Knowledgebase
Kingshay's Knowledgebase - Grass Silage
With forage larders bare on many farms, optimising the production of quality grass silage, across all cuts is even more vital this season. With that in mind, it’s worth...
Wastage in silage making is inevitable – but careful management can reduce losses significantly, resulting in considerable cost savings and markedly improved silage qua...
Adopting a multi-cut silage system, which reduces the interval between silage cuts could be one way to help farmers maximise milk from forage - something nearly all respo...
The terms ‘herbal ley’ and multi-species swards’ are often used synonymously. They typically refer to temporary grasslands made up of a mix of grass, legume and her...
Historically, diverse species swards were the domain of specialist systems. However, the benefits of planting a diverse mix of species make them a valuable resource for m...
Mycotoxins are a hidden risk in feeds and forages which can lead to milk suppression, suboptimal fertility and health issues. Once present, they are impossible to remove,...
Nitrates in forage can reduce milk yields and cause fertility problems, can turn silage butyric and even cause death in stock. This Farming Note covers: How to ens...
Many factors determine the quality of the silage that is ultimately fed to dairy cows. The Forage Cost Report bases yield and cost values on an average of well grown crop...
Red clover is probably the most reliable and consistent source of home-grown protein and can be grown over a range of soil types, in both organic and conventional systems...
To achieve high levels of milk from forage, grass quality and good ley management are vital. There can be a large variation in the performance of paddocks. Accurate measu...
It is estimated that a large proportion of the UK’s pasture is deficient in sodium – backed by Kingshay forage mineral analyses. Spreading salt on grazing fields is c...
A well sealed silage clamp is critical to reduce DM losses, which can range from 5-18% in-silo and 1-10% at feed out. Sheeting technology has advanced in recent years, m...