Because May is the month for silage making, safety is paramount. Be safe around moving machinery, whether it’s in the farmyards or on the public roads. This is a high-risk exercise so it’s essential to avoid any kind of accident whatsoever – knock-down, roll-over, and crushing accidents can happen. Beware of blind spots that could cause collisions. Speed kills too so keep the machinery moving steadily.
Everyone involved should discuss safety plans in advance. Ensure that drivers have a clear view at entrances/exits of public roads. It’s a good idea to warn oncoming traffic of potential dangers, without putting markers such as signs and bollards on the road.
Keep non-workers, especially children, and elderly family members, away from moving machinery. Tidy farmyards to enable efficient machinery movement.
Optimising performance
Producing high-quality silage for next winter’s housing period will save on costs for pre-lambing concentrate. Teagasc recommends that farmers budget for 15-16 tonnes of pit silage or 19-20 bales monthly per 100 ewes.
The best time for achieving top-quality first-cut silage is 15 to 25 May.
Each 24-hour period of wilting will reduce silage DMD by between 0.5 and 2 percentage points, according to Teagasc. They advise aiming for rapid wilt of 24 to 36 hours after mowing and targeting 25% dry matter at ensiling for pit silage and 30% dry matter for bales.