Silage delays cost dear but hay is in the shed
© Kathy Horniblow I was rather premature last month with the silage report. We didn’t get first cut done as planned, because our contractor chose to go to a large dairy farm instead of us.
Unfortunately, he could not see that our silage is as important to us as anybody else’s is to them.
The delay, along with heavy rain and having to join the list of a new contractor, has resulted in the worst quality I have ever made.
This will be expensive to balance, as the last thing heavily pregnant ewes need is gut fill.
See also:Â 8 ways to produce award-winning silage
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We did make some lovely hay in the only window so far of hot sunny weather. With rain forecast, we took a super heifer to the Three Counties Show and left the boys in charge there while I came back to move the hay.
A late night and a rather large last load – well secured, I should add – resulted in all bales being safely stacked in the shed. The rain the next morning relieved the temperature at the show and justified the effort.
The lambs are going steadily. We are selling well-fleshed quality lambs rather than plain, under-finished ones that seem too numerous at market. Our lambs are fetching good prices per kilo in a falling market.
Our leys are starting to show signs of lack of water, so we are weaning everything. The ewes have been moved to the silage fields to mob-graze where we have overseeded with clover.
Hopefully, they will hold the grass down to give the clover a chance. The 18mm of rain has germinated the seed, and a bit more should give it a chance to establish.
We are going to push the lambs on to get as many away as possible while the prices are still OK.Â
I cannot see the lamb price going up to cover the ag-inflation.
We must all be aware of every news story pushing the cost of living; however, I still think good-quality food must be shouted about.
Surely the highly processed rubbish that is claimed to be food cannot be the future of human nutrition.