Everyone knows that losses in silage quality have negative consequences for feed costs and animal health. However, it is not easy to see at first glance how this is expressed in concrete figures. This article will take position into this aspect. Of course, the prices are not the same for all regions, so this results in differences that everyone can calculate for his own farm.
| Figure 1: Consequences of silage quality for ration design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed (kg) | Euro / DT | Silage A | Silage B |
| Grass silage 1 | 5 | 18 | |
| Grass silage 2 | 5 | 15 | |
| Maize silage 1 | 4 | 18 | |
| Maize silage 2 | 4 | 15 | |
| Straw | 12 | 0,7 | 0,6 |
| Wheat/barly | 15 | 5 | 6 |
| Grain maize | 19 | 2,0 | 3,0 |
| Soy meal | 38 | 1,3 | 1,75 |
| Rapeseed meal | 22 | 1,3 | 1,75 |
| Mineral feed | 62 | 0,4 | 0,4 |
| DM-intake (kg) | 22,1 | 22,0 | |
| Milk yield (kg) | 36,4 | 36,0* | |
| DM from forage (kg) | 13,2 | 10,6** | |
| Concentrated feed (kg) | 9,6 | 12,5** | |
| Starch/ sugar (%) | 30,5 | 33,8** | |
| Cost in euro/ animal | 3,79 | 4,17*** |
Possible cost savings
In a study, the Bavarian State Office for Agriculture published the values shown in figure 2 for possible savings in terms of costs in cents per kilogram of energy-corrected milk. The biggest factors here are coarse feed losses and coarse feed production costs.
Just before the upcoming grass harvest, the possible variants for your own farm should be reviewed here again: In addition to the known grassland measures and processes in silage management, cutting time and the targeted use of silage inoculants play an important role. An early cut and the controlled fermentation process resulting from the silage additive effect produce high-quality and stable protein in the silages. This eliminates the need to purchase expensive protein feeds (note: GMO free milk). Your JOSERA consultant will be happy to assist you in this process – for example, by using a silage additive calculator to show you the costs and benefits for your farm’s own silages.
