Silage a saviour for sheepos
From the June 2008 edition of Agriculture Today.
Good quality silage has been a saviour for many sheep farmers in the drought years.
Producing good quality fodder has enabled them to maximise production targets and remain viable.
It has also helped them maintain core breeding stock, essential to recovery once good times return.
"Making the decision to salvage a crop in spring because it is going to fail has been a tough decision to make," NSW Department of Primary Industries based sheep and wool officer at Forbes, Megan Rogers, said.
"It has paid off for those willing to make the decision early, giving adequate biomass to make into silage.
"Producers are becoming more confident in their decision making, backing themselves and going in earlier to salvage crops.
"This has resulted in higher yields and higher quality silage produced."
Mrs Rogers says silage can be used in many ways.
"One Forbes producer salvaged a canola crop - good quality feed, with high metabolisable energy and protein," she said.
"It was used as a main component in a feedlot introductory ration and the lambs have done well.
"Using it that way really saved dollars, through not having to increase the proportion of grain in the starter ration.
"Another local property has been using canola silage for a couple of years, and the high quality, minimising waste, while maintaining breeding ewes in optimum condition over summer before joining has enabled their operation to maintain their conception rates and weaning percentages.
Mrs Rogers said storing the silage in wrapped tubelines enabled feeding when needed most during summer - the producer’s biggest feed gap.
Ewes kept at about fat score three joined well in autumn, and reaped the rewards with extra lambs in spring.
"If they had relied on lesser quality feed through summer, conception rates would not have been as high," Mrs Rogers said.
"This sample of canola silage tested to have a metabolisable energy (ME) of 9.5 megajoules per kilogram and protein of 23 per cent.
"They did however feed 20pc barley to improve the feed efficiency of the silage."
Others are using pasture for silage, increasing overall farm feed efficiency and harvesting when there is more available than stock require.
"Quality is variable, but depending on how it is fed, whether in a ration with grain or alone, what class of stock and their requirements, production targets can still be met," Mrs Rogers said.
"The important issue here is to test the feed, so that you know what quality you are dealing with at the outset."
Contact Megan Rogers, Forbes, (02) 6850 2924, megan.rogers@dpi.nsw.gov.au
