Best practice Forage and Grazing Management
Improving quality of home-grown forage reduces reliance on purchased feed (higher footprint than homegrown material).
Higher quality forage will improve animal productivity and efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) per kg of product produced.
Aim:
To improve quality and utilisation of grazed grass.
Optimise the use of forage crops on farm.
Optimise silage nutritional quality for milk yield.
Action on farm:
Improved planning and monitoring of silage and grazing swards:
Sign up to GrassCheck or Forage for Knowledge notifications
Follow best practice silage making and grazing management guidelines (education provided)
Use a rising plate meter (or sward sticks or cut & weigh method) to monitor covers and growth
Undertake pre-cut or pre-graze testing of swards (e.g. dry matter, ensilability, CP, WSC, NDF).
High Sugar Grasses
Aim: To improve protein capture in the rumen
Action on Farm:
Incorporate high-sugar grass varieties on farm for grazing or the production of silage:
Create a re-seeding plan detailing target area, timescale etc.
Choose appropriate variety from the provided list
Establish crop and manage appropriately using best practice guidelines provided