Spring silage is a favourable option for cereal crops

Deteriorating grain prices are prompting growers in some circumstances to consider the silage option for winter cereal crops, especially with cattle prices on the increase over the past three months.

It’s just one contributing factor in what is shaping up to be a significantly larger than normal spring silage harvest across Eastern Australia in coming weeks and months.

Nathan Lister, technical services manager, Lallemand Animal Nutrition, says recent weather patterns with a favourable winter across large parts of eastern Australia has stimulated interest in winter silage this year.
Barley being the most popular choice, and to a lesser extent triticale and oats were the dominant sources, for winter-grown silage this year.

“Typically for a dryland barley silage program we would expect to see yields of 5-6 tonnes/ acre as-cut. I think Queensland and NSW crops will be better than that this year. Some of those NSW crops this year will easily go 8-10t/ ac, as-cut,” he said.

“Given the last lot of rain that has just come through, I think many silage crops are still 2-4 weeks off harvest. They certainly do not need any more moisture,” he said.

Planting times being equal, the pattern of east coast winter silage harvest generally starts in the northern growing regions, which warm-up first allowing crops to start to mature earlier.

A few contract silage harvesters are already started on the western Darling Downs, where some crops were planted earlier.

“But I think mid-late September will see silage harvest operations going flat out across Eastern Australian growing areas, and then extending through to the end of October,” Nathan said.

Nathan said the outlook for winter silage programs just a couple of months ago was still ‘quite modest’, but circumstances had turned around rapidly in the past few weeks.

“Quite a number of growers I’ve spoken to are looking at their barley crop and thinking, I’m not going to take this through to grain based on pricing predictions. Cattle prices are on the increase, so more of them are deciding to chop it, and put it away as feed,” he said.

Generally there is a window of about four weeks from where many crops are now, to the soft dough stage, allowing it to be direct-cut. But with winter cereals, as conditions warm up, crop maturity could move very quickly.

Ideal moisture level at harvest is 65-68 percent, which tends to happen naturally once crops reach the soft-dough stage.

“In a season like this, where cattle prices are on the improve, silage has appeal for everything from weaners to grower/backgrounder/ finisher cattle, right through to breeders,” he said.

In the case of feedlot buyers for silage crops, cattle numbers on feed are at an all time high.

There is now a tendency among lotfeeders to build silage reserves whenever the seasonal opportunity arises, as insurance against the next shortage.

“A barley grower currently might be looking at $300/t on farm for grain and dropping. Silage comes into calculations if it is worth $60-$80/t, standing in the paddock,” he said.

“But with grain prices heading where they are, and the amount of potential silage crops around, I think the lower end of that range is more realistic, based on the 5:1 rule of thumb.

But that is very general and depends what is going on in the local marketplace.”

Additionally, taking the silage option gave the grower back his country a little quicker, as well as reducing some risk in having the silage crop off, and gone.

Nathan said some contractors this year had dealing with first-time silage customers, as stakeholders look to build up a feed reserve to future-proof their business.

There had been a distinct rise in interest in winter-grown silage across eastern Australia over the past few years, Nathan said.

“But there is also much greater recognition among users now that winter cereals can make really good quality silage – very palatable and generally higher in protein than what summer crops can offer. Whole-crop barley silage can often deliver 12-14pc protein. When it comes to backgrounder cattle, which need slightly higher protein levels, winter-grown silage is ideal,” he said.

Lotfeeders and others were showing increasing interest in winter silage over the past few years, especially with the increased risk of fall army worm pressure in summer crops.

“Summer-grown silages will continue to be the primary target, but users are now seeing winter-grown silage as an important secondary option – and a ‘second chance’ in those dry years,” he said.

With silage stocks likely to be high leading into summer after a large winter/spring harvest, Nathan says it will be interesting to see what eventuates in terms of a summer grain/silage crop decisions.

“With the extra rain that’s been around, there will be good soil moisture reserves, which suggests some early summer crop will go in for silage.”