Good Practices for Silage Production

Crop Selection

Choose a crop that suits your region’s climate, ensuring it has the potential for high yields. Determine the type, number, and size of silos needed, as this will help calculate the crop quantity required for planting.

Inoculant Usage

Using the right inoculant can minimize nutrient loss and significantly increase your profits. Selecting the proper inoculant can help cut losses and preserve the characteristics of healthy feed.

Storage

Proper packing of silage reduces oxygen levels inside, limiting the growth of aerobic microorganisms. Each layer should be 15 to 30 centimeters thick, and the silo should be closed promptly to minimize oxygen exposure. Avoid contaminating tractor tires with soil, as soil-borne spores and clostridia can degrade the silage and harm your herd’s health.

Packing Silage

For suitable packing, allow at least 20 percent more time for packing than the harvesting time. The total weight of the tractors used in packing should be about 40 percent of the total weight of forage transported per hour. A proper seal will prevent oxygen from damaging the silage. To achieve this, use films with proven oxygen barrier technology, as ordinary plastic tarps are permeable and cause high dry matter losses due to oxidation. The proliferation of yeast and molds on the top layer may affect around 35 centimeters of the silo surface and lead to metabolic disorders in your herd if not removed. Films made of special polymers offer 100 times better oxygen barrier properties than commonly used plastic films.

Sequence from	Sequence to	Description
00:00	00:34	Silage is the guarantee of healthy forage for your herd, and to produce quality silage you need to take some measures throughout the different phases of the process. The first step is planting the right crop, choose a crop that is appropriate for your region, the local climate, and which has potential high yields.
00:35	01:15	The second step is estimating the amount of feed staff your herd will require, taking to account losses that normally occur during the process. Third, establish the right time to harvest by defining the concentration of dry matter in the whole plant e.g. for corn the dry matter should range between 30 and 35 percent when it contains enough sugar to enable fermentation; a simple verification of the state of the kernels can help you determine the best time to harvest.
01:16	01:59	Next is to establish your crops cutting height; for grasses the cut is done close to the soil and for corn the higher the cut the greater proportion of grains and the better the quality of the silage. Define the right chop length before you harvest, particles that are too long make packing more difficult and increase oxidation while particles cut too short can interfere with rumination and cause metabolic disorders among the animals.
02:00	02:50	Using proven inoculant will enhance profitability when producing silage as pH levels drop faster limiting the growth of undesirable microorganisms and reducing dry matter losses. It also yields silage with higher nutritional value.
02:51	03:25	The more you pack your silage the more you reduce the amount of oxygen in the inside material thereby diminishing the growth of aerobic microorganisms. Prevent tractor tires from getting contaminated with soil during the process as spores and clostridia present in the soil deteriorate your silage and may cause disease in your herd.
03:26	04:46	Good practices show that the ideal time required for suitable packing should be equal to or at least 20% longer than the harvesting time. Perfect ceiling will prevent oxygen from penetrating and damaging your silage which is why it is recommended to use films with proven oxygen barrier technology as ordinary plastic tarps are permeable and thus generate high dry matter losses due to oxidation.
04:47	05:43	To reduce aerobic deterioration when unloading the silo it is recommended to maintain a rapid progression through the silo phase, removing at least 30 centimeters every day. At the end, analyze the quality of your insulin process by checking its compaction level through the silo density, the level of dry matter, the temperature and pH attained, and the amount of spoiled silage on the top.
05:44	06:56	Losing up to 23% of the total forage produced is not uncommon, with most of the losses happening during the fermentation and feed out phases. Even though some losses cannot be avoided, they can be minimized by using the right inoculant which you will cut your losses significantly and increase your profits.

Sequence from

Sequence to

Description

00:00

00:34

Silage is the guarantee of healthy forage for your herd, and to produce quality silage you need to take some measures throughout the different phases of the process. The first step is planting the right crop, choose a crop that is appropriate for your region, the local climate, and which has potential high yields.

00:35

01:15

The second step is estimating the amount of feed staff your herd will require, taking to account losses that normally occur during the process. Third, establish the right time to harvest by defining the concentration of dry matter in the whole plant e.g. for corn the dry matter should range between 30 and 35 percent when it contains enough sugar to enable fermentation; a simple verification of the state of the kernels can help you determine the best time to harvest.

01:16

01:59

Next is to establish your crops cutting height; for grasses the cut is done close to the soil and for corn the higher the cut the greater proportion of grains and the better the quality of the silage. Define the right chop length before you harvest, particles that are too long make packing more difficult and increase oxidation while particles cut too short can interfere with rumination and cause metabolic disorders among the animals.

02:00

02:50

Using proven inoculant will enhance profitability when producing silage as pH levels drop faster limiting the growth of undesirable microorganisms and reducing dry matter losses. It also yields silage with higher nutritional value.

02:51

03:25

The more you pack your silage the more you reduce the amount of oxygen in the inside material thereby diminishing the growth of aerobic microorganisms. Prevent tractor tires from getting contaminated with soil during the process as spores and clostridia present in the soil deteriorate your silage and may cause disease in your herd.

03:26

04:46

Good practices show that the ideal time required for suitable packing should be equal to or at least 20% longer than the harvesting time. Perfect ceiling will prevent oxygen from penetrating and damaging your silage which is why it is recommended to use films with proven oxygen barrier technology as ordinary plastic tarps are permeable and thus generate high dry matter losses due to oxidation.

04:47

05:43

To reduce aerobic deterioration when unloading the silo it is recommended to maintain a rapid progression through the silo phase, removing at least 30 centimeters every day. At the end, analyze the quality of your insulin process by checking its compaction level through the silo density, the level of dry matter, the temperature and pH attained, and the amount of spoiled silage on the top.

05:44

06:56

Losing up to 23% of the total forage produced is not uncommon, with most of the losses happening during the fermentation and feed out phases. Even though some losses cannot be avoided, they can be minimized by using the right inoculant which you will cut your losses significantly and increase your profits.

FO Library | Doc & Demo Page

Good Practices for Silage Production

Related videos

Crop Selection

Inoculant Usage

Storage

Packing Silage

View external video

Leave a short comment