Climate Smart Feedbase › Forage conservation

Resource library · Subtropical Dairy

Forage conservation

Making the most of every tonne conserved

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Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Future Drought Fund Subtropical Dairy and Dairy Australia Delivering for Queensland, Queensland Government

Climate Smart Feedbase is led by Subtropical Dairy in partnership with Queensland Department of Primary Industries, with support through the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund Scaling Success Program.

Resource overview

Making the most of every tonne conserved

Forage conservation determines how much of the crop grown actually reaches the milking herd. From choosing when to harvest to preparing, storing and feeding silage, good practice helps protect both feed quality and farm margins.

The resources below include previously published material from Northern Horizons, the earlier Dairy Grains Mentoring project and related extension work. New Climate Smart Feedbase outputs will be added as they become available.

Articles and resources

Explore Forage conservation

Browse the published articles below. PDFs open in a new tab; page counts and download sizes help you choose what to open.

Resource collection

Harvesting and making quality silage

Harvest maturity, crop dry matter, chop length, grain processing, compaction and sealing all affect how much usable feed reaches the herd. The Top Fodder and silage management articles connect planning and harvest decisions with fermentation, storage, feed-out and evaluation of the finished silage.

Resource collection

Ensiling time and sorghum starch digestibility

Subtropical Dairy and C4Milk research followed white grain, red grain and forage sorghum silages over ensiling periods up to 24 months. The reports examine how storage time, sorghum type, seed characteristics and grain processing influence starch availability. Feed analysis helps relate the findings to the silage being fed on an individual farm.

Resource collection

Top Fodder in practice

Top Fodder workshops have combined classroom discussion with farm demonstrations to help producers plan, make, feed and assess silage. This earlier Mid North Coast NSW article records the practical training and farmer learning behind the program.

Resource collection

Safe fodder conservation and tyre use

The tyre guidance covers the use and storage of tyres for sealing silage stacks, including fire risk and environmental requirements. Read the published guidance alongside the requirements that apply in your state and the conditions at your silage storage site.