No two years are the same. This year, first-cut silages should be of better quality than 2024 and second cuts have yielded well. Winter will inevitably arrive, so a little preparation now can help us make informed decisions.

Year-on-year, grass silages can be extremely variable in nutritional qualities. May weather in 2025 allowed many to take their first cut slightly earlier than in recent years. Before the housed period, it will be important to test the silages available in the yard and plan accordingly.

For dry cows, silage quality will dictate the condition of cows at calving, and dilution/corrective feeding may be required.

The target Body Condition Score (BCS) is typically 2.75-3.0 at dry off and 3.0-3.25 at calving. To achieve this, we aim for a maintenance-type diet over the 60-day dry period. Silage with a DMD of 68-70% will generally suffice.

For thin cows, drying off early is the preferred option. If dried off early (e.g., 10-12-week dry period), cows fed average quality silage (68-70% DMD) should have an increase in BCS of approx. 0.5 units before calving.

For youngstock, feeding rates will also be dependent on silage quality results. If we take the same silage used for dry cows above with our youngstock, offering a silage-only diet, a weight gain of only 0.3kg/day can be expected over the winter from a 70% DMD silage. Approximately 1.5-2kg of concentrate would be needed here to achieve target winter growth rates. Is there a higher quality forage available for youngstock?

Target Body Condition Score (BCS) is typically 2.75-3.0 at dry off and 3.0-3.25 at calving.

Fodder Budget

Conducting a quick fodder budget to highlight reserves or deficits is crucial, and the sooner it’s done, the more options there are to bridge the gap. Having surplus silage on farm is a strong position. Housing could come early, or Spring 2026 may be harsh. Removing surplus grass now improves quality and provides more options later.

For further advice, contact your local Agritech Sales Advisor here. 

2018 is proving to be a challenging year for highly stocked farms across the country with many farmers expressing fodder concerns already. In order to improve your farm forage production, Agritech’s Bil Ryan states that it is important to develop a farm plan which focuses on optimum soil fertility, good grazing infrastructure and grass swards which contain high levels of ryegrass varieties and clover.

According to Bil, some useful rules of thumb at this point include:

1. Following a fertilizer program:

For those who have experienced rainfall, apply fertiliser as soon as possible to increase grass growth and build grass supply for autumn grazing or a later cut of silage if possible.

2. Lengthening grazing rotations:

Implementing a 30 day rotation will help improve grass covers and reduce pressure on winter forage stocks.

3. Carrying out reseeding as planned:

To achieve high yields of grass for next year, now is the right time to think about reseeding. Old and damaged paddocks and underperforming swards are the ones that will benefit most and give the biggest return on investment from reseeding.

When reseeding, Bil’s advice is to “create a fine, firm seed bed, apply appropriate nutrients, lightly cover the seed and double roll the ground to ensure optimum germination and adequate fuel to sustain the new reseed.”

It is essential to choose a mix of grass seed that will improve animal performance, increase forage yield, be easily managed and have good persistency. “Our Tipperary Grass Seed mixtures have built an excellent reputation with farmers throughout the country for delivering optimal germination, establishment and increased yield in new grass leys” states Bil.

For any further advice on reseeding or to choose a suitable grass mixture from the Tipperary Grass Seed Range, contact your local Agritech distributor.