Description
At Tuna farm, located in south-east Sweden, the aim is not to buy concentrate, but to produce high-quality protein from the farm’s own grassland. The protein in the forage must meet the demand of 450 bulls raised for 16 months on the farm and be suitable for sale to milk producers. Only small amounts of grain, but no concentrates, are added in the feed mix. With a good strategy, the farmer is able to produce much forage with a high content of both protein and energy. He makes his own seed mixture based on lucerne, which is not common in Sweden. He harvests a large amount of forage on three farms, with 2500 ha in total. This demands a well-adapted ensiling management and excellent planning capacity to cut the different fields in the right order with good logistics. Silage is made very carefully. The fresh grass, which is rather soft, must be well pre-wilted. Silo packing takes time and is done carefully. The silage is covered with plastic sheeting and then a double layer of plastic. Losses must be minimal.
The farmer has a burning interest in grassland management and is inspired by reading grazing magazines and by information on the internet. He thinks it important to dare to test new ideas that can develop to innovations. He prefers to have excess silage to sell to dairy farmers if needed. He did that last year, resulting in an immediately increased milk production.
