Peace Seeds Spring 2022

Whole crop cereals for forage are popular with many farmers because they can choose later in the season whether to cut as forage or harvest for grain. It can produce H OPNOLY +4 `PLSK H[ SV^LY JVZ[ [OHU THPaL VY NYHZZ ZPSHNL It has a higher starch content and can sometimes increase milk yield per cow. Dry matter content and nutrient concentration can also be manipulated by changing cutting height and hence the proportion of stems in the forage, and whole crop can be grown across a wider range of weather and soil conditions [OHU THPaL HUK NLULYH[L SP[[SL VY UV ZPSHNL Lў\LU[ When it comes to harvesting the crop, it should not take place until after the cereal grain has progressed beyond [OL TPSR` YPWL NYV^[O Z[HNL *YVWZ ZOV\SK IL OHY]LZ[LK H[ H ZVM[ JOLKKHY JVUZPZ[LUJ` 7YLJPZPVU JOVW OHY]LZ[PUN is also preferred, as mowing and picking up will result in [OL SVZZ VM NYHPUZ ( JOVW SLUN[O VM HYV\UK TT PZ [OL ideal length to promote good rumen function in cattle, and improves consolidation in the clamp. The ideal range for ^OVSL JYVW PZ +4 PZ ILZ[ 0KLHSS` H SH`LY VM grass silage should be placed on top of the wholecrop to aid consolidation. *LYLHS JYVWZ JHU JHYY` OPNO SL]LSZ VM `LHZ[Z HUK TV\SKZ and these have the potential to grow rapidly in the clamp if JVUKP[PVUZ HYLU»[ YPNO[ ;OPZ JHU YLZ\S[ PU ZPNUPÄJHU[ SVZZLZ PU LULYN` HUK `PLSK (WWS`PUN H WYV]LU HKKP[P]L ^OPJO JVU[YVSZ yeasts and moulds is a good way of limiting these losses both in the clamp and after opening, when the silage is L_WVZLK [V HPY SPRING BEANS ARABLE SILAGE MIXES 6H[Z HUK =L[JO ;YP[PJHSL HUK =L[JO