France

Three cuts as a standard

It is usual to take three cuts for silage in a season and this can be combined with grazing. In a reseeded pasture, two to three cuts will yield 10 – 12 tonnes per hectare and can be followed by grazing. Similar practice with a permanent pasture will provide 8 tonnes DM per hectare. In mountainous regions, hay is more common but baled silage is also made. Here, a single cut for silage in June will provide 7 – 8 tonnes DM and the area can be grazed twice afterwards.

Green film increasing

The most used colours at present in France are black and green with a predominance of the latter. White is losing favour because of its high visibility, which is considered to be visually intrusive, and some farmers believe it attract birds, which can damage the film.

The advantages offered by light green films mean they are increasing in popularity even though they cost slightly more, because of the pigments used. Some farms differentiate the first cut and subsequent ones by using different colours.

Film is available in three widths, 500mm, 750mm and 1000 mm. All are 25 micron in thickness. Two thirds of the film sold is now 750mm and this proportion is rising as it tends to be the norm for new machinery and it provides faster wrapping, to increase productivity.

Mainly round bales

Both round and square bales are made, but round bales are more predominant. Currently there are between 5,000 and 6,000 round balers in operation in France, as opposed to only 400 – 500 square balers.

The proportion is unlikely to change, although round bales may increase as they are less expensive and considered easier to use. Bales are made in a range of sizes, from more than a tonne down to small bales of 60 – 80kg. The smaller bales are mostly used when baling haylage.

Four to six layers

Generally, four layers of wrap are used in France, although many specialists on the technical and industrial side of the business now recommend six layers for quality and reduced spoilage.

Farmers and contractors usually quote cost and a desire to minimise plastic waste as the reason for using four rather than six layers. As the evidence supporting the financial and nutritional benefits of six layers becomes more widespread, the convention is changing. It already is more common to use six layers in haylage, as well as lucerne because of its tougher stems.

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