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Silage to bail out dairy farmers
26 Aug 2004
British expert Harry Wilson, here as a guest of Dairy Australia, says there's a way to make the dairy industry drought-proof. He's the largest silage contractor in Europe, where silage's rich nutrients have made it an increasingly popular way of feeding cattle.
In the UK, there are no dairy farmers feeding cattle anywhere on anything but silage, Mr Wilson says. About 95 per cent of farm forage is made into silage in one form or another.
Mr Wilson said silage has the potential to drought-proof Australian dairying, as it's better than hay - more consistent and it can be stored for up to five years. If there's a good year, lots of silage can be made and carried over for a drought.
Silage can also be used when cows have down time, potentially enabling farmers to obtain premium milk payments when milk supply is normally lower. A four-year study in Gippsland found that superior milk production was obtained from feeding cattle with silage compared with hay.
The Age, 25/8/04.
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