Profitability of Controlled Traffic in Grass Silage Production

Controlled traffic farming (CTF) systems aim to reduce soil compaction by restricting machinery field traffic to permanent traffic lanes. Grass-clover silage production is generally associated with intensive field traffic, resulting in reduced silage clover content. If CTF can increase yield and clover content in grass-clover leys, this would reduce the need for grain and expensive protein concentrate in dairy cow feed rations. A mixed integer programming model was developed to evaluate the potential profitability of CTF in a dairy farm context. Existing field trial data were used to calculate the expected yield outcome of CTF, based on reductions in trafficked area. The results revealed that CTF increased profitability by up to €50/ha. Total machinery costs are likely to increase on converting to CTF, but variable machinery costs are likely to decrease.

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Potential for Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) in Grass Silage Production: Agronomics, system design and economics

Advances in Animal Biosciences ◽

10.1017/s2040470017000747 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 776-781 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

P. R. Hargreaves ◽

S. Peets ◽

W. C. T. Chamen ◽

D. R. White ◽

P. A. Misiewicz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Economic Analysis ◽

System Design ◽

Soil Compaction ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Silage Production ◽

Set Up ◽

Controlled Traffic

Grassland silage management is generally ad hoc resulting in soil compaction damage. Literature suggests grass yield reductions of 5 to 74% through compaction (UK mean 13%), while a 2015 study, reported here, comparing grass dry matter (DM) yield between controlled traffic farming (CTF) and normal management (N), found a 13.5% (0.80 t ha−1) increase for CTF. Commercially available grass forage equipment with widths of 3 to 12 m set up for CTF reduced trafficked areas from 80%–90% for N to 40%–13%. Economic analysis based on 13% increase in DM for 2 and 3 cut systems, gave an increased grass value between £38 ha−1 and £98 ha−1. CTF for multi-cut grass silage effectively increases yields by reducing compaction and sward damage.

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Effect of using inoculant on elephant grass silage with additives

Acta Scientiarum Animal Sciences ◽

10.4025/actascianimsci.v42i1.50533 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

pp. e50533

Author(s):

Ana Rebeca Pires da Silva ◽

Fabio Jacobs Dias ◽

João Paulo Ferreira Rufino ◽

Ewerton de Souza Tanaka ◽

Maycom Marinho Lopes

Keyword(s):

Experimental Design ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Acidic Ph ◽

Elephant Grass ◽

Test Results ◽

Alkaline Ph ◽

Nutritional Content ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Silage Production

This study aimed to evaluate the use of inoculant on silage of elephant grass, wet brewery waste and buriti meal at different silo opening times. The experimental silage tested was composed of 50% elephant grass, 30% wet brewery waste, and 20% buriti meal. The experimental design was randomized block in a factorial arrangement (2 x 4), where the treatments consisted of the use or not of inoculant during silage processing, and four silo opening times (7, 14, 21, and 28 days). Data collected were firstly subjected to ANOVA and subsequent Tukey’s test. Results were considered significant at p ≤ 0.05. The use of inoculant in silage production provided more acidic pH (p < 0.05) and higher (p < 0.05) effluent losses. Longer silo opening times resulted in more alkaline pH (p < 0.05) and higher (p < 0.05) effluent losses. The use of inoculant in silage production and longer silo opening times provided higher (p < 0.05) content of ash, crude protein, and fats, and lower (p < 0.05) content of dry matter and fiber (neutral and acid detergent). However, there was no interaction between the factors evaluated in this study. It was concluded that the inoculant may be used in the production of elephant grass silages, wet brewery waste, and buriti meal, providing a more acidic pH, higher effluent losses, lower contents of dry matter and fiber, and higher nutritional content. As the opening time was extended up to 28 days, there was more alkaline pH, higher effluent losses, lower dry matter and fiber content, and higher nutritional content.

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Effect of suckler cow breed type on voluntary silage intake, body reserves mobilisation, milk yield and calf performance

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0308229600032943 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1998 ◽

pp. 81-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. McGee ◽

M.J. Drennan ◽

P.J. Caffrey

Keyword(s):

Milk Yield ◽

Winter Period ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Breed Type ◽

Body Reserves ◽

Calf Performance ◽

Voluntary Intake ◽

Silage Production ◽

And Performance ◽

Increased Retention

The increased retention of within herd replacements will inevitably result in an increasing proportion of continental breed (mainly Charolais) in the suckler cow herd. Due to the high costs of silage production, winter feeding of suckler cows is expensive and thus cows are generally allowed to mobilise body reserves in winter. The objective of this study was to compare the voluntary intake of grass silage and performance of spring calving Charolais (CH) and Beef x (Hereford and Limousin) Friesian (BF) suckler cows and their progeny during the winter period.

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Shadow Price Approach to Total Factor Productivity Measurement: With an Application to Finnish Grass-Silage Production

Journal of Productivity Analysis ◽

10.1023/b:prod.0000034693.38576.94 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 22 (1/2) ◽

pp. 95-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Timo Kuosmanen ◽

Thierry Post ◽

Timo Sipiläinen

Keyword(s):

Total Factor Productivity ◽

Shadow Price ◽

Factor Productivity ◽

Productivity Measurement ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Price Approach ◽

Silage Production

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Field‐related quality management system for grass silage production

Grass and Forage Science ◽

10.1111/gfs.12428 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 314-319

Author(s):

Jürgen Pickert ◽

Dave Brüning ◽

Ferdinand Mersch ◽

Antje Herrmann ◽

Gerhard Weise

Keyword(s):

Quality Management ◽

Management System ◽

Quality Management System ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Related Quality ◽

Silage Production

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Use of additives and pre-wilting in Tifton 85 bermudagrass silage production

Ciência e Agrotecnologia ◽

10.1590/s1413-70542014000100010 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 85-93

Author(s):

Marcela Abbado Neres ◽

Paula Regina Hermes ◽

João Paulo Ames ◽

Maximilliane Alavarse Zambom ◽

Deise Dalazen Castagnara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crude Protein ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Ammonia Nitrogen ◽

The Sun ◽

Soybean Hulls ◽

Total N ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Fermentative Capacity ◽

Silage Production ◽

Pre Treatment

The use of tropical grasses silage has become common in ruminant feed. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the fermentation characteristics, nutritional value, pH, fermentative capacity, ammonia nitrogen / total nitrogen (NH3N/total N) of Tifton 85 bermudagrass grass silage with different additives and wilting. The treatments were: pre-drying in the sun for two hours before silage, use of inoculant-enzymatic addition of soybean hulls, corn grits addition and use of salt in the surface layer of the silo. The experimental design was completely randomized with 6 treatments and 4 replications. Plants of Tifton 85 bermudagrass with 38 days of growth were ensiled in experimental silos with Bunsen valve type with packing densities of 236 kg of silage per m³ for Tifton 85 bermudagrass pre-dried in the sun and 294 kg of silage per m³ for the other treatments. The proportions of soybean hulls and corn grits added to the silage were calculated based on the initial DM content of Tifton 85 bermudagrass order to obtain MS 320 g kg-1 for the material to be ensiled. The buffering capacity did not differ between treatments in getting 29.56 (meqHCl/100gMS). It was found that the concentration of ammonia nitrogen did not differ between silages and remained low (3.22 g kg-1), the pH after silo opening was also similar with an average of 4.09 getting above 4.2 only in Tifton 85 bermudagrass silage without pre-treatment. The crude protein was higher in silages Tifton 85 bermudagrass and Tifton 85 bermudagrass with soybean hulls (17.48 g kg-1). The use corn grits caused a reduction in the values of NDF. The use of salt on the surface the layer reduced the production of latic and acetic acid.

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The effect of slurry application timing on grass silage fermentation and intake by dairy cattle

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200001447 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 2000 ◽

pp. 143-143

Author(s):

R.D. Allison ◽

S.J. Lane ◽

K. Smith ◽

J.A. Laws

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Waste Disposal ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Dry Matter Intake ◽

Application Timing ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Silage Fermentation ◽

Silage Production

Many farmers apply slurry to grassland as a fertiliser or a means of waste disposal. There is evidence that winter slurry application leads to higher losses of nitrogen due to leaching subsequently reducing the efficiency of slurry N utilisation when compared with spring applications (Smith et al 1995). This suggests that slurry applications should be undertaken in spring, but the effect of timing on the extent of grass contamination is unknown. When grassland is used for silage production, contamination of the sward can lead to reduced silage fermentation and acceptability (Boxem and Remmelink 1987). A study was conducted to investigate the effect of timing of slurry application on fermentation and dry matter intake of first and second cut grass silage.

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