{"id":1053,"date":"2026-07-27T03:23:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T03:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/application\/cover-crop-silage-turning-fallow-into-feed\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T03:23:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T03:23:23","slug":"cover-crop-silage-turning-fallow-into-feed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/application\/cover-crop-silage-turning-fallow-into-feed\/","title":{"rendered":"Cover Crop Silage: Turning Fallow Into Feed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cover Crops \u00b7 Mixed Farming \u00b7 Feed & Soil<\/div>\n

Cover Crop Silage: Turning Fallow Into Feed<\/p>\n

How Riverina, Darling Downs, and Eyre Peninsula cropping farmers are baling cereal-vetch mixes and oat covers before the cash crop season \u2014 improving soil and building feed inventory simultaneously.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Fallow That Feeds: What Cover Crop Silage Actually Delivers<\/h2>\n

The term ‘cover cropping’ has been used in Australian farming for decades \u2014 planting a temporary crop between cash crops to protect soil structure, fix nitrogen, and suppress weeds. What has changed since around 2018 is the recognition that the cover crop need not simply be mulched back into the soil. Baling cover crops for silage or dry hay converts what was previously a soil management cost (seed, establishment, termination) into a dual-function investment that also produces storable, usable livestock feed.<\/p>\n

The economics that make cover crop silage interesting are specific to mixed cropping-livestock enterprises \u2014 properties in the Riverina and central NSW that run sheep or beef cattle alongside wheat, canola, and oat cropping; Darling Downs operations integrating beef backgrounding with sorghum and grain legume rotations; and Eyre Peninsula mixed farmers who run Merino flocks on the same land that grows wheat and barley. For these operations, a cereal-vetch or oat-legume cover crop baled at the flag-leaf to early-pod stage in July or August produces 1.5 to 3.5 tonnes DM per hectare of 12 to 18% crude protein silage or hay \u2014 feed that arrives precisely when the previous season’s stored inventory is running low and purchased hay prices are at their seasonal peak.<\/p>\n

This article covers the specific management of cover crops for silage production: species selection, cutting timing relative to cash crop planting schedules, baling moisture targets, and the soil health outcomes that continue even when the crop is removed as feed rather than incorporated. For how combining baleage with conventional hay production across the same season is managed on a mixed farm, our article on why cattle farmers are switching to combined baler-wrapper machines<\/a> covers the equipment integration that makes multi-use baling systems work across a cropping calendar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Cereal-vetch<\/p>\n

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Cover Crop Species and Their Feed Value at Baling Stage<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Species Mix<\/th>\nCP at Baling (DM)<\/th>\nME (MJ\/kg DM)<\/th>\nDM Yield (t\/ha)<\/th>\nBest Baling Stage<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Oat\u2013vetch (50:50)<\/td>\n14\u201320%<\/td>\n9.5\u201310.8<\/td>\n1.8\u20133.5<\/td>\nFlag leaf on oat, early pod on vetch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cereal rye\u2013hairy vetch<\/td>\n15\u201322%<\/td>\n9.2\u201310.5<\/td>\n2.0\u20134.0<\/td>\nFlag leaf, before rye heads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oat monoculture<\/td>\n9\u201313%<\/td>\n9.5\u201310.8<\/td>\n2.5\u20134.0<\/td>\nFlag leaf stage \u2014 not after heading<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Field pea\u2013oat<\/td>\n16\u201322%<\/td>\n9.8\u201311.0<\/td>\n1.5\u20133.0<\/td>\nEarly pod, 50% flowering<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Barley\u2013berseem clover<\/td>\n13\u201318%<\/td>\n9.5\u201310.5<\/td>\n2.0\u20133.2<\/td>\nFlag leaf on barley, early clover<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Phacelia monoculture<\/td>\n15\u201320%<\/td>\n9.0\u201310.0<\/td>\n1.5\u20132.5<\/td>\nFull flowering \u2014 before seed set<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Why Legume Inclusion Transforms Cover Crop Silage Value<\/h3>\n

A pure cereal cover (oat monoculture, barley monoculture) baled at flag leaf produces decent hay at 9 to 13% crude protein \u2014 comparable to commercial grass hay. Adding a legume component (vetch, field pea, berseem clover) at 30 to 50% of the seed mix raises crude protein to 14 to 22% without meaningfully increasing seeding cost (vetch seed is relatively inexpensive at AUD $1.80 to $3.20 per kg). This protein premium \u2014 worth AUD $30 to $80 per tonne DM in livestock ration cost savings relative to cereal-only hay \u2014 is the financial justification for the legume addition in a mixed cropping system where nitrogen fixation from the legume also credits the following cash crop’s nitrogen requirement.<\/p>\n

The Nitrogen Cycling Benefit That Continues Even After Baling<\/h3>\n

The common objection to baling cover crops rather than incorporating them is that removing the biomass removes the soil organic matter and nitrogen benefit. This is partially true for the carbon-adding function \u2014 incorporated residue feeds soil biology in a way that removed biomass does not. However, the nitrogen benefit of a legume cover crop is primarily delivered through the root system and root nodule decomposition, not through the above-ground biomass. A well-nodulated vetch or field pea cover crop that is baled rather than incorporated still fixes 40 to 80 kg of atmospheric nitrogen per hectare through root nodule decomposition \u2014 nitrogen that is released to the following cash crop without requiring any biomass incorporation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Timing the Cover Crop Cut: The Cash Crop Planting Constraint<\/h2>\n

The Baling Window and the Next Crop Planting Date<\/h3>\n

The single most important constraint in cover crop silage production is the cash crop planting calendar. The cover crop must be terminated (either by baling, herbicide, or rolling) in time to allow adequate soil moisture recovery and residue management before the next cash crop is seeded. In southern NSW Riverina winter cropping systems, this means cover crops seeded in May to June are baled in late July to early August \u2014 a 10 to 12 week growth period that corresponds closely to optimal nutritional maturity for oat-vetch mixes.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Region<\/th>\nCover Seeding Month<\/th>\nTarget Baling Month<\/th>\nCash Crop Planting<\/th>\nDM Yield Potential<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Riverina NSW (winter wheat)<\/td>\nApril\u2013May<\/td>\nJuly\u2013August<\/td>\nLate April (following year)<\/td>\n2.0\u20133.5 t\/ha<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Darling Downs QLD (winter)<\/td>\nApril\u2013June<\/td>\nJuly\u2013September<\/td>\nMay\u2013June (following year)<\/td>\n1.8\u20133.0 t\/ha<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eyre Peninsula SA<\/td>\nApril\u2013May<\/td>\nJuly\u2013August<\/td>\nMay\u2013June (following year)<\/td>\n1.5\u20132.5 t\/ha<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Victorian Wimmera<\/td>\nApril\u2013May<\/td>\nJuly\u2013August<\/td>\nApril\u2013May (following year)<\/td>\n1.8\u20133.0 t\/ha<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Baling vs. Herbicide Termination: The Feed-Value Argument<\/h3>\n

Herbicide termination of cover crops (glyphosate burndown before cash crop seeding) is the standard commercial practice where cover crops are grown primarily for soil health benefits. Baling before herbicide termination \u2014 or using baling as the termination method \u2014 captures the feed value at a cost equal to or less than herbicide application on most properties. At AUD $18 to $28 per hectare for glyphosate application costs on a cover crop, and AUD $20 to $40 per tonne DM value of the captured hay or silage, baling a 2-tonne DM cover crop generates AUD $40 to $80 per hectare in feed value while performing the same termination function as the herbicide. The economic case for baling rather than burning or spraying is straightforward on operations with baling equipment available.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9YG-1.25<\/p>\n

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Baling Management for Cover Crop Silage<\/h2>\n

Moisture Targets: Silage or Hay?<\/h3>\n

Cover crop silage production (baling at 40 to 55% DM, wrapping with film) is preferred over dry hay production when: the baling window falls in a period of unreliable drying weather (June to August in high-rainfall zones of the Riverina and Wimmera), the legume inclusion is high (above 40% vetch or field pea, which are difficult to dry adequately without excessive leaf loss), or the feed is needed quickly (silage can be fed from 21 days post-baling; hay requires full drying before storage). Dry hay from a cover crop is preferred when the weather window is reliable, the operation already has barn storage for quality hay, and the buyer or user requires a dry product.<\/p>\n

Inoculant for High-Legume Cover Crops<\/h3>\n

Oat-vetch and cereal rye-hairy vetch mixes with above 35% legume inclusion have a buffering capacity intermediate between pure grass silage and pure lucerne silage. LAB inoculant is recommended (not optional) for these mixes at any baling moisture above 45% DM \u2014 the legume fraction raises the buffering capacity enough to make reliable fermentation without inoculant support inconsistent. Apply at the standard 1 \u00d7 10\u2076 cfu\/g fresh matter rate at the baler pickup for all legume-containing cover crop silage.<\/p>\n

The 9YG-1.25A variable-chamber round baler<\/a> handles the variable windrow density of oat-vetch and cereal cover mixes \u2014 lighter in early-establishment stands, heavier in fully developed 3 to 4 month stands \u2014 without manual chamber pressure adjustment between paddocks. The variable chamber’s pressure-target operation ensures consistent bale density across the range of cover crop stands typical of a mixed cropping rotation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9YCM-850<\/p>\n

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Soil Health: What Baling Removes and What Stays Behind<\/h2>\n

The Carbon Removal Trade-Off<\/h3>\n

Removing above-ground biomass by baling does remove carbon and nutrients that would otherwise be incorporated into the soil organic matter pool. This is a real trade-off that should be acknowledged, not dismissed. The practical question is: how significant is the carbon trade-off relative to the feed value captured, and are there management practices that mitigate the loss?<\/p>\n

A 2.5 tonne DM cover crop removed by baling exports approximately 2.5 tonnes of carbon from the paddock \u2014 equivalent to about 40% of the annual carbon input from a well-managed cover crop incorporation cycle. Over a 5-year rotation that includes 3 cover crop years, baling 2 of those 3 and incorporating 1 (allowing the root biomass from all three years to decompose) maintains a positive soil organic matter trajectory on most cropping soils while capturing feed value in the baled years.<\/p>\n

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\u2713 Root Residue: The Bigger Soil Health Driver<\/div>\n

Independent soil carbon research in NSW and SA cropping systems consistently shows that root biomass decomposition accounts for 40 to 60% of the soil carbon input from a cover crop \u2014 the same or more than above-ground incorporation. Since baling removes only the above-ground fraction, and roots remain to decompose regardless of baling, the actual soil carbon penalty of baling a cover crop is 40 to 60% less severe than removing the full biomass by burning or cutting and removing without incorporation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Common Cover Crop Silage Mistakes<\/h2>\n
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\u274c Baling Too Late \u2014 After Vetch Has Set Seed<\/div>\n

Vetch and field pea at full seed-set have finished their nitrogen fixation cycle and the legume fraction has transferred most of its protein value to the seed. Baling at this stage captures seed pods but at significantly lower leaf protein than earlier cuts. More importantly, baling at or after seed-set creates a volunteer legume weed problem in subsequent cash crops \u2014 the seed survives baling and germinates in the following wheat or canola paddock. Always cut before 70% seed fill on the legume component.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u26a0 Not Accounting for Cover Crop Residue in Cash Crop Seeding<\/div>\n

Baling at correct height (10 to 12 cm stubble) leaves a low residue load that does not impede direct-drill seeding of the following cash crop. Not baling \u2014 or baling too high and leaving tall stubble \u2014 requires additional management (rolling, flailing, or heavy harrowing) before cash crop seeding. Confirm the seeder’s trash clearance specification before deciding on baling height; most precision air seeders need fewer than 3 tonnes of surface residue for clean establishment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Forgetting to Calculate the Soil Nitrogen Credit<\/div>\n

A well-nodulated vetch or field pea cover baled before seed set delivers a soil nitrogen credit of 40 to 80 kg N per hectare through root decomposition. At AUD $1.80 to $2.20 per kg of urea-N equivalent, this is worth AUD $72 to $176 per hectare \u2014 a credit that should be included in the nitrogen budget for the following cash crop. Many cover crop farmers who bale their covers forget to reduce the following crop’s fertiliser allocation accordingly, spending money on purchased nitrogen that the legume root system has already delivered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
\nHow much does it cost to establish and bale a cover crop for silage in NSW?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
A typical oat-vetch cover crop establishment cost in the Riverina: seed (AUD $60 to $120\/ha for oat + vetch mix), seeding and establishment (AUD $30 to $50\/ha), fertiliser (nil for legume-dominant \u2014 nitrogen credits from legume replace purchased N). Baling and wrapping with contractor or own equipment: AUD $200 to $400\/ha at 2.0 to 3.5 t DM\/ha yield. Total cost per tonne DM produced: AUD $60 to $140\/tonne DM. Against a market value of AUD $150 to $220 per tonne DM for equivalent CP oaten hay, the margin per hectare is AUD $100 to $500 after production costs \u2014 most positive in high-protein legume-dominant covers that compete favourably with purchased protein hay.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nCan cover crop silage replace purchased hay in a sheep supplementation programme?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Yes \u2014 oat-vetch cover crop silage at 14 to 18% CP and 9.5 to 10.5 MJ ME is a premium roughage that meets or exceeds the nutritional specification of most commercially available sheep hay. For late-pregnancy ewes requiring 12 to 14% CP and ME above 9.5 MJ\/kg DM, a well-made oat-vetch silage replaces purchased hay at nutritionally equivalent rates. Feed at 1.0 to 1.5 kg DM per ewe per day alongside pasture in winter for a cost-effective pre-lambing supplementation programme.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nHow does cover crop silage affect the following cash crop’s performance?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Research from NSW DPI and CSIRO cropping systems work in the Riverina and Darling Downs shows that baling cover crops at appropriate height (10 to 12 cm stubble) and timing (before full seed set) has no statistically significant negative effect on subsequent wheat or canola yield when the nitrogen credit from legume root decomposition is factored into the fertiliser programme. In some trials, cover crop rotations (baled or incorporated) show 3 to 8% yield advantages in subsequent cash crops over continuous cropping without cover crops \u2014 attributed to improved soil water infiltration and reduced soil-borne disease pressure.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhat is the ideal seeding rate for an oat-vetch cover crop intended for silage baling?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Target seeding rate for an oat-vetch silage cover in NSW and SA: oat at 40 to 60 kg\/ha and vetch at 25 to 35 kg\/ha, drilled together in the same pass. This produces a 50:50 to 40:60 oat-to-vetch DM ratio at the flag-leaf baling stage in most seasons \u2014 the protein-maximising composition. Higher oat rates (80+ kg\/ha) shift the mix toward cereal dominance and lower protein; higher vetch rates increase protein but can produce an overly tangled, lower-density windrow that challenges rake and pickup performance.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nCan cover crop silage be wrapped and stored through summer for autumn feeding?<\/span>+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Yes \u2014 well-made oat-vetch silage baleage (6-layer film, LAB inoculant, 45 to 50% DM at baling, gravel pad storage) maintains quality through a summer storage period of 4 to 6 months. Inspect film monthly during summer storage in SA and QLD conditions and apply repair tape to any UV degradation points. The August-baled cover crop silage feeds well into February, matching the typical late-summer dry period when purchased hay is at its seasonal price peak.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

\"9GL-2.5\/2.9<\/p>\n

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EverPower Baling Machinery \u00b7 Condell Park NSW 2200<\/div>\n

Discuss Your Cover Crop Silage Programme<\/h2>\n

Tell us your cover species mix, cash crop rotation, and livestock system \u2014 we’ll help plan the baling window and equipment setup that captures maximum feed value from your fallow periods.<\/p>\n

Request a Quote<\/a> About EverPower<\/a><\/div>\n
+61 2 9708 3322<\/a>  |  \u2709 sales@silage-baler.com<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cover Crops \u00b7 Mixed Farming \u00b7 Feed & Soil Cover Crop Silage: Turning Fallow Into Feed How Riverina, Darling Downs, and Eyre Peninsula cropping farmers are baling cereal-vetch mixes and oat covers before the cash crop season \u2014 improving soil and building feed inventory simultaneously. The Fallow That Feeds: What Cover Crop Silage Actually Delivers […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-applications"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1053\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}