Quality vs Quantity - how do I maximise silage yield per hectare?

Teagasc Drystock advisor Joe Hand joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge podcast to discuss how to maximise silage yield this year on your farm. Firstly, Joe highlights a number of factors which influence silage yield such as soil P, K, and pH levels, soil compaction, reseeded swards and fertiliser applied to the crop Joe advises that sub-optimal soil fertility is probably the core reason that target silage yields and digestibility are not achieved. Through experiments carried out on-farm with Walsh fellowship student Louise Pearse, Joe explained the findings. He noted a difference in yield of 3.8 t vs 5t from following recommended fertiliser rates which is a difference of 1.2 tonne yield dry matter per hectare or a 30% increase yield. A silage quality guide to complete for your farm developed by Joe & Louise is available here: https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/animals/beef/Silage-Quality-2021.pdf For more episodes and information covered on the Beef Edge, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com