CARA Wales

After what for most people has been a difficult silage season, we are seeing a huge variance in silage analysis. There are some high D-Value, high energy silages, along with some very fibrous, late cut silages. One common factor, with the lack of decent sunshine, appears to be low sugars in silages. This means that silages will have a poor fermentation and could therefore be unstable, or give low animal intakes.

In order for farmers to get the best performance out of their animals, be they beef, dairy or sheep, the first step has to be to get the silage properly analysed. This is something that we at CARA can aid with, along with our relationship with Frank Wright laboratories. We can send the sample away and have an accurate result back within 72 hours.

Using the analysis, it is then possible to device the exact requirements for the animals. With feed prices as they are, it is crucial to purchase and feed the correct ingredient at the correct rate in order to promote performance. Feeds can be compared several ways, most notably on a cost per tonne of dry matter, cost per megajoule or cost per percent protein basis. A good way of comparing is by using Relative Feed Values, (RFV).

RFV takes the energy value of cereals, and the protein value of soya, and compares this to other feeds to see which offers value for money. The table below shows a few examples of what different feed ingredients are worth. For more information please do not hesitate to contact the office.