Latest news with #NationalFodderSurvey
Irish Examiner
11-08-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Teagasc fodder survey reveals 90% of farms expect to have sufficient feed for winter
Based on data from approximately 300 farms nationwide, Teagasc recently updated the National Fodder Survey across dairy and drystock farms. Nationally, 90% of farms expect to have sufficient feed in place for the winter ahead, but approximately 5% of farms expect to face fodder deficits of 20% or greater. Compared to the previous two years, the spring of 2025 facilitated an earlier turnout, putting farms in a good position nationally. However, approximately 20% of farms had to purchase additional feed this spring. It can prove challenging to secure high-quality feed for freshly calved and growing animals, which require silage quality of at least 70 Dry Matter Digestibility (DMD) to support performance. It also highlights the importance of having sufficient pasture on farm for spring grazing, as this is where many farms were reliant on supplementary feed to fill feed deficits. Given that the majority of farms have sufficient reserves in place for the winter months, the focus should now move to building up grass for the autumn through a closing rotation that will maximise spring grass availability. Complete a fodder budget Many farms capitalised on good growing conditions in April and May; 54% of respondents had completed first-cut silage by the end of May, and a further 37% in early June. PastureBase Ireland data trends suggest an additional 0.7t DM/ha has been grown to date on farms above the previous five-year average. However, on approximately 10% – 15% of PastureBase Ireland farms, drought conditions have been experienced. This may result in compromised winter feed reserves in these regions. Only 40% of respondents had completed a winter fodder budget to date. Budgeting is critical, particularly where reserves may be reduced, but it may also identify significant surpluses on some farms and allow those individuals to sell feed. Commenting on the results of the Teagasc National Fodder Survey, Dr Aisling Claffey, Teagasc Ruminant Nutrition Specialist, said: 'While the majority of farms will have built up a reserve this summer with optimal growing conditions in most parts of the country, only 30% of those surveyed intend to analyse silage quality. Feed quality has huge implications for animal performance over the winter months, and a greater focus is required on producing silage of sufficient quality for all livestock categories. "I would also like to acknowledge the input of Katie Cooney in the National Fodder Survey for her time in collecting data and to the farmers for willingly participating and sharing their data during this process.' Head of the Teagasc advisory service Thomas Curran added: 'It is encouraging to see healthy hay and silage stocks on the majority of farms across the country. It is very important to analyse silage before the winter to determine the quality as this will have a major impact on the performance of animals and the cost of overwintering stock. "All farmers need to complete a fodder budget annually to assess the quantity of fodder required, and this can be easily done on the PastureBase Ireland app or with the help of your advisor.'
Agriland
09-08-2025
- General
- Agriland
Dairy advice: Get your silage tested ahead of winter
Ahead of the winter months, farmers need to ensure that they have their silage tested. With second-cut silage secured on a lot of dairy farms, some farmers will not be opting for another cut, but all farmers need to make sure they know what quality the silage in the yard is. If the silage that is in the yard turns out to be of poor quality, farmers either need to eye up making another cut of quality silage themselves, making more surplus bales, or buy in quality silage. However, a decision like this needs to be made in the next couple of days, as a silage analysis along with a fodder budget will give each farmer an idea how much silage is in the yard and how much extra is needed. According to the National Fodder Survey, 90% of farms expect to have sufficient feed in place for the winter ahead, but approximately 5% of farms expect to face fodder deficits of 20% or greater. Of the farmers who were surveyed, it was highlighted that only 30% of those surveyed intend to analyse their silage quality. This is far too low, considering that this feed is what will dictate performance, condition, and health throughout the winter months and can considerably reduce the need for extra costs through substituting poor silage for meal or bought-in feed. Earlier turn-out to grass, favourable grazing conditions, and good grass growth rates throughout the summer months this year have put farmers in a better position in terms of fodder supplies when compared to the last couple of years. The biggest variation in silage test results and particularly silage dry matter digestibility (DMD) stems from the date the crop was cut - which has to be at the back of every farmers' mind as second cut approaches. Realistically, farmers are only going to need dry cow silage for about 10-12 weeks of the winter. The remaining weeks and into the spring are going to require a higher quality silage for milking cows. Milking cows are going to need at least a 74% DMD silage for the few weeks they may be housed, as well as for the shoulders of the year when they are getting buffer fed or they need extra silage to support grazing during poor growth. Conducting a silage test is a simple and cheap, and will give you very valuable information on this year's feed along with good guidance on what to improve for the next cut of silage. The DMD of your silage for dry cows should be between 68-70% and over 74% for milking cows and young stock. The DMD of silage is the key determinant of the overall feed value. When it comes to the UFL of your silage - which is an indicator of energy, as the higher the UFL, the more feed energy for milk solids - dry cow silage should be between 0.72-0.75UFL/kg. and milking cow silage from 0.83-0.88 UFL/kg. The crude protein of silage can be impacted by the DMD of the silage and the timing and quantity of nitrogen applications. It should be over 12% for dry cow silage and over 14% for milking cow silage. The PDIE - which is the digestible protein in the small intestine - should be 75g/kg for dry cows and over 80g/kg for milking cows. This is determined by the UFL and crude protein levels in the silage. The intake value of the silage should be between 90-95g/kg LW (live weight)0.75 for dry cow silage and over 105g/kg LW0.75 for milking cow silage. The potassium (K) content should be less than 2.2% for dry cows, as high K silage fed from two weeks pre-calving creates a milk fever risk. For milking cows, if the K content is over 2.4%, there should be no issue. The pH of your silage should be between 4.0-4.2 and up to 4.4 for drier crops. If the pH is too high, it indicates poor preservation and if it is too low, intakes may be affected. High ammonia also indicates poor preservation and reduces intake, so it should be less than 8% nitrogen. Higher values of lactic acid indicate a stable and palatable silage, as ideally it should be between 8-10% of lactic acid DM while high ash indicates soil contamination and should be less than 8% DM. Testing silage needs to be done on every farm, and especially when cows are going to be milking off this silage, as dietary decisions to ensure maximum milk production need to be conducted based off silage quality. Having good quality silage will allow farmers to produce milk from mainly silage, which will reduce winter feed costs and increase profitability during the housed period. Grass silage is the basis of most winter milk systems and good animal performance is largely down to the adequate intake of quality silage.
Agriland
06-08-2025
- General
- Agriland
Teagasc: 90% of farms expect to have sufficient winter feed
90% of farms expect to have sufficient feed in place for the coming winter, according to Teagasc. Following data from around 300 farms across the country, the authority recently updated its National Fodder Survey for dairy and drystock farms. The update shows that approximately 5% of farms expect to face fodder deficits of 20% or greater this winter. In contrast to the last two years, the spring of 2025 allowed for earlier turnout of animals. However, Teagasc noted that around 20% of farms had to purchase additional feed this spring. The authority said this "highlights the importance of having sufficient pasture on farm for spring grazing, as this is where many farms were reliant on supplementary feed to fill feed deficits". 54% of respondents to the survey had completed first-cut silage by the end of May, and a further 37% in early June. Data from PastureBase Ireland suggests an additional 0.7 tonne dry matter (DM)/ha has been grown to date on farms above the previous five-year average. However, 10% to 15% of PastureBase Ireland farms experienced drought conditions, which may result in compromised winter feed reserves in these regions. Only 40% of survey respondents had completed a winter fodder budget to date. As the majority of farms have sufficient reserves in place for the winter months, Teagasc said the focus should now move to building up grass for the autumn through a closing rotation that will maximise spring grass availability. Dr. Aisling Claffey, Teagasc ruminant nutrition specialist, noted that only 30% of those surveyed intend to analyse silage quality. "Feed quality has huge implications for animal performance over the winter months, and a greater focus is required on producing silage of sufficient quality for all livestock categories," she said. Thomas Curran, head of the Teagasc Advisory Service, added that it is "encouraging to see healthy hay and silage stocks on the majority of farms across the country". "It is very important to analyse silage before the winter to determine the quality as this will have a major impact on the performance of animals and the cost of overwintering stock. "All farmers need to complete a fodder budget annually to assess the quantity of fodder required and this can be easily done on the PastureBase Ireland app or with the help of your advisor," he said.
