Silage 2019

Silage

July 2019

12-page feature

High hopes for season As the rain fell around the region on Friday, hopes of a strong silage season grew.

For hay and silage contractors Calum and Michael Gleadow, it’s set to be another busy year come spring. See page 3.

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PAGE 2—‘Silage’, July, 2019

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The three-day event will include a range of hay and silage workshops, machinery and trade exhibits and talks.

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson, managing director of farming platform Farm Table Airlie Landale and Professor of Plant Science at New Zealand’s Lincoln University Derrick Moot will be among those speaking at the conference.

Farmers for Climate Change’s Lucinda Corrigan, NSW DPI’s Greg Brook, Dairy Australia’s Sofia Omstedt and Co-ordinatorGeneral for Drought Major-General Stephen Day will also speak at the conference.

Sessions include a look at fodder market economics including the financial merits of growing export hay and compare profitability with other grain grower enterprises, and a presentation on fodder, including New Zealand research from the dryland pastures research team, which aims to create farm systems that are resilient to

The 2019 National Fodder Conference will focus on farmers’ connections to the land. climate change, particularly in dry eastern regions of New Zealand.

The drought will be a key feature of the event, with organisers hoping to celebrate and support producers who are adapting, creating and championing positive change in the industry. ➤ For more information, visit: afia.org.au

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‘Silage’, July, 2019—PAGE 3

silage 2019

Hoping for a strong season or Violet Town’s Calum and F Michael Gleadow, it’s going to be a tough feat to beat last year’s silage

season.

Dry conditions and frost damage meant many farmers were forced to abandon crops and cut them for hay and silage.

And for the silage and hay contractors, that meant baling as many as 12 000 bales of silage across the area, much of it canola silage.

And with about 1214 ha cut, mown and baled last season, it was all hands on deck. ‘‘Last year was our biggest year,’’ Calum said. ‘‘It was a tough year for the cereal guys . . . the silage was good quality though. ‘‘We go from Violet Town to Benalla and Murchison area . . . last year we went all the way up to Tungamah.’’

And while a month ago they may have been apprehensive about how this year’s season would turn out, things are looking up. ‘‘It’s hanging in there,’’ Michael said. ‘‘The water is starting to run but you just don’t always know (how the weather will go).’’

Standing in their machinery shed, as light rain falls around them, the brothers’ hopes seem to be growing. ‘‘It could be shaping up to be a good season if it keeps going like this,’’ Calum said. ‘‘It’ll be a strong season (with lots of people looking for silage) because noone’s got anything in storage after last year. ‘‘The end of August we’ll start to think about getting ready to go and just seeing how it all pans out.’’

And with all hands on deck come spring, the brothers say there’s another key team player — Bertolis Shepparton.

The machinery business, which has ‘‘been there since the start’’ according to Michael, has always ensured their large contracting and farming business keeps ticking over.

With two Massey Ferguson tractors, two mower conditioners, balers and wrappers, the brothers have been loyal customers of the brand for a number of years. ‘‘They offer us really good service which is always key,’’ Michael said.

Calum and Michael Gleadow are gearing up for another silage season.

New hay and silage machinery here soon here’s about to be plenty more T equipment at O’Connors Shepparton, with the team

O’Connors Shepparton machinery salesman Bernie Teasdale says the business is gearing up for a raft of new products to hit the showroom floor.

welcoming a number of new products.

In a bid to expand its hay and silage range, the business has forged a partnership with Polish machinery company SaMASZ. After finding an importer for the company in the Western District, O’Connors Shepparton machinery salesman Bernie Teasdale said the business would be adding drum and disc mowers, single and twin motor rakes and tedders to the Numurkah Rd site.

The new range marks one of the biggest expansions of O’Connors’ hay and silage range in recent years.

And with a product launch day planned for Wednesday, September 11, soon farmers will be able to see the new products up close. ‘‘It’ll give everyone a chance to see it laid out and a chance to smell it, touch it, feel it,’’ Mr Teasdale said. ‘‘Kick a few tyres and ask a few questions. ‘‘It’s a big change and we’re really excited to be bringing some new products in.’’

And while incorporating more quality products into O’Connors’ range was a key priority, Mr Teasdale said the considerations had to go far beyond that. ‘‘We’ve got the backing for parts and services, which is really key,’’ he said. ‘‘You’ve got to have that reliability and we’ve been able to ensure we can get parts from overseas quickly to provide that for our customers.’’

O’Connors Shepparton will soon sell single rakes from 3 m to 4.7 m and twin rakes from 7.2 m to 8.4 m, and disc mowers from 1.8 m to 9.4 m and butterfly disc mowers.

With a host of Case IH products still on offer, Mr Teasdale said they could offer everything from cutting to feeding, with mixer wagons and tractors always on hand at O’Connors.

Mr Teasdale said everyone around the region was hoping for a strong season, especially after a horror year last year. ‘‘We’re all hoping the dairy farmers get a good go of it this season,’’ he said. ‘‘The season’s starting to look better.

Hopefully there’s some good rains in the spring . . . There’s a lot of sheds to be filled. You can only hope we’ll have a good season.’’

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PAGE 4—‘Silage’, July, 2019

silage 2019

Gassed

By Alana Christensen

hen it comes to feeding W cows, rice straw silage isn’t normally the first thing

Wyuna dairy farmers Harold and Tom Montgomery have ordered about 300 bales of the gassed silage this year.

The silage is wrapped twice in plastic, with black plastic on the exterior to keep heat in the bale and encourage the chemical reaction.

It takes a few days for cows to get used to the gassed silage.

that springs to mind.

But with high feed prices taking their toll in another tough year, dairy farmers around the region are turning to the novel feed as part of their feed budget.

Retired hay contractor Ashley Dempster has been a strong advocate for rice straw silage for more than a decade.

And while rice straw silage is never something that’s used in a normal year, it provides a useful stop gap in drought years according to Mr Dempster, who says it can help maintain the weight of cattle and livestock. ‘‘It all comes back to price in a year like this,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s something to use in a drought, it’s a substitute. ‘‘In a good year you get it for nothing in NSW.’’ This year, as feed and water prices continued to skyrocket, use across the region has increased.

And while rice straw silage in its simplest format may not deliver all the nutritional benefits farmers hope for, there is a solution — gassed silage.

While untreated silage carries 3.1 per cent protein of dry matter and 5.9 MJ/kg DM of

energy, rice straw silage treated with anhydrous ammonia sees the protein results improve more than three-fold to 9.7 per cent of dry matter, while energy is improved to 7.4 MJ/kg DM, according to feed testing.

By gassing the rice straw, Mr Dempster says the protein value can be artificially increased, with the more times it’s gassed, the greater the improvement.

A recent feed test of twicegassed rice straw returned protein results of 14.9 per cent of dry matter and metabolisable energy of 8.0 MJ/kg DM. Mr Dempster estimates about a dozen farmers around the Goulburn Valley region have used rice straw this season, with the product also travelling as far south as Romsey, about 30 km west of Kilmore.

A number of those have used rice straw silage in the past, including Wyuna dairy farmers Harold and Tom Montgomery.

Having first used rice straw silage more than a decade ago during the millennium drought, they have been using one-anda-half times gassed rice straw silage as part of their feed program for their 200-strong herd. ➤ Continued on page 5.

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‘Silage’, July, 2019—PAGE 5

silage 2019

silage is a viable option ➤ From page 4.

‘‘This year feed has been hard to come by,’’ Harold said. ‘‘We’ve ordered about 300 rolls (of rice straw silage) and there’s more to come.’’

While it can take a few days for cows to get used to the taste of the gas treated rice straw silage, Tom said the proof was in the paddock — when you looked around you could see there was not much left.

Ideally the rice straw is harvested between three and 10 days after its been stripped by the header and must still be green when cut.

The greener the straw the more moisture is retained and ultimately the better quality of the final product.

Bales are then wrapped in plastic twice, with black plastic used on the outside to preserve the heat within the bale and

encourage the chemical reaction.

During the gassing process a probe is inserted into the centre of the bale, with the gas pumped into the wrapped bale where it is trapped and pickles the silage.

Before feeding to the herd, Mr Dempster said the bales would be opened up about 24 hours before, and then later spread in the paddocks and allowed to air before the cows ate the silage.

And although it might be a unique idea to many, there’s plenty of positives to the feed, which can be kept for months without being affected by mould or mice. ‘‘The longer you leave it the better it gets,’’ Mr Dempster said.

Because it’s preserved in ammonia it can last two years. ‘‘It’s amazing what we can do with something that would normally be waste,’’ he said.

ABOVE: Former hay contractor Ashley Dempster has been selling gassed rice straw to farmers across the country who are looking for a more economical way to meet their feed needs.

RIGHT: Gassed rice straw compared with dry rice straw.

The gassing helps improve the rice straw’s nutritional value.

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Dry conditions have seen an increase in farmers utilising gassed rice straw silage. About a dozen farms in the Goulburn Valley region have used the feed as part of their ration system this year.

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PAGE 6—‘Silage’, July, 2019

silage 2019

Key tips to produce best results hen it comes to W making high-quality silage, there are a lot of

after harvest is completed and avoid rolling the next morning as this just pumps more oxygen into the stack.

Rolling should keep up with forage delivery from the paddock.

Seal pits or stacks as soon as harvest is complete.

If leaving overnight minimise air getting into the stack by placing plastic on the stack and weighing down the edges.

Finish weighing down the stack next morning and ensure seals are airtight.

For an airtight seal use gravel bags, filled with pea gravel or washed sand, along bunker walls and stack surface. Even a double row of tyres around the perimeter does not achieve an airtight seal.

decisions that go into the final product.

But Dairy Australia has recommended five key tips to encourage a quality product — cut pastures early, wilt quickly and harvest as soon as possible, compact forage as densely as possible, seal quickly and well to exclude air and repair holes immediately using specific silage tape.

Cut early in the season

For maximum silage quality, cut pastures when they are at or near canopy closure.

This is also the optimum stage of growth for grazing in spring.

Providing pasture is at or only slightly past grazing height, and harvested in good weather conditions, milk production will be only marginally less than if the same pasture had been grazed by the cows.

Wilting rate of the mown pasture has a big impact on silage quality and is impacted by the time of day the silage is cut.

To avoid overdrying, mow after dew has lifted, match mowing and harvesting operations, so that mown

Repair holes immediately

A few key tips can help to create higher-quality silage, according to Dairy Australia. material is not left unharvested for lengthy periods, delay mowing until mid to late afternoon to reduce the risk of overdrying the forage during hot, dry and windy weather, and stagger mowing and narrow the swath width if

there is a real risk of overdrying.

Wilt and harvest quickly

Have the forage in the pit or bale within 24 to 48 hours, if possible Wilt rapidly to the target dry matter (baled silage 40

to 50 per cent and pit silage 32 to 38 per cent) to reduce potential dry matter and quality losses.

compaction, the less air will be trapped in the stack or bale, resulting in a higherquality silage.

Keep it compact

Seal airtight as soon as possible

Compact stacks and make bales as dense as possible.

The better the

Seal stacks, don’t just cover them.

Finish rolling immediately

Maintain silage quality by repairing holes as soon as possible and ensure the area to be patched is clean and dry.

Use specific silage repair tape of similar colour to the holed plastic. This minimises the difference in contracting and expanding in hot/cool conditions and stops the seal leaking.

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‘Silage’, July, 2019—PAGE 7

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PAGE 8—‘Silage’, July, 2019

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Robust, versatile bale feeder ts speed of feeding out Itypes and ability to handle all of bales are among

the reasons farmers on both sides of the Tasman love the Giltrap SLR bale feeder.

The SLR can handle round and square bales of hay and silage with ease, and it provides a clean loading system and quick feed out.

When New Zealand company Giltrap Engineering bought Duncan Ag last year, along with the stable of popular Duncan drills, it acquired Duncan’s range of bale feeders and feed-out wagons.

At that point Giltrap already manufactured its own range of feeders and feed-out wagons, so many of the Duncan machines were not carried over to the Giltrap brand.

One Duncan product that was incorporated into the Giltrap portfolio is the SLR bale feeder.

Giltrap Engineering managing director Craig Mulgrew said with its ability to feed out hay, straw or balage, as well as loose pit silage, the SLR bale feeder filled a gap in Giltrap’s feedout segment. ‘‘The SLR is a robust, versatile trailed machine that can handle round bales, medium squares or big

The SLR can handle round and square bales of hay and silage with ease, and it provides a clean loading system and quick feed out. squares,’’ Mr Mulgrew said. ‘‘It has a strong reputation and we are pleased to add it to the Giltrap product range.’’

Western Australian

farmer Graham Armstrong has been using a SLR bale feeder on his 1000 ha dairy and beef operation at Tutunup since December 2010.

Previously he had owned several other bale feeders, but switched to the SLR model because of its innovative design. ‘‘We were replacing the

previous bale feeders quite regularly because the silage was destroying them every couple of years,’’ Mr Armstrong said. ‘‘Then Duncan brought

the SLR out, and I saw one in town. ‘‘It was something different and we were looking for something stronger. ‘‘The rolls don’t sit on a set of chains. ‘‘They sit on a bed and only touch the chains enough to turn them, which reduces pressure on the chains. ‘‘The previous feeder we had lifted up the bale with a set of forks and tipped the bale forward and dumped it onto the bed, but the SLR places it on the bed and the forks pull out and retract. ‘‘Our silage rolls weigh between 500 and 800 kg, so by placing the roll, it is a lot easier on the machine.’’

The Giltrap SLR bale feeder has a patented twostage loading mechanism.

It lifts the bale, holds it in position, so the operator can remove any string or wrap, and it then places the bale in the correct position on the tilting tray.

It has twin prongs on the self-loading mechanism (with the option of a third prong for large square bales) to pick up and load the bale.

After loading, it can carry another bale on the prongs.

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‘Silage’, July, 2019—PAGE 9

silage 2019

Fast, slick machine launched new revolutionary, A non-stop, round baler wrapper combination, the

VICON FastBale, has been launched.

According to PFG Australia, the new baler seamlessly processes grass into baled and wrapped forage and requires no input from the operator (other than driving) as a highdensity bale is produced, without stopping. ‘‘It’s a huge breakthrough,’’ PFG’s Graeme Leigh said. ‘‘With the FastBale, contractors can work faster.

They can continue baling without having to stop to release the bale. ‘‘That alone represents a great time saving. ‘‘Then, consider that two bales are in process, continuously, whilst another is being wrapped. ‘‘The whole operation is super fast, very slick and designed by the renowned Vicon development team. ‘‘We expect the FastBale to be of interest to those contractors who aim to achieve the highest levels of efficiency and productivity.’’

Already creating an impact in the European market, the FastBale was voted winner of the Grass Machine of the Year Award at the 2015 SIMA show, for

According to PFG Australia, the new baler seamlessly processes grass into baled and wrapped forage and requires no input from the operator (other than driving) as a high-density bale is produced, without stopping. its innovative technology and overall performance. ‘‘Vicon’s truly innovative design has led the FastBale to cleverly integrate a prechamber with the main chamber, and a wrapper, whilst remaining compact,’’ Mr Leigh said.

‘‘FastBale represents two world firsts: it is currently the world’s only non-stop fixed-chamber baler and secondly, it is the world’s only non-stop fixedchamber baler-wrapper combination.

Mr Leigh explained how

the baler and wrapper works. ‘‘The FastBale initially collects and compresses grass in the pre-chamber to two thirds of the completed size,’’ he said. ‘‘When the pre-selected density and size is reached,

the crop flow and the bale are directed to the main chamber where completion of the bale occurs. ‘‘Once completed the grass flow is then diverted again into the pre-chamber to begin the formation of the next bale.

‘‘At the same time, the completed bale is smoothly transferred to the wrapper using gravity.’’

The class-leading wrapping capacity is achieved through the FastBale’s twin satellites, wrapping at a high speed of 50 rpm.

With their unique horizontal mounting position they avoid crop build-up associated with many traditional systems and the wrap-around rear frame also eliminates any possibility of bales rolling off the wrapper when working on steeply sloping land.

Equipped with an IsoMatch TellUs terminal with a double-size colour touchscreen, the operator is kept fully informed through an animated display showing the real-time status of the pre- and main baling chambers, and wrapper.

PFG Australia is eager to introduce the revolutionary FastBale to contractors and farmers during its demonstration program in August.

PFG said with features too numerous to describe, seeing the FastBale in action was essential. ➤ Phone PFG Australia on 8353 3600 to arrange a demonstration.

PAGE 10—‘Silage’, July, 2019

silage 2019

Follow recipe for the best silage f you plan to cut your Isilage, winter cereal crops for timing is

everything, according to NSW DPI pasture production technical specialist Neil Griffiths.

He said cereal crops could be made into any type of silage and the chop length, wilting and compaction was similar to pasture or rye-grass silage. ‘‘To get the best quality silage, cereals should be cut early at the boot stage of growth and wilted at the correct dry matter level,’’ Mr Griffiths said. ‘‘In round numbers, 35 per cent of dry matter is needed if chopped for pit or bunker silage and 45 per cent dry matter, if baled. ‘‘Wheat, barley or triticale can be also be direct harvested for chopped silage at the dough stage of grain development if high yield is wanted and lower quality is acceptable. ‘‘Oats can be direct harvested but the drop in feed quality is likely to be greater than in other cereals.’’

If a good season occurs and there is an opportunity to store silage, Mr Griffiths said the wilting process needed to be sped up. ‘‘If we get good crops and the opportunity to store

NSW DPI pasture production technical specialist Neil Griffiths provides tips on how to cut winter cereal crops for silage. silage then it will be necessary to speed up wilting using conditioners, which spread the feed across the paddock rather than putting it straight into a windrow,’’ he said.

‘‘And then use a tedder to turn and spread the feed laying on the ground. ‘‘The quicker the silage can be made the better the feed quality, provided it is wilted to the correct dry

matter level.’’

However if the season is too wet or dry, problems can occur. ‘‘If the crops are too wet, we risk poor fermentation in pits or bales and if it’s too

dry, pit silage is hard to compact but baled silage is usually okay provided the baler packs it tight,’’ Mr Griffiths said. ‘‘If crops are droughtaffected, the same basic

principles apply, however, despite lower yields it is often found that feed quality can be higher than average in drought-affected crops provided the decision to cut is before the crop loses quality. ‘‘This especially applies to canola. Beware, canola in wrapped bales is only suitable for very short-term storage as it has been observed to cause early plastic breakdown.’’

While some silage growers would use inoculants to help with the issues above, Mr Griffiths said they were best used as the ‘‘icing on the cake’’. ‘‘With any silage, inoculants will improve fermentation and feed quality,’’ he said. ‘‘Although some people use inoculants to help when they have problems, the use of inoculants is actually most profitable when they are used to make good silage even better. ‘‘The best result is when a good crop is well made using all the basics, especially a quick wilt to the required dry matter, good compaction and sealing. ‘‘The inoculant is the icing on the cake but we want a good cake first.’’

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‘Silage’, July, 2019—PAGE 11

silage 2019

More control, certainty on offer recision and P consistency are the hallmarks of Case IH’s

round baler range, with recent improvements further enhancing its performance in the paddock and the bottomline for producers.

The RB5 Series was the result of three years of worldwide field testing, with the RB455 and RB465 offering superior bale shape and density and features that offer greater control and certainty in the paddock.

Case IH hay and harvest product manager Tim Slater said the variable chamber round balers had increased capacity in all crops, producing high-density, perfectly-shaped bales.

The RB455 and RB465 produce bales of up to 1.5 m and 1.8 m in diameter respectively and both models feature a dualcylinder hydraulic-density system. ‘‘The two cylinders have 2000 psi, providing more force than a single cylinder at 2600 psi — increasing bale density and consistency across the bale, resulting in higher silage quality and better-looking bales,’’ Mr Slater said.

In recent updates to the series, in-cab bale density

Case IH has released a new round baler range, including the RB455. control has been introduced, making adjustments to the bale construction quicker and easier than the operator having to leave the cab. ‘‘This improvement was made in response to customer feedback and it certainly makes a huge difference for a farmer to have the ability to

customise the bale that’s produced,’’ Mr Slater said. ‘‘Depending on the individual crop and conditions, a producer may want to change the final bale profile, and the endpurpose of the bale can also be a determining factor in the bale core density.’’

The operator can quickly and simply swap from a

soft-core bale to be put through a feed mixer to a well-rolled hard-core bale to be rolled out.

Another update to the RB455 and RB465 has been a change in the sledge and tailgate rollers, a big improvement for the operator in that it significantly reduces the clean-down time,

maximising in-field efficiency. ‘‘The design of these round balers allows them to operate at high speed with a high degree of precision, meaning the crop you spent so much time and money on will end up where it belongs, and not left on the ground,’’ Tim said.

An increase in the number

of pick-up reel bars on the RB5 Series results in more consistent feeding, a more efficient movement of crop from the pick-up to the feeder, and more tynes to get all of the crop picked up, particularly shorter crops.

New RB5 Series balers also come with ISOBUS Class 3 automation, which when coupled with an appropriate tractor, stops the tractor when the target bale size is reached; allows for automatic application of net wrap to the bale; and automatically raises and lowers the baler tailgate to eject the wrapped bale.

Other RB5 Series features include: ➤ Five-bar pick-up for high-capacity baling. ➤ Hydraulic drop floor for fast and reliable unplugging. ➤ Best-in-class belt designs for reliability and durability. ➤ In-cab adjustable density control. ➤ ISOBUS Tractor Connectivity with userfriendly operator interface. ➤ Modern styling. ➤ For more information about the round baler range, see your local Case IH dealer at O’Connors Shepparton or visit the Case IH website at: www.caseih.com

5200 SERIES BALERS eed F r o t o R R 5216 Knife 4 1 t u C r e p u S 5216-SC14-

0.00

% p.a.

s ts ock la t s e l i * Wh s a pp ly C o n dit

• PowerFeed rotor intake • Isobus 11783 compliant • Large 2.2m wide 5 tyne bar pick-up • PowerBind direct injection net wrap system • NEW hydraulic drop floor for superior unblocking • Intelligent density 3D multi chamber bale density control • Central greasing banks • Endless belts

io n

Seasonal Payments Available www.vicon-machinery.com.au . 1800 424 241 John Sanderson Machinery 36/34-38 Industrial Cres, Nagambie VIC 3608, Australia P: +61 3 5794 2272

William Adams Ag 7847 Goulburn Valley Hwy, Kialla VIC 3631, Australia P: +61 3 5832 5500

Grogans Machinery 273-279 Midland Hwy, Epsom VIC 3551, Australia P: +61 3 5448 3535

Cobram Farm Equipment 3687 Murray Valley Hwy, Cobram VIC 3644, Australia P: +61 5872 1722

*Specific lending terms, loan structures, establishment fee and commercial credit criteria apply to all PFG Credit offers. 0.00%p.a. over 12 months based on minimum of 30% equity (cash or trade). Alternative special finance package rates, terms and structures are also available up to 5 years on all Vicon models. PFG Credit is a division of De Lage Landen Pty Limited ABN 20 101 692 040. Prices exclude freight and pre-delivery. Pictures for illustration purposes. Offers valid till 30th September 2019 .

PAGE 12—‘Silage’, July, 2019

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