RE: Making Silage from an Oat crop

From: Frank.Mickan@dpi.vic.gov.au
Date: Wed Aug 16 2006 - 12:29:15 EST

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Guys,
With oats, quality is downhill from head emergence onwards. I suggest, for
oats, to harvest before the head emerges if practical, given our soil
moisture and weather constraints in West & South Gipsland at the time this
would need to be done. Dry matter (DM) content would need to be over 30%
if being forage harvested into a stack/pit, or 40 - 45% DM if baled. If
under these levels, the fermentation will be poor with a loss in quality
and lower palatability. An inoculant will be a big help here.

To increase the DM rapidly, use a mower-conditioner, which is set to
actually condition, with swath boards out as wide as possible for a crop
cut this early, to get the dry matter content to over 30%. If possible a
tedder used straight after mowing and again the next morning, when the dew
has lifted, will be a big help. Set it to avoid picking up dirt.

If interested please see the Agnotes recently put onto the Vic. DPI
Information Notes Series under Crops and Pastures/Cereals/Forage cereals
for more info.
Cheers for now,
Frank Mickan
Pasture & Fodder Conservation Specialist
Department of Primary Industries, Ellinbank
1301 Hazeldean Road, Ellinbank 3821
Phone: 03 5624 2259
Mobile: 0427 317 471
Fax: 03 5624 2200
Email: frank.mickan@dpi.vic.gov.au
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential, legally privileged and/or copyright.If you are not the
intended recipient, any use, disclosure, distribution or reliance on the
information contained in this e-mail is unauthorised. You should only
re-transmit or distribute the information if you are authorised to do so.
If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the Department of
Primary Industries (DPI) by return e-mail and destroy all copies printed
or held on any computer. DPI does not warrant that this e-mail and any
attachments are free of viruses.

johne@heritageseeds.com.au
16/08/2006 11:11 AM
Please respond to vicdairy-l

        To: David.Shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au
        cc: vicdairy-l@unimelb.edu.au
        Subject: RE: Making Silage from an Oat crop

David
Oat crops will drop quality after emergence similar to barley, but the
increase in yield after emergence is probably greater so cutting early
will
produce less but higher quality feed. As for pit v. bailing, Frank Mickan
or
Joe Jacobs are probably the best resources. To my knowledge you need to
chop
mature crops to get a good result with either method and pit silage will
be
by far the best, as for crops done pre-emergence you may get away with not
chopping it but it is probably a risky strategy.
Cheers
John

Dr John Evans
Technical Development Manager
Heritage Seeds Pty Ltd
Po Box 4020 Mulgrave Vic 3170 Australia
Office: +61 3 9501 7000
Fax: +61 3 9561 9333
Mobile: +61 413 442 810

-----Original Message-----
From: David.Shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au
[mailto:David.Shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au]

Sent: Wednesday, 16 August 2006 10:12 AM
To: johne@heritageseeds.com.au
Cc: vicdairy-l@unimelb.edu.au
Subject: Making Silage from an Oat crop

John,
I saw your response to the Vic Dairy-L question on making silage from a
barley crop. I have a client who is looking to make some silage from an
oat crop. He wants to cut it before ear emergence due to preparing the
paddock for a summer crop straight after. Obviously the yield will be
lower but quality will be up. Is this true for an oat crop as well.

How would the oat crop go into round bales? As compared to pit silage. He
is looking to have the silage done by mid October.

Any comments or suggestions would be welcome.
Cheers
David Shambrook
ph 5662 9913

--Boundary_(ID_ekj9DvhJ3Ft6wecSwXjl3g)
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Guys, 
 With oats, quality is downhill from head emergence onwards. I suggest, for oats, to harvest before the head emerges if practical, given our soil moisture and weather constraints in West & South Gipsland at the time this would need to be done. Dry matter (DM) content would need to be over 30% if being forage harvested into a stack/pit, or 40 - 45% DM if baled. If under these levels, the fermentation will be poor with a loss in quality and lower palatability. An inoculant will be a big help here.
 
 To increase the DM rapidly, use a mower-conditioner, which is set to actually condition, with swath boards out as wide as possible for a crop cut this early, to get the dry matter content to over 30%. If possible a tedder used straight after mowing and again the next morning, when the dew has lifted, will be a big help. Set it to avoid picking up dirt.
 
 If interested please see the Agnotes recently put onto the Vic. DPI Information Notes Series under Crops and Pastures/Cereals/Forage cereals for more info.   
Cheers for now, 
Frank Mickan
Pasture & Fodder Conservation Specialist 
Department of Primary Industries, Ellinbank 
1301 Hazeldean Road, Ellinbank 3821
Phone: 03 5624 2259 
Mobile: 0427 317 471 
Fax: 03 5624 2200 
Email: frank.mickan@dpi.vic.gov.au
This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged and/or copyright.If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure, distribution or reliance on the information contained in this e-mail is unauthorised. You should only re-transmit or distribute the information if you are authorised to do so.
If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) by return e-mail and destroy all copies printed or held on any computer. DPI does not warrant that this e-mail and any attachments are free of viruses.
 
 
 
<table width=100%>
<tr valign=top>
<td>
<td>johne@heritageseeds.com.au
16/08/2006 11:11 AM
 Please respond to vicdairy-l
 
<td>        
         To:        David.Shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au
         cc:        vicdairy-l@unimelb.edu.au
         Subject:        RE: Making Silage from an Oat crop</table>
 
 
 David 
Oat crops will drop quality after emergence similar to barley, but the 
increase in yield after emergence is probably greater so cutting early will 
produce less but higher quality feed. As for pit v. bailing, Frank Mickan or 
Joe Jacobs are probably the best resources. To my knowledge you need to chop 
mature crops to get a good result with either method and pit silage will be 
by far the best, as for crops done pre-emergence you may get away with not 
chopping it but it is probably a risky strategy. 
Cheers 
John 
 
Dr John Evans 
Technical Development Manager 
Heritage Seeds Pty Ltd 
Po Box 4020 Mulgrave Vic 3170 Australia 
Office:       +61 3 9501 7000 
Fax:          +61 3 9561 9333 
Mobile:      +61 413 442 810 
 
-----Original Message----- 
From: David.Shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au [mailto:David.Shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au] 
 
Sent: Wednesday, 16 August 2006 10:12 AM 
To: johne@heritageseeds.com.au 
Cc: vicdairy-l@unimelb.edu.au 
Subject: Making Silage from an Oat crop 
 
John, 
I saw your response to the Vic Dairy-L question on making silage from a 
barley crop.  I have a client who is looking to make some silage from an 
oat crop.  He wants to cut it before ear emergence due to preparing the 
paddock for a summer crop straight after.   Obviously the yield will be 
lower but quality will be up.  Is this true for an oat crop as well. 
 
How would the oat crop go into round bales?  As compared to pit silage.  He 
is looking to have the silage done by mid October. 
 
Any comments or suggestions would be welcome. 
Cheers 
David Shambrook 
ph 5662 9913

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Next message: Greg.O'Brien@dpi.vic.gov.au: "Re: Whats next?"
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Maybe in reply to: David.Shambrook@dpi.vic.gov.au: "Making Silage from an Oat crop"
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