Adopting a multi-cut silage system is not for everyone. For one Somerset family, a less intensive approach is preferred.
Multi-cut has been something of a buzzword over recent years. But for Tom Tincknell and his sons Henry and Sam, who milk 400 British Friesians, a less intensive traditional approach fits with their enterprise and lifestyle.
Farming as HG Tincknell, partly on the Somerset Levels, the business originally comprised a 200-cow spring-calving herd on the 200-hectare Cross Farm in Wedmore.
But eight years ago an opportunity arose to purchase an additional 80 hectares at Lower Manor Farm near Wells. Originally this was used for youngstock. But the decision was taken to double cow numbers in a manageable way, and three years ago a separate 200-cow autumn-calving herd was established at the Wells farm.
“It was a greenfield site,” says Sam. “We started building there in 2021 – with 200 cow cubicles, a 20/40 herringbone parlour, silage clamps and a slurry tower.
“The spring calvers are calved in March and April. The autumn calvers are calved in August and September.
“It’s quite a low cost system. We graze as much as we can. As soon as we can turn out we will. This is normally the beginning of April and we have grass right through to November. The spring calvers are on permanent pasture. We flood although not too badly, but survive better in a dry summer than a wet one.
“We like block calving. We calve outside, so autumn calving is easier than spring calving when the weather is against you,” he adds.
No AI is used on the farms. Instead the family buys pedigree bulls, using Friesians on the heifers with bull calves reared for beef, and Friesians or Herefords on the cows.
“Average milk yield is 6,500 litres/cow/year,” says Sam, “but we go for cow longevity. Some cows are 12 years old.
“Spring calvers reach peak lactation around May/June. Last year they came inside in mid-October and we dry them off in February. They self-feed at the silage face plus we have some square feeders in the yard, and they have cake in the parlour. When we dry them off they have hay and cake.”
The shift to needing better silage for the autumn calvers has been a learning curve, admits Sam. Nevertheless, a simple low intensity silage system is still used for both herds.
“We still make good silage for the spring calvers, but it’s not as important as it is for the autumn calvers. That’s been the learning curve. Management has to be good and silage has to be the best. We’re trying to put in more attention to detail,” Sam adds.
“We’d never done reseeding before. But the autumn calvers have changed our mindset. In 2024 we overseeded 12 hectares and reseeded 12 hectares, and we’ll reseed another 12 hectares in 2025.
“Autumn calvers receive a TMR of silage, a blend and caustic-treated wheat and a bit of cake in the parlour. They reach peak lactation around early November and we dry them off in mid-July.”
As well as the owned land, a further 60-80 hectares are rented for silaging. Silage is made separately for each herd, taking two cuts a year. First-cut, normally taken around mid-May, goes into clamps, while second-cut, taken in late June or early July, is baled.
The silage-making process is a split operation on both farms, with the family doing their own mowing, tedding, raking and baling, and a contractor doing the harvesting. A forage wagon is used for picking up for the spring calving herd for a longer chop length, which Sam says helps with butterfat. Clamping operations are done jointly.
To improve quality, the aim in 2024 had been to increase from two to three cuts for the autumn-calving herd. But the very wet spring meant first-cut was not possible until 18 May, so only two cuts ended up being made.
However, for 2025 three cuts are firmly on the agenda for the autumn calvers, says Sam, starting in late April or early May then cutting at 6-8 week intervals thereafter.
To preserve quality, cuts are taken before grass goes to head and while it is still green in the base, says Sam, and all cuts for both herds receive an additive.
“We’ve been using an additive for about six years to make better silage. We used a different additive but came back to Ecosyl. You get what you pay for. We don’t get any waste. I thought this year was going to be a disaster because it was wet, but the cows love it. We also use side sheets and an oxygen barrier film under the top sheet in the clamps,” he adds.
Volac’s Ecosyl business manager, Ken Stroud, who works with the Tincknells, says as well as a clear role for using an additive to drive a more efficient fermentation with multi-cut silage – because multi-cut grass is likely to be lower in sugar and potentially more challenged with slurry bacteria – less intensively-produced silage benefits as well.
“Grass from two to three cut systems tends to be more fibrous and therefore lower in digestibility,” says Ken, “and there’s data on Ecosyl showing an average digestibility improvement of around 3 D units compared with untreated silage, which is equivalent to nearly half an extra unit of metabolisable energy (ME).
“Silage doesn’t have to be the highest ME for spring calvers, but a quality fermentation is still needed to minimise dry matter losses and wastage and to ensure the silage doesn’t turn butyric.”
Typically, the Tincknells produce 11 ME silage, says Sam, and reached 11.6 ME in 2023. But considering the washout spring and delayed cutting, he says he was happy with the 10.4 ME and 11.9% protein achieved from the 2024 first-cut for the autumn calvers. The 2024 first-cut for the spring calvers analysed at 9.6 ME and 10.5% protein, but that was cut in June, he points out.
All the milk is sold into the liquid market, although the business is paid for milk solids. “Because we’re not producing high yields, solids can be quite high,” Sam explains. “Fats are normally up above 5% in early lactation and proteins at 4.4%-4.5%.”
For the future, the family plans to stick with their current approach. Having separate spring and autumn-calving herds spreads workloads, and the two dry cow periods a year allows family members to take a break and fits with their lifestyle, Sam adds.
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