Farmer Focus: Silage plans go out of the window under pressure

Back in the days before silage, one of Orkney’s machinery dealers used to say he never sold many hay turner tines in a dry year.

If that’s still the case, then this year will have been a lucrative season for selling tines, as we’ve had a really wet summer up here.

We’ve had bumper crops, despite a lot of farmers reducing the amount of fertiliser used. Combine that with mixed weather and it certainly makes harder work for machine and operator.

About the author

Steven Sandison

Livestock Farmer Focus writer Steven Sandison farms 100 Simmental and Salers cross cows on the Orkney Islands in partnership with his wife Lorraine. They have a small flock of sheep and grow 20 acres of spring barley. Making the most of grass is a priority.

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While the UK’s mainland seems to be enjoying a heatwave, we are getting many days with drizzle, showers or proper rain.

Bales versus clamp silage is a subject that divides farmer opinion. It’s a bit like asking about the best breed of cattle or the best age to calve heifers. These are all questions that can ignite a lengthy and lively debate among a group of farmers.

This catchy weather is one of the main reasons I decided to remove the silage pits and make bales. I know self-propelled balers can take it in fast when the conditions are right, but they can also take it in fast when conditions aren’t good.

When I was growing up, my father and brother hired in a contractor for silage. There weren’t so many foragers about then and you had to wait in a queue for the contractor to arrive. When the weather was mixed it could be a frustrating time and I remember the discussions later in the year when the silage analysis arrived or when the pit was opened.

“Next year, we are going to wilt it for longer,” they would say, along with similar suggestions. These were all forgotten by the time silage rolled around the following year when the pressure was on to get the job done.

It was great to be back at the Royal Highland Show in June, after a two-year break, to meet up with friends old and new. Cattle, Clydesdales and clipping are some of my favourites, and it was great to see guys from Orkney doing so well in the Young Farmers’ stock judging. Well done all.