Wales Farmer 8 NEWS September 2013


Poorcompactionwillput squeezeonforage stocks


MANY Welsh farms are losing at least 10% of total silage dry matter as adirect result of poor


clamp compaction. During an open dayat


Marcross Farm,aFarming Connect demonstration farmin the Vale of Glamorgan, farmers heardhow inadequate com- paction allows oxygen to enter a clamp,creating aerobic spoilage. Air penetrates further when the clamp is opened up. As the cost of bought-in feed


continues to escalate,protecting homegrownfeed and forage from spoilage is crucial, says Dr David Davies,ofSilage Solutions Ltd. He recommends filling silage clamps in evenlay- ers,nomorethan 15cm deep, and rolling after every layeris added.


“Some farmers roll forfour to By Debbie James


five hours at the end of the day, butthat’snogood, they need to roll as they go along,”said Dr Davies,who led adiscussion at the open day. “Taking the time to compact


silage as it comes into the clamp will keep air out and prevent it from heating.” Dr Davies does not favour


using tractors with double wheels.These aredesigned to reduce compaction in afield, but the opposite effect is needed in a clamp.Herecommends using a Silapactor,afour-tonne tool made with train wheels,to improvesilage compaction when filling the clamp.The machine is designed to exert pressureacross its


full three-metrewidth,


increasing compaction density with each pass.


Silage chop length is also important to preserving quality and the dry matter content should dictate the length. “Onlysilage over 30% DM


should be cut at one inch. Ten per cent of the ration should be long fibre, cut to amaximum of three inches.” Although silage additivesare


an additional cost, Dr Davies says they areawise investment. “If the crop is excellent and the weather is excellent that’swhen additivesare the most benefi- cial.” At Marcross Farm,maximis-


ing silage quality is crucial to achieving the 9,000-litreaverage yields in the 180-cowHolstein Friesian herd. The Evans familyalso grows


80 acres of maize, 80 acres of winter wheatand 10 acres of spring barley. “I don’t think it would be eco-


nomical forustomilk the num- ber of cows thatwedoifwe weren’tgrowing our owncereal. It also givesusmorecontrol over the quality of the feed,”said Hopkin Evans,who farms with his parents,Tonyand Sharon. After asuccession of poor


crops,maizewill be replaced by wholecrop next year. According to Dr Davies,


maizeshould consistently achieve


15 tonnes


freshweight/acre at 28% starch and 30% dry matter forthe crop to be viable. The Evanses will crimp next


HOMEGROWN: The Evans family grows 80 acres of winter wheat at Marcross Farm.


HEALTHY advice


AS THOUGHTS begin to turn to housing livestock for the autumn, there are anumber of health con- siderations for cattle and sheep.


Sheep Fluke


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year,with large numbers of deaths being reported in the win- ter and early spring. Do not be deceivedbythe hot dry weather in July.Most sheep in Wales will have been infected with fluke again this spring –lambs too.It thereforemakes sense to treat both ewesand lambs with a three-stage flukicide as soon as possible.Takecarewith the withdrawal periods in lambs as all flukicides will be amonth plus beforethe animals can go forslaughter.Speak to your animal health advisor if youare unsure.


Worms TRYtoavoid worming ewesif possible,unless foraquarantine dose.Lambs will need worming moreoften, butifthe weather is dry they mayneed worming less.Faecal egg counting can help with anyworming deci- sions.


Scab and lice THIS is something to be aware of and will be moreofa prob- lem as the autumn goes on. Ensureany newarrivals on the farmare treated forscab. Find out what the problem is and get your vettodiagnose if unsure.


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Vaccines DON’T forget to treatwith pas- teurella and clostridial vaccina- tions in time (twotosix weeks beforelambing, depending on


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In anew column for Wales Farmer, SALLY HARMER, animal health manager for Clynderwen and Cardiganshire Farmers (CCF) highlights seasonal health management issues and solutions in the livestock sectors.


the vaccine). Leaving it late could compromise the protection of the lamb.


Feet THE autumn is agood time to sort out these issues and consid- er using avaccine if thereare severallame sheep in the flock as they will cost aserious amount of money.Speak to your vetor animal health advisor to put a plan together.


Cattle Fluke


BOTH cows and calves may need adose of flukicide in the near futuredue to the high levels of flukecurrentlyonthe pasture and they will need treating again at housing. Milking cows should always be fluked at drying off with aproduct licensed foruse in lactating animals –most prod- ucts arenolonger able to be used


due to recent changes in the law. We have had some issues recent- ly due to the incorrect choice of product being used at drying off, so please get advice about the best product to use.


Worms MOST young animals are wormed at housing, butthere has been some lungwormaround in early August so keep an eyeon youngstock outside this autumn, especiallythose thathavebeen treated with long-acting prod- ucts.Dairy cows thathaven’t been wormed will often showa boost in milk yield if wormed at calving, especiallyfirst calvers and high-yielding cows,but a product with zero milk withhold must be used at thattime.


Minerals BECAUSE the last couple of years have been so wetithas cer- tainlyput pressureonmineral profiles.Rain has aleaching effect, so the grass has been unabletotakeupthe normal


amounts of trace elements.Soil analysis can give an idea of what is availableornot, butrequire some interpretation. Blood tests via avet can also be used. Supplementation comes in many forms–loose powder,Buckets, in feed and boluses to name a few.


Vaccines ALARGE number of herds in south west Wales have been affected with the Schmallenberg virus thatiscarried by midges.A vaccine is nowavailable, butone of the challenges in aherdwill be timing it with other vaccines because therehas to be an inter- valbetween doses of different products.Itmay be worth going in earlier than normal with prod- ucts likethe Leptospirosis vac- cine if youare likelytoconsider using the Schmallenbergvaccine. Please speak to your vetabout using them.


Rats WITH rodents closelyassociated with Salmonella contamination of animal food stuffs,itisimpor- tant to ensurethatgrain stores and animal feed areas arekept vermin free.Byplacing bait early,inasafe and responsible manner afull scale infestation can be prevented and with ages- tation period of only23daysfor rats and less foramice,itissim- ple maths to understand how serious this problem can become if left unchecked.


PICTURE: Debbie James.


year’swholecrop.Crimping can makeamajor contribution to reducing the cost of feeding and improving the performance and


LOOK AFTER IT: David Davies, pictured with farmer Hopkin Evans, says protecting homegrown feed from spoilage is crucial.


health of livestock. But AndyStrzelecki, of


Kelvin Cave Ltd, says grain must be treated with an effective pre- servative and ensiled correctly. Another reason forthe popular- ity of crimped wholecrop is that


indoor storagefacilities arenot required. Mr Strzelecki says grain


should be harvested at 35-45% moisturecontent to maximise its digestibility. Farming Connect, which is


PICTURE: Debbie James.


deliveredbyMenter aBusnes,is funded through the Rural Development Plan 2007-2013 which is


financed by the


European Agricultural Fund for RuralDevelopment and the Welsh Government.


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