Session 71 "Good practices and strategies in dairy farming" EAAP 2021 - Davos, Suisse Par Valérie Brocard, Idele

1. Grass silage for dairy cows:
impact of harvest stage on yield,
value, production and income
Valérie Brocard, Idele
Elodie Tranvoiz & Estelle Cloet, Chambres d’agriculture de
Bretagne

2. From field to farmer’s pocket…
Ryegrass and red clover mixtures for dairy cows: impact of
harvest stage for silage on intake, production and income
2

3. •Introduction and background
•Material and methods
•Results
•Impact on yields and grass silage values (protein, energy)
•Impacts on animal performances (conventional or organic diets)
•Economic estimations & labour
•Conclusions and prospects
3
Ryegrass and red clover mixtures for dairy
cows: impact of harvest stage

4. •Introduction and background
4
Ryegrass and red clover mixtures for dairy
cows: impact of harvest stage
Global background:
protein self sufficiency

5. Two forage pilars for dairy production in
Western France:
5
• Winter: maize silage with
protein concentrate
• 6-9 months per yr: grazed grass
(+ maize)
• No necessary resort to grass silage
• limited grazing surpluses
• more expensive than maize silage per
UFL

6. Benchmarking cost of feeds per energy unit:
Grazed grass Grass silage Maize silage
€ per ha 130 230 600
Us. Yield t DM per ha 7 3.5 13
€ per t us.DM 18 65 46
€ per 1,000 UFL 18 94 50
6
Per Energy Unit,
grass silage not competitive vs maize silage

7. The menu of a French dairy cow
• High self sufficiency
in forage
Rouillé B., Devun J., Brunschwig P., 2014. L’autonomie alimentaire des élevages
bovins français. OCL 2014, 21(4) D404. Available online on www.ocl-journal.org

8. Competitiveness assets at farm level:
• High levels of self sufficiency in good quality forages (maize,
grass)
• Relatively high availability of land at low price
• Possibility to grow energy concentrates (cereals)
• But overcosts of machinery to produce forages
• Feeding self sufficiency not an advantage if made with silage instead of
grazing (sowing, harvesting, delivering have a cost)
 The best way to limit feeding cost – production cost
 BUT.. we lack home grown high quality proteins to produce milk

9. Weak point: self sufficiency in protein
concentrate at farm level
• 97% self sufficiency for forages (in weight)
• 18 % concentrates in diet
• Weak point: self sufficiency in protein concentrate at farm level
(%) dry matter energy protein
total
diet
total
diet
total
diet
Concentrate
System: lowlands,
maize >30% Forage Area
81.6 79.8 57.7 4.8
Self sufficiency levels
Source: Idele - Cniel, 2015

10. Grass silage, a solution?
• Why using grass silage if you can store maize silage for
winter?

11. Why working on grass silage quality when you
can produce maize silage?
• Protein concentrate is expensive
• Its availability is limited, in particular for French protein
crops
• Improving self sufficiency in protein is a major lever to be
competitive for French dairy producers, in particular in
organic production
• The organic dairy chain needs milk in winter, milk price
higher

12. Why working on grass silage quality when you
can produce maize silage?
Which winter diet to increase milk production
and reach protein self sufficiency?
• Protein concentrate is expensive
• Its availability is limited, in particular for French protein crops
• Improving self sufficiency in protein is a major lever to be
competitive for French dairy producers, in particular in organic
production
• The organic dairy chain needs milk in winter, milk price higher

13. A new interest for grass silage in Western
France
• No focus on grass silage for years: farmers looking for
yields to decrease harvest costs, rather than quality…
• Lack of « recent » trials with usual French diets
• Litterature showing assets of good quality grass silage (in
particular in Northern Europe)
• More grass fields being cut because not located on grazing
platform…
15

14. RG-Red Clover mixtures to improve protein
self sufficiency
• Home grown proteins:
• produce grass silage with a higher content in
proteins
• Ryegrass-Red Clover mixtures (Lucerne not adapted)
• Harvested at an earlier stage and more frequently than
the usual practices of the French dairy farmers.
16

15. •Introduction and background
•Material and methods
•Results
•Impact on yields and grass silage values (protein, energy)
•Impacts on animal performances (conventional or organic diets)
•Economic estimations & labour
•Conclusions and prospects
17
Ryegrass and red clover mixtures for dairy
cows: impact of harvest stage

16. Cutting grass at an earlier stage:
• Which impacts of an ealier cut for grass silage on:
• Feeding values of the silage, and yields of the fields? The N self sufficiency?
• Intake and performances of the dairy cows?
• Working time and cost of the cuts? The organisation of the harvests?
• The margin over feeding costs and the farm profit?
In both situations: conventional or organic.
18

17. Grass silage for dairy cows
•A 4-year experiment led in Trevarez experimental farms (Brittany, France)
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Conventional, Hol Organic, Xbred

18. Cutting at an earlier stage vs traditional harvest
• Method:
• 3 grass fields (4-5 ha) of mixtures of hybrid
ryegrass and red clover
• Each field split into two parts (Early and Control)
• Recording of yields, botanical composition,
nutritional values, working time and costs
• Grass silages delivered to 2*2 separate groups of
dairy cows in 2 types of diets:
conventional (40% GS in forage diet) or organic
(60-70% GS).
20

19. Experimental pattern, 4 years
21
Control =
Traditional
Early Cut

20. How we estimate the margin over feeding cost:
22
Working time
Yields
Cost per task
(CUMA)
Mechanisation cost for grass harvest
Feeding costs including
mechanisation
Production cost of grass silage
Costs of other feeds
Cost of inputs
milk
fat
proteins
Animal
performances
Margin over feeding cost
Milk sales
+
-

21. •Introduction and background
•Material and methods
•Results
•Impact on yields and grass silage values (protein, energy)
•Impacts on animal performances (conventional or organic diets)
•Economic estimations & labour
•Conclusions and prospects
23
Ryegrass and red clover mixtures for dairy
cows: impact of harvest stage

22. Earlier silages always higher in proteins and energy
• Early harvest = 5 cuts per year vs 3for the Control
• Early harvested forage = always higher nutritive values both in energy and
proteins:
0.50
0.70
0.90
1.10
2014 2015 2016 2017
Control Early
Energy UFL per kg DM
10
16
13
15
13
17
11
17
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Crude Proteins %

23. Feeding values: Early always above Control
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 0.80 0.85 0.90 0.95 1.00 1.05 1.10
Crude
Proteins
(%)
Energy - UFL per kg DM
Early Organic
Early conven.
Control Organic
Control conven.

24. More energy and proteins per hectare
• Less dry matter harvested, an increased N self sufficiency:
• Reduced yield 2/4 experimental years (average -1.5 t DM ha-1)
• Yields: + 18% net energy per ha, +32% proteins per ha
26
2014 2015 2016 2017
Difference Early-Control in Net Energy per ha (UFL) +1,102 +1,037 +5,796 -1,139
Difference Early-Control in CP per ha (t) +0.85 +0.21 +1.2 +0.41
Differences in Energy and Proteins yields per hectare per harvesting system and per year.

25. Early cuts lead to an increased working time:
early control
Working time: + 1 ½ hours per ha
Dry year : +20 min
 Increased cost
• Early cuts:
• More cuts, more work,
• Less yield per cut (usually)
1
cuts
2 3 4 5
Total working time per ha

26. 1st cut EARLY
3 t DM per ha
48 € / t DM
50 € / 1,000 UFL
5th cut EARLY
1.5 t DM /ha
75 € / t DM
80 € / 1,000 UFL
Grass silage: the burden of last cuts
• Last early cuts in summer/autumn: very expensive
1st cut CONTROL
6 t DM per ha
37 € / t DM
47 € / 1,000 UFL
4 years average:
Cost: + 20 € per t DM harvested
for early cuts

27. What about cows performances?
• Early cuts of protein rich mixtures can improve farm
protein self-sufficiency
• But their cost must be compared to the
potential increase in dairy sales.
• What do you think of these
Grass Silages?
29
I want to
try!

28. Impact of harvest stage for silage on intake,
production and income
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Conventional diet:
40% grass silage
Organic diet:
70% grass silage
• Experimental pattern:

29. More intake with early grass silage
31
Higheringestibility , better protein/energy ratio

30. More milk with early GS, no effect on solids
32
• Greater effect with greater share of silage (organic diet)
• Better intake, better energy/protein ratio
PRODUCTION Conventional herd
(4 winters)
Organic herd
(2 winters)
Difference Early -Control
Milk kg d-1
+1.9 (p=0.02) Primiparous +2.4 (p<0.001)
Multiparous +4.8
Fat content ns ns
Protein content ns ns

31. A higher margin over feeding cost with early grass silage
System Conventional herd Organic herd
Group Control Early Control Early
Milk kg d-1 23.8 25.7 14.1 18.1
Milk sales (€ cow-1 d-1) 8.3 9.0 6.4 8.3
Feeding cost (€ cow-1 d-1) 2.0 2.3 1.5 2.2
Margin over feeding cost (€ cow-1 d-1) 6.3 6.7 4.9 6.1
Difference Early-Control
75 cows × 3 months
+2,635 € +7,803 €
Calculations with 35 % first lactations.

32. Early harvest: Increase in working time and
forage cost, but also in profit
+1h30
per ha
EARLY GRASS
SILAGE
+20 €
cost per
kg DM
More
intake
MORE
PROFIT
More
milk
-1.5 T
DM
ha1
More
feeding
cost
More
winter
stocks
required
+33 t DM to harvest
Higher
margin over
feeding cost

33. •Introduction and background
•Material and methods
•Results
•Impact on yields and grass silage values (protein, energy)
•Impacts on animal performances (conventional or organic diets)
•Economic estimations & labour
•Conclusions and prospects
35
Ryegrass and red clover mixtures for dairy
cows: impact of harvest stage

34. Early grass silage: a potential source of
home grown proteins
• Our advice to farmers:
• 4 cuts is a good compromise between harvest
cost and quality
• Choose early cuts in spring, increase intervals
when grass growth slows down after June.
• For organic producers, anticipate estimation of
winter stocks and secure them
• Convert crops to grass if possible
• Else, decrease cow numbers for same production
with less cows 36
Cows menu

35. Implementation of a Low Carbon Footprint dairy system at
Trévarez conventional farm in 2019.
• Decrease by 20% the farm carbon footprint
• Test levers to decrease carbon footprint with 3 axes: feeding, herd
management and fields management
Winter diet: 40% grass silage (less dependent from protein concentrates)
Grass silage: early cuts till late June, then longer intervals (more energy,
more proteins, compromise labour and cost)
What’s next?

36. Prospects: the Research and Innovation program of
the French Protein Plan / UE - Recovery Plan
• Part of a 55 M € program
including a 20 M €
post COVID fund
•
For Ruminants:
2 years
9.5 Million Euros
120 technical partners
100,000 breeders involved

37. 2 objectives for the Protein Plan (Ruminants)
• Increase production of proteins on
farms (legume rich grasslands, and
protein-cereals mixed crops)
• Improve valorization of 13 M ha of legume rich grasslands
• Increase use of oil & protein seeds
grains and cakes on farms
• Grown in France or Europe, and replacing
imported soya.
France imports 1.5 M tons
of soya cakes
44% are fed to ruminants
(mainly dairy cows)
1 ha of grasslands
produces as many
proteins as 1 ha of soja

38. Grass-legumes mixtures produce > 1.5 t proteins
per ha
>

39. Thank you for your attention!
http://www.web-agri.fr
valerie.brocard@idele.fr
Protein autonomy is in
the grass field !

40. Background of dairy production in western France:
• High level of feeding self sufficiency
• Half the purchased feed compared to other dairy basins
(170 g per l)
• Aim: Agro-ecological production systems
• with moderate resort to maize and improved self sufficiency
in proteins (legume based pastures, grazing, home grown
energy concentrates and resort to byproducts)
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Mise à jour coûts Ch Perrot