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Autumn 2007
Silage Insights is pleased to announce the appointment of Norbert Schulze as the new European Silage Marketing Manager at Dow. Norbert is replacing Mark Saurin, who moved to a new role within the company. Silage Insights wishes Mark much success in his new journey and welcomes Norbert in his new role. Read Norbert's biography to get to know him better.  Dear readers, It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I join this new venture in the silage market, keen to learn and to pursue the successful work of my predecessors working alongside with our business partners, academics and all those involved in the bale silage market. I look forward to working with you to further develop our Silage programme by exploring new options and opportunities for improvement and change through innovation. I hope this issue of Silage Insights will provide useful 'food for thought' and help some of your planning for the next season. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous winter. Norbert Schulze
Cost comparison of alternative baling options: double pack, string and sausage bale Technological advances in baling equipment and ensiling techniques have inspired alternative baling options. This article makes a cost comparison of different methods and shows that baling silage in double pack, string or sausage bales can offer opportunities for farmers. Read more The impact of climate change on silage production The growing trend for extreme and unpredictable weather means farmers will have to change and adapt their approach to forage and silage production. Read more Comparing grass silage harvesting: production differences and cost considerations Harvesting of grass silage crops is a complex process. This study examines the different harvesting methods, available equipment and operational costs. Read more
A comparative study on pre-wilting techniques: wide-spreading and swathing The results of a recent study by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences show that it is easier to achieve dry matter content levels for good silage quality with the wide-spread crop technique. Read more Taste preferences of horses in relation to hay, silage and haylage A recent study demonstrated that horses have a clear preference for silage. Dry matter content, chemical composition and acidity may all play a role. Read more Issues and opportunities in today’s bale silage production in Poland The interest in producing high quality feed for ruminants is growing and bale silage is becoming increasingly popular in Poland, especially among dairy farmers and breeders. However, the quality of the silage produced is often poor. This article looks at the key issues and opportunities in today’s silage production in Poland. Read more
Baling maize silage: the experience of a German contractor Rainer Fischer, a contractor from Dümmerlohausen, Germany, is a pioneer in baling maize silage, a practice he started in 2005. Fisher runs his own company, which alongside producing with maize silage also offers the exploitation of liquid manure on behalf of companies. Fischer shares with Silage Insights his experience in producing and baling maize silage. Read more The importance of bale silage to a farmer’s business: testimonial from a UK farmer The Farr family have many generations of experience of farming in the Wye Valley, England. Len Farr explains how they benefit from the rich agricultural landscape and how baling silage plays a great role in his business. Neighbouring Herefordshire farmers also explain how big bale silage facilitates their business. Read more
New trends revealed in silage market Dow’s 2007 survey of big bale trends in the United Kingdom shows that baling silage remained the farming community’s overwhelming first choice over clamping during the 2006 season. Notably, a marked shift was seen towards baling silage for beef cattle, underlining the decline in the struggling UK dairy farming sector. Another finding is that haylage continued to rise in popularity during the 2006 season. The survey also shows that only 1 in 10 farmers now recycle their waste on site following the introduction of waste disposal legislation in the UK one year ago. Read more Economic Benefit Tool now available to German farmers Following the launch of the UK and Swedish versions in 2006, the web-based Economic Benefit Tool (EBT) is now also available to German farmers. The EBT was created to help farmers calculate the real costs of harvesting silage in bales compared to forage harvesting and storage in clamps, based on production costs, losses and nutritional benefits. The analysis of the economic benefit from bales in Germany validates closely the UK and Swedish values, confirming that baling is a cost-effective alternative. Calculations in Germany show even greater benefits in favour of bale silage with savings up to 28€ per tonne Dry Matter when feeding baled silage to dairy cows. The model was developed by the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) in Wales, in cooperation with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and the Agricultural Chamber in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and Dow. The EBT on-line calculator is available on www.dowsilage.com/calculator Bale silage guides available in Polish With the increasing popularity of bale silage in Poland, Dow has produced five practical guides in Polish, to help end-users of bale silage to fully benefit from the advantages of this ensiling technique. Aimed at farmers as well as contractors, the guides provide experts advice and surprisingly simple tips for a successful bale silage production - from the optimal time and height of cutting the crop, to film type and width, number of layers of wrap, storage and handling techniques. The guides are also available in our Publications section in English and can be downloaded free of charge. Dow and IGER at The Royal Welsh Show IGER kindly hosted Dow at the Institute’s stand at The Royal Welsh Show which took place at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells from 23 to 26 July. "Farming for a Greener Future" was this year’s theme of IGER's stand at the show. Again this year IGER provided visitors with an excellent opportunity to update their knowledge of soil and nutrient management, current varieties, new varieties of clover and high sugar grasses along with crop options and other opportunities for "Farming for a Greener Future". Alongside this, the Economic Benefit Tool from IGER and Dow was featured and presented to the farming community. For more information on IGER activities, click here.
New German agricultural website "agrarheute.com" Agrarheute.com is the new website created by the German agricultural publishing company, Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag GmbH, one of the leading suppliers of agricultural trade media in Europe. The website is an information platform covering agriculture-related topics, from politics & economics, to events, farm management, animals, plants, energy and country life. Floods prompt warnings of higher dairy prices in UK Food prices in the UK are expected to rise as extreme flooding in the UK has devastated crops such as peas, wheat and barley. Dairy producers have also warned that poor weather has led to cattle being kept indoors over the summer and being fed on silage rather than grass, which is likely to lead to higher dairy prices. Organic food sales boom to £2bn a year in UK… Organic food and drink sales grew by 22% overall in the UK to almost £2bn for the year to January 2007, with one in four consumers having bought organic meat or dairy products and one in six having purchased packaged organic goods. The biggest increases were in organic produce mail order schemes and other direct-to-consumer routes, which increased by over 50% from £95m in 2005, to £146m in 2006. …and organic milk booms in Sweden Consumption of bio-milk, and other organic dairy products, among Swedish consumers is increasing considerably despite the slightly higher price. Bio-milk is subject to KRAV (the Swedish certification organisation for organic production) regulations. According to KRAV requirements, roughage fodder for dairy cows, such as silage and hay, must be produced on the farm and be the principal type of feed. During the grazing period, grazing must constitute at least half of the total feed intake. The maximum portion of non-KRAV-certified feed (i.e. conventional grown fodder) allowed is 5% of the total feed. For more information, visit www.svenskmjolk.se. Research into diet to reduce methane emissions from UK cattle Researchers at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) are developing varieties of grass and clover that are easier for cattle to digest, to reduce the amount of methane they emit. The move is part of an attempt to limit the impact of British farming on the environment, amid growing concerns regarding global warming and climate change. Vicon launches new bale wrapper Vicon has recently launched the RF 235 Balepack, which combines one-man baling and wrapping operations. According to the manufacturer, the new bale wrapper is simple to use and features a fast and reliable bale transfer combined with a high speed twin satellite wrapping system resulting in massive capacity. For more information, visit www.kvernelandgroup.com.
Polagra Agro-Premiery, February 2008 The second International Trade Fair of Agricultural Mechanisation, Polagra Agro-Premiery 2008, will take place in Poznan, Poland on February 15-17, 2008. For more information, visit http://www.polagra-premiery.pl/en For access to additional articles, including previous issues of Silage Insights, please visit www.dowsilage.com. We welcome your feedback and comments on the type of information you would like to find within this newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time, or contact us using the information below. Dow Customer Information Group Prins Boudewijnlaan 41 B-2650 Edegem Belgium Toll free* phone: +800 3 694 6367 Telephone: +32 3 450 2240 Telefax: +32 3 450 2815  |
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