Abstract:
Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 17 PASTURE SILAGE QUALITY AND LOSSES ON GIPPSLAND DAIRY FARMS T. CLARKE, P. MOATE and A HADERO-ERTIRO 381 Conservation of pasture as silage is increasing on Victorian dairy farms. In this study, the quality of the pasture ensiled, the ensilement date and the losses of dry matter (DM) and nutrients were measured on 40 farms in Gippsland. Silage was stored for three months in pits or stacks which were either sealed with polythene sheet or left unsealed. Silage was also stored as 'round bales' (ca 500 kg) which were sealed in polythene as bags or high tensile wrapping. Representative samples of pasture in nylon stockings were placed in the surface and the body of the stack or in the centre of the bales to be recovered to estimate dry matter loss during storage. Table 1. Effect of ensilement technique on losses of silage during storage Sealing pits and stacks with polythene substantially reduced ensilement losses of DM (Table 1). Wrapped bales lost less DM than bagged bales. Silage quality was directly related to pasture quality (Figure l), which in turn, was related to harvest date (Figure 2). Ellinbank Dairy Research Institute, R.M.B. 2460, Warragul, Vic., 3820