Cutting silage in the wet

The wet weather continued into July, triggering minor to moderate flooding across the Goulburn catchment, the Goulburn River at Seymour reached minor flood level several times, peaking at 4.97m on July 1. Minor flooding was also recorded at Seven Creeks at Strathbogie and Euroa.

Pugging is the churned, compacted mud left behind when livestock or machinery move across saturated ground.

For farmers now assessing pugging, the message from Agriculture Victoria is to tread carefully.

Mud and dust carried into a stack or bale introduce unwanted bacteria that can wreck fermentation, driving up losses in dry matter and feed value and reducing palatability.

Agriculture Victoria fodder and pasture advice said mowing slightly higher and taking care with tedding, raking and pick-up heights can help limit soil contamination.

Fermentation-enhancing additives, particularly inoculants, are strongly recommended on pugged paddocks to help desirable bacteria outcompete the unwanted organisms picked up from wet ground.

Because application rates are calculated on a fresh-weight basis, farmers cutting wetter, lower dry-matter material will need more than usual.

Getting a tedder onto paddocks quickly after mowing, and again once dew has lifted the next morning, helps speed up wilting.

Tynes should be set to clear pug marks rather than dig into them.

Severely pugged paddocks, with pug marks deeper than 5cm, are best left out of silage plans altogether and earmarked instead for summer cropping or resowing.

Paddocks with medium damage may still be viable if machinery can access them without excessive soil pick-up, while minimally damaged paddocks can largely proceed as normal, with earlier cutting improving quality.

With more rain forecast across the region in coming weeks, farmers assessing their paddocks now may be buying themselves valuable time before the next system moves through.

– Agriculture Victoria, Fodder and Pasture experts.