In my previous article I talked about high quality grass silage being valued at £27.5/tonne.  We often see grass silage priced lower than this, but are you considering all the costs associated and is inefficient crop rotation and ley renewal holding you back?

It is commonly known that traditional weed grass varieties, such as meadow fescue, work their way out from hedgerows and lie in seed beds awaiting their opportunity. Opportunities include poaching, cow pats, heavy wheel marks, diploid versus tetraploid (which is the better fit?).  Diploid provide denser cover preventing weeds forcing through) insufficient fertiliser and mineral applications and poor perennial grass vigour.

The costs are based on a four year perennial rye grass ley which can be both silaged and grazed on a traditional 120-150 cow dairy unit.  The soil type is grade 2/3.  I looked at a rental of £100/acre which translates to £4.35/t if we grow 23 tonnes per annum.  As you can see from Fig1 cultivation costs, glyphosate spray to kill off weeds and general establishment came to £2.42/t.

Fig2 shows the additional cost of managing land which would perhaps include rolling, chain harrowing or other and came to £0.53/tonne.  Fertiliser and slurry applications totalled £9.53/tonne. The silage operation totalled £7.20/tonne focusing on early quality cuts with less bulk but enabling either additional cuts or more grazing.

Fig3 focuses on the storage aspect including sheeting, additive and storage facilities.  I have included an additive to ensure good fermentation and lactic acid production.  Whilst I have looked at the cost of a concrete silage pit over a 50 year period.  The total cost of grass silage across the three tables comes to £27.48 subject to you growing the proposed 23 tonnes of high quality grass silage over 4 years.

Ultimately the 1st cut tends to be the highest value, but this multi-cut system will lead to better quality following cuts, sometimes matching the 1st cut.  Clearly the process of making good grass silage is a little more complex than figures outlined above but this allows us to see where costs accumulate from.

If you would like to know more, then please contact Wesley at wesleyhabershon@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office.