Autum Silage 2025

Getting Ready for Winter Feeding at Brooman

As the days get shorter and the weather turns crisp, a critical time for our cattle at Brooman is here: winter feeding. When the grasses die off, we need a reliable way to keep our herd well-fed and healthy. That’s why we focus on baling silage.

The Importance of Silage

Silage is more than just hay. While hay is dried to a very low moisture content, silage is a fermented forage. This fermentation process preserves the nutrients and makes the feed more digestible and energy-rich for the cattle. It acts as a lifeline, providing the nutrition they need when the pastures are barren.

Our Baling Process

Our preparation begins by carefully watching our grasses, aiming to harvest them at their peak nutritional value. The timing is crucial—the grass must be at the perfect stage, neither too watery nor too fibrous.

  • Cutting and Drying: We use tractors to cut and turn the grass, ensuring it dries evenly.

  • Baling and Wrapping: We then bale the grass while it still has a higher moisture content. The bales are tightly wrapped in plastic film, creating an airtight seal.

  • Fermentation: This seal creates an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, allowing beneficial bacteria to ferment the sugars in the grass. This preserves all the good stuff inside, locking in the nutrients for later.

Storing and Feeding

Once wrapped, the bales are stacked and stored, ready for winter. We can use them to feed our cattle throughout the colder months when there is no grass to graze. We use a variety of methods, from unrolling the bales in a feed line to using special bale feeders, ensuring our herd has consistent access to the high-quality forage they need.

A Promise of a Secure Winter

For us at Brooman, baling silage is a vital part of our operation. It’s an investment in the well-being of our cattle, preventing them from losing condition and reducing stress on both the animals and the land. A field full of freshly baled silage is a testament to a successful season and a promise that our cattle are well-fed and ready to face the challenges of winter.