WITH second-cuts for silage now completed farmers are able to increase the grazing area and calculate forage stocks for the coming winter.

Early indications suggest the overall picture for first and second cuts combined is that silage quality is reasonably good but crops are light, leaving many producers with insufficient silage to see their herds through to next spring, reports Ecosyl Products.

Grazing must take priority through the summer months, with the grazing rotations extended across second-cut aftermaths to compensate for slower growth as grass hits the mid-season trough, advises Dr Shirley Heron of Ecosyl.

But regular monitoring is essential to ensure grass does not get too far ahead of the cows. Where sward heights start to exceed 10cm or average grass cover exceeds 2500 kgDM/ha, consider shutting off the odd field or paddock as a silage top-up.

Where possible, shut off ground that has been previously grazed as this can have a two-fold benefit to overall grassland management. The immediate advantage is that a quick silage cut will freshen up a field mid-season, particularly if it has been grazed since turn-out, clearing any rejected patches and stemmy material so the cows return to a clean even aftermath with a higher proportion of palatable leaf.

There is also a long-term boost, mixed cutting and grazing is a proven means of extending the life and productivity of a ley, grazing maintaining a thicker sward and cutting reducing the potential for coarser grass to dominate.

According to Dr Heron, harvesting the grass as wrapped big bale silage provides all the flexibility necessary to make conservation of small areas a practical proposition, without sacrificing quality. Treating with Ecobale and wrapping immediately with at least four layers at a 50pc overlap can produce bales that are every bit as good as clamped silage, if not better, says Dr Heron.

The manoeuvrability of big balers allows silage to be made from small, awkward and sloping areas inaccessible to forage harvesters and easy bale storage means you can take small crops as they become available without the need to open up a silage clamp, adds Dr Heron.

As contractors charge by the bale, not the acre, you don't have to wait for a bumper crop to make it economic, so if necessary, just a few weeks growth can be taken and the field quickly returned to the grazing rotation.

It is also an ideal way of harvesting outlying areas away from the main farm as bales can be stored in the field and if they prove surplus to requirements, are easily sold.

Updated: 10:26 Thursday, August 16, 2001