grazing of catch crops:

To find out more about Kay O’Sullivan’s Future Beef farm, click here.

Monitoring growth rates

Farmers in the Future Beef Programme will weigh their cattle two weeks after housing and again at turnout. On some farms, the young stock and any finishing cattle will be weighed monthly to check that they are achieving their target daily gains. Weanlings and store cattle should gain 0.6kg/day over the winter period, while finishing stock should gain over 1.5kg/day on average.

Other considerations

Animal health (dosing, vaccinations), feed space, lying space and shed ventilation also play a key role in ensuring animals perform to their optimum.

This article first appeared in the November/December edition of Today’s Farm. Access the publication here. To find out more about the Future Beef Programme, and to sign up to its monthly newsletter, visit the Future Beef webpage.

Also read: A guide of winter dosing products

Also read: Focusing on animal health and performance on Co. Waterford Future Beef Farm

Also read: Why early budgeting is key when managing fodder supplies