Oct 43 min read

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2024 HAY & SILAGE CUT

CONSIDERATIONS FOR PRE & POST TESTING

From Forage Lab Australia

Crop cover across the country at the moment varies hugely between regions. Some areas are at saturation, with others waiting to find a break in the light showers to cut silage or hay. Some regions on the other hand require a bit more rain to reach a successful cut.

Challenging conditions are driving a requirement to look at failed crops for animal feed, and the conversion of failed crops to a useable product. In this scenario, we can utilise forage tests in ways to help make decisions. Normally, forage analyses are taken two weeks after baling hay, or minimum 6 weeks post ensiling to provide a nutritional profile to work out the sale price and the value on farm. This season, cutting less standard crops such as canola, peas, beans etc. and frosted cereals is on the cards. Using a forage analysis can help to understand the feed quality while it is still a standing crop prior to cutting.

Generally speaking, frosted cereals often make a great quality hay. That is because it is cut at a younger, leafier stage and often has high sugars. However, frosted forages from brassicas and legumes can be a bit different. Testing a crop prior to cutting helps to show how much damage has occurred so far and provides an indication of the quality, allowing producers to understand how it might be utilised. Remembering that the quality will further decline from this point, then retesting at the correct time for hay or silage.

Where there has been a strong finish to the season and excellent cover, doing a pre-test of silage helps for a number of reasons. Firstly, it provides an overview of the quality, so that you can identify what time of year you want to feed it or even class of stock, without having to risk damage by coring it early once it is sealed. Secondly, it provides an insight into the efficiency of ensiling management. Doing a test prior to cutting, and then post cutting when it is ready to feed will show the amount of energy and nutrients lost. The goal with ensiling feed is to chop, compress and cover to create a dense, oxygen free space. The more effectively this is done, the greater quality and less nutrients are lost. Without knowing the quality to begin with, it is hard to determine how much has been lost through the process.

In challenging years, it is even more important to understand the details of everything coming on and going off farm. There will be some obscure feeds this year that will have their place, when included strategically in the diet. Some tests below will help:

A1 – This is an NIR and quick turnaround for all standard feeds.
A1 Plus – This is highly recommended for both hay and silage. It provides acids and pH for silage, indicating quality and safety to feed. It also provides digestibility for hay and silage, which can be the difference in milk or gain between two similar feeds.
Mould and Yeast – This is highly recommended for anything that received any rain or had a long drying time.
B2 – This is a wet chemistry test, with approximately a two-week turnaround. Wet chemistry is the gold standard for feed analyses. This is required for all non-standard feed types.
Forage Lab Australia provides technical support, that includes helping to select the correct test, and understanding the test once it is completed. Please feel free to contact our friendly team.