Roughage tour Grass Week 29
Also no protein correction with third cut
The last Boerenbusiness Roughage tour participants have made the third cut. The yield and quality are fine at first sight, but high protein levels are not yet available. The desire for a fourth and fifth cut for extra protein supplementation is therefore great.
For many dairy farmers, the third cut has meanwhile been ensiled. The quality and yield are again excellent and 2021 can be described as a good grass year so far in terms of yield. Still, the desire for a possible fourth and fifth cut is great. This gives the dairy farmers the opportunity to correct the disappointing crude protein from the spring silage.
Low crude protein content
For the time of year and in view of the course of the growing season, the crude protein content in the fresh grass is still surprisingly low. The level of the crude protein is comparable to last year around the same period, but then we had to deal with a prolonged drought that negatively affected the crude protein.
This year there has been no long-term drought (yet). Leo Tjoonk, Agrifirm team leader for roughage, explains the cause: ''The low protein content in the fresh grass can mainly be explained by the roughage harvested to date. A 5 to 6 tons of dry matter per hectare was no exception during the first cut and due to the favorable weather the yield of the second and third cut was not disappointing. The grass fields are often not fertilized for these total yields and the crude protein will now mainly have to come from the soil stock'.'
Erik van der Deure
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