Two dairy farmers from Pembrokeshire have scooped the top awards for making the best silage in Wales.
John Harries, of Felindre Farm, St Nicholas, a member of the North Pembrokeshire Grassland Society, won the all-Wales silage competition while Jonathan Thomas, of Trewilym Farm, Hayscastle, came first in the all-Wales big bale silage competition.
John Harries was a winner of the competition in 2003. He runs a herd of 360 dairy cows plus followers on 450 acres.
His winning silage had a dry matter of 30%, metabolisable energy of 12.1mj/kg/DM, crude protein of 14.8 and an ammonia level of 5.5.
It has an intake potential of 107 and is the foundation for annual milk sales of 8,000 litres/cow.
Mr Harries cuts three crops of silage in May, June and August, producing 3,700 tonnes of conserved forage.
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The judges were impressed with the excellent standards of silage quality which had been achieved in a less than ideal season.
One of the judges, John Evans, said the winning silage and the runner-up presentations were of very high quality.
"The winner came out on top by a narrow margin,'' he said.
"In the final inspection the winner showed an excellent level of grassland productivity as well as a very good level of animal production from silage."
Jonathan Thomas runs a 361-acre organic dairy system which includes 90 milking cows plus followers, 50 beef animals and a 66 acre arable unit.
Analysis showed a dry matter of 49%, crude protein of 20%, metabolisable energy of 12.8 mj/kg/DM, an ammonia level of 3.5 and intake potential of 131.
All 1,300 tonnes of forage is based on red and white clover. Mr Thomas' cows yield 5,500 litres under a strip grazing system.
The judges noted the wide range of farm systems in which baled silage is now used and which were represented in the final round of competition.
"The competition produced some very good silage analyses and the winners were those who combined this good silage quality with consistency and good management across their silage stock," they said.
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