Why Grazed Grass Still Wins on Feed Costs

Why Grazed Grass Still Wins on Feed Costs

From The Dairy Edge by Teagasc

June 1, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

Peter Doyle discusses the cost-effectiveness of grazed grass compared to other feed options amidst rising fuel and fertilizer prices.

With the increased cost of fuel and fertiliser, Peter Doyle, Grassland Researcher in Teagasc, Grange, joins Stuart Childs to discuss the cost of growing grass, silage and other feeds. Peter outlines the costs that he uses in the Grange Feed Costing Model which are of course assumptions but are necessary for the model to function. He emphasises that grazed grass delivers the lowest feed cost, even with higher fertilser prices. The cost model estimates grazed grass at about 14c/kg dry matter (including land charge), compared with roughly 42c/kg dry matter for concentrates. Feed quality is important in the model as the energy of the feed influences the performance it delivers. Peter argues that delaying first-cut silage to chase higher yields given increased fuel costs to get better bang for the buck from contractor costs is a false economy. Earlier cutting (around late May) produces higher-quality silage, improves the total energy yield of the overall two-cut system as well as supporting better animal performance, reducing the requirement for expensive concentrate supplementation. Big first cuts of low quality material don’t deliver more silage and are ‘penny wise, pound poor’ due…

People in this episode

Host: Stuart Childs

Guest: Peter Doyle

Topics covered

  • grazed grass
  • feed costs
  • silage
  • animal performance
  • feed quality

Keywords

  • grazed grass
  • feed costs
  • silage
  • animal performance
  • fertilizer prices
  • feed quality
  • Grange Feed Costing Model

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Teagasc, Grange

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