With dry weather conditions affecting many farms across the UK and beyond in 2025, producing quality silage cuts in drought is a real challenge. Dry weather leads to lower yields, higher dry matter (DM) grass, and slurry sitting on the surface instead of soaking in.
To help you manage silage cuts effectively during drought, here are some practical tips to protect your feed and maximise quality.
1. Rethink Cutting Strategy
Don’t wait too long to harvest — chasing bulk can lead to silage that’s too dry, less digestible, and harder to ferment.
Avoid cutting too early during regrowth stress — if sugars haven’t recovered, fermentation can stall and protein content drops.
Adjust your cutting schedule based on crop and weather conditions. Prioritise recovery and silage quality over sticking rigidly to original cutting dates.
2. Manage the Gap Between Silage Cuts in Drought
- Expect regrowth to be faster and earlier due to drought stress.
- Use foliar nitrogen and sulphur where appropriate to support leaf growth.
- Monitor potassium and magnesium in drought-affected soils, especially if slurry has been applied.
3. Watch for Slurry Contamination Risk
Due to drought, slurry often sits on the soil surface instead of soaking in, increasing the chance of it contaminating your silage clamp. Therefore, adjust cutting height on a field-by-field basis will minimise slurry and soil getting into the clamp and affecting silage quality.
4. Understand Post-Drought Crop Chemistry
Drought-stressed forage often has elevated epicuticular wax (linoleic acid). As a result, this can:
- Increase slippage risk in the clamp
- Reduce aerobic stability after opening
- May depress butterfat by interfering with rumen biohydrogenation
Regrowth crops are often low in sugars and crude protein, raising the risk of poor fermentation and high ammonia-N. Pre-harvest sugar testing can be especially helpful.
5. Manage Dry Matter and Porosity Risks
High-DM forage is harder to compact – Anything over 32–35% DM greatly increases porosity and oxygen ingress.
Use shorter chop lengths (15–20mm) for better consolidation, especially in springy, stemmy forage.
Maximise sealing pressure – By using oxygen barrier films and weight systems (for example, gravel bags, or full tyre coverage) you can limit aerobic spoilage.
6. Clamp Management – Go Beyond the Basics
- Seal fast and seal well – oxygen ingress is the biggest enemy of quality.
- Roll consistently – avoid leaving dry, bouncy forage unrolled in layers.
- Seal in layers if needed – during extended harvests or part-filled clamps.
- Manage the face rigorously after opening – keep exposed surface minimal and feed out evenly.
7. Inoculant Strategy: Essential for Silage Cuts in Drought
Use a heterofermentative inoculant containing Lactobacillus buchneri LB1819 (SiloSolve® FC, for instance) to:
- Reduce Dry Matter (DM) losses
- Enhance aerobic stability
- Inhibit up to 98% of yeasts and moulds
For challenging crops (high DM, high buffering capacity), consider also treating the clamp surface with a product like SiloSolve® OS for extra protection.
8. Plan for Cow Performance
Lower energy and protein in drought silage means supplementation is key:
- Add higher starch or digestible fibre sources
- Consider protected fats if energy is low
- Monitor butterfat and fibre digestion closely
Watch for signs of poor intake caused by high ammonia or surface spoilage.
9. Feed and Soil Testing Matters
- Take tissue samples after cuts for nutrient analysis to guide fertiliser plans.
- Test silage post-fermentation for pH, lactic to acetic acid ratio, ammonia-N, and fibre digestibility (NDFD30).
- Feed according to tested silage quality, not just estimates.
Summary – Managing Grass Silage Cuts in Drought
2025 has tested silage planning with prolonged drought, delayed cuts, and rapid regrowth under stress. These conditions demand more attention to compaction, fermentation, and regrowth support than ever. With a silage additive like SiloSolve®, you have powerful defences — but their success still depends on timing, chop length, sealing, and monitoring. Quality forage is still achievable — but it won’t happen by chance.
