Category: News

Low DMD Silage: The Hidden Cost in Beef Systems

Silage quality is one of the biggest drivers of beef performance during the winter period. Yet every year, many beef farms are trying to push cattle forward on silage that simply cannot support growth on Low DMD silage.

Low DMD silage quietly reduces thrive, increases meal requirements, and delays finishing — often without farmers fully realising the scale of the impact.

What Does DMD Actually Mean?

DMD stands for Dry Matter Digestibility. It measures how much of the silage an animal can actually digest and convert into energy.

Higher DMD silage means:

• Higher energy intake

• Better daily liveweight gain

• Lower concentrate requirement

Lower DMD silage means cattle fill their stomachs but don’t get the energy they need.

Typical figures seen on Irish beef farms:

Many finishing problems start with silage in the mid-60s or lower.

The Real Cost of Low DMD Silage

Poor silage doesn’t always look bad in the pit. Cattle will still eat it, but the energy value is much lower.

The consequences include:

• Slower daily liveweight gain

• Higher concentrate feeding costs

• Longer finishing periods

• Reduced feed efficiency

For example, cattle on 64 DMD silage may require 2–3 kg more ration per day compared with cattle on high-quality silage just to achieve the same performance.

Across a winter, that adds up quickly.

Signs Your Silage Is Holding Cattle Back

Common warning signs include:

• Cattle eating large volumes but not thriving

• Loose or inconsistent dung

• Increased meal levels with little improvement in growth

• Finishing cattle taking longer than expected to reach target weight

In many cases, the ration gets blamed — but the real issue is the forage base.

Managing Low DMD Silage

If silage quality is already poor, the focus shifts to managing around it.

Practical steps include:

• Testing silage to understand its true feed value

• Increasing concentrate levels strategically

• Ensuring rations supply enough protein and energy

• Splitting feeding across the day where possible

Balanced concentrates become even more important when silage quality drops.

At Crecora Mills, rations are formulated to complement forage and help maintain performance when silage quality varies between farms.

The aim is to close the nutritional gap created by lower digestibility forage.

Planning for Next Season

The best solution to low DMD silage is prevention.

Higher digestibility silage comes from:

• Earlier cutting dates

• Correct fertiliser management

• Good wilting conditions

• Tight pit management

Each extra point of DMD can significantly improve winter performance and reduce meal costs.

The Take-Home Message

Silage is the foundation of winter beef diets.

If the foundation is weak, everything built on top of it becomes more expensive.

Know your silage quality, feed accordingly, and plan ahead to produce higher digestibility forage next season.

Assumptions :

• Dairy feed cost: €340/t = €0.34/kg

• Decent silage and or grass quality and quantity.

• A healthy herd.

• € Figures show milk revenue minus feed cost

• This is margin over feed, not total profit.

🥛 Milk Price Sensitivity – Margin Over Feed

€/cow/day

What this clearly shows

👉 Feed isn’t the enemy — inefficiency is.

• 4–5 kg is the safest, most consistent zone across all milk prices

• At 40c, overfeeding hurts — underfeeding also hurts

• At 45c, good feed is clearly paying

• At 50c, every efficient kg of nut is making money

• Cutting from 4 kg to “save €0.68” often costs €1+ in milk

💶 The Real Euro Value of Feeding Quality Dairy Nuts – Even When Milk Prices Fall

When milk prices fall, many farmers think about cutting back on feed. It’s natural — you see the cheque shrinking and start looking for savings.
But here’s the truth: cutting quality feed is one of the fastest ways to lose money on a dairy farm.

At Crecora Mills, we see it every year — the herds that stay on a good-quality, high-maize, high-energy nut are the ones that keep producing, stay healthy, and calve down stronger next spring.

🧾 The Simple Maths

Take a top-quality dairy nut like Crecora Mills Dairy Max Grass 16, costing around €360 per tonne (€0.36/kg).

If you increase feeding by just 2 kg per cow per day, that costs €0.72/day.

With milk at €0.45/L, the feed pays for itself if you get 1.6 litres of extra milk.
And that’s just breakeven — most herds easily see 1.8–2.0 litres/day, even at grass.

That’s a profit of 9–18 cent per cow per day, or €10–€20 extra per cow over 120 days of late lactation.
For a 100-cow herd, that’s €1,000–€2,000 extra profit from simply feeding right.

🐄 Why Quality Feed Still Wins

It’s not just about litres. A good-quality nut gives you:

✅ Higher milk solids — extra fat and protein bonuses that can add 2–3 c/L to your real milk price
✅ Better fertility — cows cycling stronger and going back in calf faster
✅ Healthier cows — balanced minerals, yeast, and rumen buffers mean less stress, fewer vet bills
✅ Valuable calves next spring — every empty cow is a major loss, and strong pre-calving nutrition gives healthier, more vigorous calves

Even in the fodder crises years, when farmers were forced to feed heavy levels of concentrates, calving results were excellent.
Why? Because cows were properly fed — they held condition, calved easier, and got back in milk faster.

💰 The Real Cost of Cutting Corners

A cheap or diluted feed might save €20 a tonne — but if it knocks just half a litre of milk off yield, you’ve lost €0.22/day per cow.
Over 100 cows for 120 days, that’s €2,640 gone — far more than the saving.

Feeding high-quality, well-balanced Crecora Mills feed is about protecting margin, not chasing price.

🌾 The Takeaway

In tough milk price years, it’s the farmers who stay consistent — with quality feed, healthy cows, and strong fertility — who come out on top.

📈 Keep the litres and solids steady.
🐄 Keep your cows healthy and in calf.
💶 Protect your profit.

That’s the real euro value of feeding Crecora Mills Dairy Feeds.

📞 Crecora Mills – 061 355186
📧 info@crecoramills.ie

🌐 www.crecoramills.ie

🌾 We Only Mix With The Best.

🐄 A Strong Start Means a Stronger Herd

At Crecora Mills, we know that the foundation of every productive herd starts with healthy, thriving calves. That’s why we developed Calf Max Nuts – a premium-quality feed designed to deliver fast growth, strong immunity, and excellent rumen development from the very beginning.

🌾 Why Choose Calf Max?

✅ High-Quality Protein
Supports lean muscle gain and steady daily liveweight growth.

✅ Balanced Energy from Barley and Maize
Delivers consistent energy for performance without digestive upsets.

✅ Essential Vitamins and Minerals
Promotes bone strength, boosts immune response, and supports long-term calf health.

✅ Superior Palatability
Encourages early intake, ensuring calves get off to the best possible start.

✅ Trusted Crecora Mills Nutrition
Every batch is locally milled and formulated by experts using only the best raw materials — because quality feed means better results.

💪 Feed the Future – Feed Calf Max

Calves fed on Crecora Mills Calf Max Nuts develop strong frames, shiny coats, and solid immune systems — setting them up to thrive as productive dairy or beef animals.

🌾 Crecora Mills – We only mix with the best.

Crecora Mills is a well-known leader in animal feed technology. With years of experience and expertise in the field, they have established themselves as a reliable and innovative company in providing top-quality animal feed solutions.
One of the reasons why Crecora Mills is considered a leader in animal feed technology is their commitment to research and development. They continuously invest in exploring new and improved methods and ingredients to enhance animal feed formulations. This dedication to innovation allows them to stay ahead of the competition and deliver cutting-edge products to their customers.

Additionally, Crecora Mills takes great pride in their stringent quality control measures. They ensure that all their animal feed products meet and exceed industry standards, giving customers peace of mind in terms of safety and nutritional content. Their quality assurance processes include regular testing, inspections, and certifications, guaranteeing that the animal feed they create is of the highest quality.

Crecora Mills also offers a wide range of animal feed options for different species and purposes. Whether it is calves, beef or dairy cattle, sheep, or horses, they have tailored feed formulations specific to each animal’s nutritional needs. Their team of experts works closely with customers to understand their requirements and provide customized solutions, further solidifying their position as leaders in the industry.

In addition to their focus on product quality and customization, Crecora Mills also prioritizes sustainability. They strive to minimize their carbon footprint and promote sustainable practices throughout their manufacturing processes. By using locally sourced ingredients and implementing eco-friendly initiatives, they demonstrate their commitment to the environment and support sustainable agriculture practices.

Overall, Crecora Mills’ commitment to research, quality control, customization, and sustainability makes them leaders in animal feed technology. Their continuous efforts to improve and deliver the best products sets them apart from others in the industry and makes them a trusted partner for farmers and animal owners worldwide.

You should consider buying Crecora Mills Beef finisher animal feed for the following reasons:
High-Quality Ingredients: Crecora Mills Beef finisher animal feed is made with premium ingredients that are carefully selected to provide your animals with the essential nutrients they need for optimal growth and development. The feed is formulated to meet the specific nutritional requirements of beef cattle during the finishing phase.
Balanced Nutrition: The feed provides a balanced and complete diet, ensuring that your animals receive all the necessary proteins, vitamins, minerals, and energy they need. This helps promote healthy weight gain, muscle development, and overall well-being.
Enhanced Animal Performance: Crecora Mills Beef finisher animal feed is designed to promote efficient feed conversion, meaning your animals can convert feed into weight gain more efficiently. This can result in improved animal performance, increased average daily gain, and ultimately higher profitability for your operation.
Traceability and Quality Assurance: Crecora Mills is committed to traceability and quality assurance. They have strict quality control measures in place to ensure that their animal feed is safe, consistent, and of the highest quality. This provides you with peace of mind knowing that you are feeding your animals a reliable and safe product.
Expertise and Support: Crecora Mills has extensive knowledge and experience in finishing beef cattle. Crecora mills Founder John O’Connell has been running a successful beef finishing enterprise all his life. Their team of experts is available to provide guidance and support to help you optimize your animals’ nutrition and maximize their performance.
Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly: Crecora Mills is committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility. They use quality ingredients that are sourced locally whenever possible, reducing transportation emissions and supporting local farmers. Additionally, their feed production processes are designed to minimize waste and optimize resource efficiency.
Overall, choosing Crecora Mills Beef finisher animal feed can help you ensure the health and productivity of your beef cattle while supporting sustainable and responsible farming practices.