A DECISION to place 5000 tonnes of forage sorghum into a silage pit bunker in a previous season has paid off during the tough winter and spring on the property of Bruce Brandt, of Yandaburra Pastoral Company, at Springsure in Central Queensland.
Mr Brandt placed the 5000 tonnes of Pioneer hybrid Graze-N-Sile forage sorghum into bunkers after good seasonal conditions in an effort to drought-proof the property.
The silage was harvested off 215 hectares (530 acres) of Graze-N-Sile forage sorghum, and was stored in bunkers cut 200 metres long and four metres deep into an adjacent hill.
During the dry conditions in late winter and early spring, the silage was first utilised to feed two-year-old bulls on the property.
"I'm putting the silage into cotton seed feeders," Mr Brandt said.
"There are three hooked together and I fill them up at the pit and take them out to the paddock."
The feeders carry enough silage to feed 130, two-year-old bulls over a three-day period.
Cattle are located in a 120-hectare paddock which had previously contained oats, but offered very little feed value late in the season.
"Bullocks had previously gone through the paddock and there was no green left on it," Mr Brandt said.
"The silage was the feed putting on the weight."
A number of the bulls were weighed early in the program and reweighed after a month, and recorded an excellent daily weight gain.
Mr Brandt said over the month, the bulls were each putting on an average of 1.6kg per day in an excellent result at a time of very few other feed options.
He said weaner cattle were also introduced to the silage and adapted well to the new feed.
"They were very contented and friendly," he said. "The weaners would hear the tractor and line up at the trough."
Management of the cattle had been easier with the use of the silage, as they responded well to the interaction with the person feeding them.
Mr Brandt said the quality of the silage looked very good and a feed test had been conducted to determine its worth.
The feed test resulted in a protein content of 9.7 percent and an excellent energy content of 10pc.
Graze-N-Sile has large heads of good-sized grain and will produce good quality forage when cut at the right time.
A John Deere tractor and bobcat are used to extract the silage from the pit, with the face extending approximately 3.5 metres from the top to bottom.
Mr Brandt said the silage had been well packed and the face was covered when not in use.
"There is virtually no spoilage and the silage has remained very cool. The floor is like a brick," he said.
"It smells really good and, as it was chopped to 7mm or 8mm in length, it also flows really well."
The bunkers contain a rock floor and walls, which assist in keeping the valuable silage protected against the elements.
Salt, old hay and dirt were also placed on top of the silage for additional protection.
Mr Brandt said silage would also be used to finish late-season heifers to send them off to market, rather than keep them for another season.
He said the effort to drought-proof the property had paid off during the dry winter and spring.
"When you are in a dry time, the prices (of feed) go up," he said.
"We are definitely going to grow it again."
Approximately 300 tonnes of the initial 5000t of silage have been used, leaving a large percentage untouched for future seasons.
The silage has also allowed paddocks that would have carried stock in the drier times to be spelled.
Mr Brandt said the decision to conserve the forage in the good season has really paid off as the year turned dry.
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