August Newsletter update

In this newsletter we have covered a range of topics, which may be of interest. We have started our annual dairy benchmarking, therefore if you would like your data to be included and compare your farm cost of production then please send in your accounts for 2025 year ends.

Our newsletter contains the following topics:

• Managing Forage Stocks

• Managing Cow Condition with Grazing Shortages

• Maize Harvest and Reseeding after Maize

• Capital Grant Update

MAnaging forage stocks

Following the prolonged dry weather there will now be significant pressure on winter forage stocks. It’s key to assess your individual farm situation to forecast your forage requirements against current stocks.

We are seeing a big variation in grass silage stocks across the region with some farms already having healthy 3rd cuts in the clamp and others already starting their 1st cut silage due to lack of grass growth.

As a result, grass silage is being sold at around £50 - 60/t with some paying £25/t haulage on top. Big bale silage is trading at around £25 - 30/bale and the competition for standing maize is likely to be fierce in some areas.

So it is key, especially this year, to assess your forage stock requirements and plan ahead NOW!

Measure what silage you have in the clamp now, work out what the livestock you will have until next harvest will eat, and have a good look at your maize and be realistic about what it is likely to yield.

By planning your requirement now it will allow for small changes to be made to extend your forages. Its key to plan maize usage to ensure it will last to harvest 2026 or consider increasing wholecrop- talk to us today!

what can you extend forages with?

Maize:

Purchasing standing maize is a good option. But prices will be high this year so make sure you look at the crop carefully to estimate yield, and do your sums on haulage cost before you buy.

Hay and Straw:

Both hay and straw are good options to extend your forage stocks, and this year there has been a good amount of good quality hay made.  But their use will rely on using higher levels of concentrates in the diet to get the same litres/liveweight gain which will increase cost.  Competition for it will be strong this year, so secure what you need sooner rather than later as long as cashflow allows.

Grainbeet:

This is a good option, especially if you are near to a local brewery who has grains to sell. It is produced by mixing sugar beet and brewer grains on a 1:4 ratio. It produces a product which is 33% dry matter, 12 MJ ME and 19% CP.  It can be mixed on farm with either a fore end loader or a mixer wagon, then heaped in a clamp which is well compacted and sheeted.  It can be used to replace maize silage (although the protein level is higher), or to replace grass silage if straw is fed alongside to provide effective fibre.

It is necessary to organise for the sugar beet to be on farm prior to the grains being delivered, and you need to mix your requirements in one go and then clamp and seal them.

Moist blends:

There are a range of ready-made moist blends on the market to purchase, some based on brewers grains and others on various confectionary/bakery products. They vary in dry matter, energy, protein levels and price, and it is important that you check how they fit with other ingredients in your cows diet to make sure they are not going to cause issues with acidosis, butterfat reduction etc. But in a year like this, availability will be an issue, so the sooner you source them the better.

Using a combination of finally chopped straw and moist blends can extend silage stocks, depending on the blend the dilution ratio with straw would need to be adjusted to produce a feed value of 12ME and 13% CP - discuss with us!

What else can you do?

Look at all livestock on farm and consider which will be more cost effective to offload than to feed on expensive forage you haven’t already got on farm for this winter.

• Culling barren cows earlier than normal – there is a cost implication on milk sales of doing this, but it is a one off hit and won’t affect things next year.
• Drying cows off early will save on milking cow ration – but remember they still need to be fed.
• Marginal cows – go through your records and takeout those that aren’t efficient. All herds have them. Replacing them with an efficient cow will help justify purchasing forage, or not replacing them can sometimes give the others more space and they perform better!
• Off load beef cattle that are not central to your core business – but do the sums as beef prices are likely to stay firm.
• Straw based diets for youngstock are always a good option. They are expensive, but you have good control over growth rates. Heifer prices are likely to remain high for the next couple years.

Assesing and plannning your requirements now and working out what you are going to do, can avoid making dramatic diet changes at the end of the winter, and having to compete with everyone else who has just realised they are short of forage at the same time.

managing cow condition with grazing shortages

With lack of grazing, maintaining cow condition can be tricky, particularly when forage stocks are tight.  A cow can lose a lot of internal fat before we can visually see the condition lost. Therefore supporting the cows nutrition requirements is key to prevent lower milk yields and conception rates.

Increasing buffer feeding and housing high yielding cows will ensure cow performance is not compromised. But this has to budgeted into your forage stock requirements going forward. 

Drying cows off early will save on milking cow forage, but obviously will have an impact on milk sales when prices are good. But a dry cow still has an energy requirement, albeit less than a milker, so you still need to make sure they have enough forage and concentrate to maintain weight.

Maize harvest and reseeding after maize

The maize is starting to move through the final growth stages, particularly on sandy soils where harvest appears to be around a few weeks away. Therefore, it is key to start assessing crops weekly from now on to make sure you harvest at the right time.

When assessing crops for their fitness for harvest, the quickest and easiest test to gauge the dry matter and maturity of the crop is the “milk-line” test. This test involves collecting a number of random cobs throughout the field, and assessing kernels to see where the milk-line meets the starch. This test helps to give an indicator of crop maturity and dry matter content. The diagram below explains how the milk line moves down through the crop as it becomes more mature:

When harvesting maize, target dry matters should be between 31-35%. To achieve this, the milk line needs to be 1/3 or ½ way down the kernel. Sometimes it can be difficult to see the milk line, therefore break the cob in half and then cut into the grain from the outer edge until you get milk. If you have used a stay green variety your milk line should be a little further on so that overall dry matter is within target levels.   

With the expected early maize harvest there will be the opportunity for grass reseeds, it’s key to assess the soil moisture levels before over working the soil and loosing valuable moisture. As with any reseed it’s key to assess the field for the following:

• Soil Compaction - Compaction must be corrected prior to reseeding, otherwise soil structure will jeopardise the success of your reseed and how long it will last.
• Organic Manure - If you have any FYM it is a good idea to put this onto reseeding ground prior to ploughing as it is a good source of N, P and K, the fibre will aid soil structure, and it is a good way to bury the manure residues. 
• Grass Seed Mixtures - The cost of grass seed is less than 25% of the full expense of re-seeding and most will be down for several years. Taking time to select the right varieties will reap benefits for productivity and persistency and is well worth doing.
• Protect you Reseed - Key pests to check for include FritFly, Leatherjackets and Slugs.

Short term ryegrasses sown early in the autumn may need to be grazed or cut prior to winter to avoid winter kill.

Heavy infestations of chickweed will need spraying either in late autumn or the spring to prevent too much competition with the grass.

In Spring, walk the reseed and look for perennial weeds, they are easier and cheaper to control the younger you catch them – spray if necessary.

COuntryside stewardship capital grants

The capital grant scheme closed on 1st Aug 2025 as all the money has been allocated.  Defra is not accepting further applications, including those that have been started but not submitted.

Defra plans to improve the offer further and expects to open a new round in 2026.