Introducing a multi-cut forage system and robotic milking machines have increased annual milk yields of the Vance family's dairy herd from Sloehabbert, Wigtownshire, by a massive 3500litres per cow over the past three years.

In addition, by taking all silage work in house and using their own forage wagon, they have made huge cost savings.

James Vance and his family are the second generation to farm at Sloehabbert which currently milks 220 Holstein-Friesian cows, and rears Aberdeen-Angus and British Blue store cattle across their 380-acre farm.

“On average, the dairy cows produce 11,000 litres of milk per year, at 4%BF and 3.3%P, which we need to sustain to meet the requirements of our Arla contract,” said James.

“We’re growing around 200 acres of grass for silage and 20 acres of maize for the cattle, along with 60 acres of winter wheat and barley, and 15 acres of undersown wheat in the spring, everything else is grazing ground."

The farm seen a dramatic increase in milk yield since introducing new practices to include taking extra silage cuts.

“With the aim to increase milk from forage, we implemented a multi-cut system to bolster silage stocks and maintain high-quality, home-grown feed. Around the same time, we also had new robots installed in the parlour that helped improve efficiency.

“Prior to the new multi-cut system being in place, we were achieving three cuts of silage during each season using a contractor, but we’ve since been able to carry out four, and we’re aiming to push for five this year,” James added.

To enable this, he first made the decision to invest in a forage wagon.

“The decision was driven by a combination of factors including, tight windows of dry weather, pressure to get grass in the clamp quickly, and increasing the number of cuts,” he added.

“We’ll have had our Krone MX 330 GD for four years in September, which has allowed us to be more flexible with timings – if the conditions are right, we now know we can just go straight out in the field with the wagon.

“We generally wait around 28-30days between each cut, but this doesn’t run like clockwork, as we can’t guarantee the conditions. Keeping the silaging operation in-house means we can do as much or as little as we want, when we can.”

James says approximately 1000 litres of fuel has been saved on an annual basis since having the forage wagon, which has also further justified the investment.

“With the combination of the new robots and being able to get more quality forage in the diet from the multi-cut system, we’ve increased our milk yield from 7500 litres to 11,000 litres in four years,” he says.

Paul Neill, Krone UK territory manager for Scotland, added that there are numerous benefits for farmers who are considering the feasibility of adding a forage wagon to their fleet.

He added: “In terms of cutting costs, a forage wagon operation has lower labour requirements because there are fewer machines needed to collect the silage. As James highlights there are huge fuel savings to be had with using less machinery in the process too.

“There are also added benefits of running less machinery over the fields, which can cause soil compaction, and is therefore a more favourable process for optimal grass recovery.

“The forage wagon also lends itself to achieving consistent dry matter as it covers roughly the same area as the mower, so it can pick up the grass at a consistent rate to what is being cut, while also reducing the pressure at the clamp to get the loads in quickly,” he says.

“To reduce inconsistencies in chop length, the MX Krone forage wagons have SpeedSharp automatic knife sharpening fitted as standard. The 23 grinding discs are arranged on a hydraulically powered shaft that grind the full set of 46 knives in just two passes, offering a great time saving.

“When achieving such high milk yields, it’s crucial that the chop length remains constant to provide a consistently palatable winter diet.

“Ultimately, the most important advantage that Sloehabbert has seen is the increased quality and quantity of silage he’s been able to harvest, feeding cows to meet their nutritional requirements throughout the winter without the need for additional, bought in feed or supplements,” Peter concluded.