Climate Smart Feedbase › Silage nutrient content and diets

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Silage nutrient content and diets

Connecting conserved forage to milk production

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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

Connecting conserved forage to milk production

Silage quality and diet formulation are closely linked to animal performance and margin over feed costs. The same type of forage can vary in starch, fibre, protein and digestibility according to variety, season, harvest and storage decisions.

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 Silage nutrient content and diets

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

Resource collection

Feed analysis and balanced dairy diets

Forage quality and dry matter intake are central to cow performance. Research on partial mixed rations (PMRs) examines the balance of starch, protein and fibre. Sorghum silage also differs from maize in fibre and starch digestibility, so the linked guidance explains why diets should be formulated around measured feed characteristics rather than a direct substitution.

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Silage quality and starch availability

Corn harvest height and seeding rate can affect the balance between crop yield and feed quality. Sorghum starch availability is influenced by variety, grain processing and ensiling time. These research articles connect crop management and storage with the nutrient value available when silage enters the ration.

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Grain alternatives, feed wastage and costs

Wheat, barley and sorghum headlage and corn earlage may replace some purchased grain where production, conservation and feeding conditions suit. The feed wastage article considers feedpads, troughs, allocation and management at feed-out. Evaluate both the cost of producing or purchasing feed and the amount the herd actually consumes.

Resource collection

Cyanide and nitrate risk in sorghum

Stressed sorghum crops can present cyanide and nitrate risks to livestock. The linked article explains crop risk factors, testing and feeding considerations. Suspect forage needs testing and appropriate advice; ensiling does not remove the need to assess feed safety.