Forage And Chips Silo

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Maximizing ruminant livestock production is dependent upon, producing and storing quality forage. Once the crop has been harvested, loss of quality may occur simply because steps were not taken to correctly manage the forage during filling and storage. This fact sheet reviews bagged silage recommendations that help to maintain high quality forage.

To aid in forage removal and to minimize losses during feed out, place bags on an all-weather base such as macadam, asphalt or concrete. A correctly designed paved site provides an additional benefit in that it can be converted to bunker storage at some point in the future by adding walls.

Take measures to protect bags from punctures. Silo bags are punctured by a variety of causes including, but not limited to equipment, people, animals (domestic, wild), hail, etc.It is important to closely inspect the silage bags for holes regularly. Punctured bags allow air to enter, which can cause significant feed deterioration. Any holes should immediately be sealed with tape to prevent oxygen from entering the silage mass. Most manufacturers offer special patch tapes that adhere tightly to plastic silo bgs and are weather and light resistant. Commonly available duct or masking tapes are not generally suitable for this purpose and will not provide a long-term seal.

Optimal relative forage quality (RFQ) is achieved when alfalfa is cut at or near 170 RFQ based on scissor clip or PEAQ measurements. Chop alfalfa at 3/8-inch theoretical length of cut (TLC) with 15-20% of the particles exceeding 1.5 inches long. For corn silage the recommended TLC is 3/8 inch without a processor or 1/2 to 3/4 inch with a processor.

The preferred corn silage moisture range for bagged silage is 65-70%. Begin sampling whole plant moisture when the corn kernel contains about 80% milk. Use a 0.5% per day predicted dry down rate from the sample date until 65-70% whole plant moisture is reached. Seepage of forage juice can occur if forage is harvested at moisture contents above 70%. This juice carries away a high concentration of soluble nutrients, representing a significant loss of valuable feed. For hay silage the preferred moisture is 60-65%. Clostridial fermentation is more likely in hay silage if the forage moisture is greater than 65%. Clostridial fermentation produces silage containing butyric acid and is less stable when exposed to oxygen.

Rapid silo filling (within 3 days) increases the uniformity of forage moisture and quality in the silo, and reduces exposure of the forage to precipitation and air during filling. Rapid silo filling is accomplished by having sufficient harvest, transport and silo filling equipment capacity and adequate labor to operate the equipment. Bottlenecks to rapid filling should be identified and eliminated.

Since bag filling machines move as the bag is being filled, forage spilled can be lost if allowed to remain on the ground. Clean up feed as it spills or directly after each wagon or truck load is emptied. Once filled, seal the bag tightly. Several methods can be used to seal bags. One common method is to stretch the remaining plastic out, then place a board on the plastic and wrap it around the board back toward the bag much like re- sealing a bag of potato chips. Hold the end of the plastic in place with some form of weight (sand, discarded silage, etc.) or simply nail another board to the one used to wrap the end of the plastic bag.

The bagging machine should be adjusted to form a tightly packed forage. The higher the density of forage in a silo bag, the lower the amount of air infiltration as the bag is opened or if the bag is punctured. Most silo bag manufacturers provide recommendations on filling bags. Some provide stretch lines on the plastic bag as gauges to avoid over-filling. Measuring the distance between these lines gives an indication of when the bag is full or over-filled.

The fermentation phase lasts 14-21 days. During this time, the forage varies in quality from day-to-day. Since cows perform best when presented uniform quality forage, avoid feeding silage during the fermentation period.

Silage fermentation naturally occurs under anaerobic conditions. An effective fermentation process is based upon a variety of factors including the types and numbers of bacteria found on the forage. Inoculants may improve this fermentation process, but before selecting inoculants first assure silage management is correct, avoiding problems such as ensiling overly dry crops, poor packing density or low feed out rates.

The removal rate (inches removed from the silage face per day) influences loss during the feed out period. Maintaining adequate removal rates are especially critical with hay crop silages, high moisture corn and drier silages. When designing storage, a good recommendation is to plan to remove at least twice the minimum recommended removal rate. Muck and Holmes (2006) recommended a minimum silo bag removal rate of 12 inches per day.

Unlike other storage formats, bags or parts of bags can be labeled to show the location of specific feed inventories. Differences between fields or loads (moisture content, crop type etc.) can be marked on the bag. The quality of specific forages can then be matched closely with the nutrient demands of specific classes of livestock.

Bags need to be disposed of properly. Plastic waste handling and disposal is a disadvantage of silo bags. Presently, landfilling is the recommended practice to dispose of plastic waste. Alternatives to landfill disposal are being explored. Hopefully, sometime in the near future, recyclers will be accepting this plastic waste and using it as a fuel or making it into other plastic products.

Storage silos are cylindrical structures, typically 10 to 90 ft (3 to 27 m) in diameter and 30 to 275 ft (10 to 90 m) in height with the slipform and Jumpform concrete silos being the larger diameter and taller silos. They can be made of many materials. Wood staves, concrete staves, cast concrete, and steel panels have all been used, and have varying cost, durability, and airtightness tradeoffs. Silos storing grain, cement and woodchips are typically unloaded with air slides or augers. Silos can be unloaded into rail cars, trucks or conveyors.

An advantage of tower silos is that the silage tends to pack well due to its own weight, except in the top few feet. However, this may be a disadvantage for items like chopped wood. The tower silo was invented by Franklin Hiram King.

In Canada, Australia and the United States, many country towns or the larger farmers in grain-growing areas have groups of wooden or concrete tower silos, known as grain elevators, to collect grain from the surrounding towns and store and protect the grain for transport by train, truck or barge to a processor or to an export port. In bumper crop times, the excess grain is stored in piles without silos or bins, causing considerable losses.

Concrete stave silos are constructed from small precast concrete blocks with ridged grooves along each edge that lock them together into a high strength shell. Concrete is much stronger in compression than tension, so the silo is reinforced with steel hoops encircling the tower and compressing the staves into a tight ring. The vertical stacks are held together by intermeshing of the ends of the staves by a short distance around the perimeter of each layer, and hoops which are tightened directly across the stave edges.

The static pressure of the material inside the silo pressing outward on the staves increases towards the bottom of the silo, so the hoops can be spaced wide apart near the top but become progressively more closely spaced towards the bottom to prevent seams from opening and the contents leaking out.

Concrete stave silos are built from common components designed for high strength and long life. They have the flexibility to have their height increased according to the needs of the farm and purchasing power of the farmer, or to be completely disassembled and reinstalled somewhere else if no longer needed.

Low-oxygen silos are designed to keep the contents in a low-oxygen atmosphere at all times, to keep the fermented contents in a high quality state, and to prevent mold and decay, as may occur in the top layers of a stave silo or bunker. Low-oxygen silos are only opened directly to the atmosphere during the initial forage loading, and even the unloader chute is sealed against air infiltration.

It would be expensive to design such a huge structure that is immune to atmospheric pressure changes over time. Instead, the silo structure is open to the atmosphere but outside air is separated from internal air by large impermeable bags sealed to the silo breather openings. In the warmth of the day when the silo is heated by the sun, the gas trapped inside the silo expands and the bags "breathe out" and collapse. At night the silo cools, the air inside contracts and the bags "breathe in" and expand again.

While the iconic blue Harvestore low-oxygen silos were once very common, the speed of its unloader mechanism was not able to match the output rates of modern bunker silos, and this type of silo went into decline. Unloader repair expenses also severely hurt the Harvestore reputation, because the unloader feed mechanism is located in the bottom of the silo under tons of silage. In the event of cutter chain breakage, it can cost up to US$10,000 to perform repairs. The silo may need to be partially or completely emptied by alternate means, to unbury the broken unloader and retrieve broken components lost in the silage at the bottom of the structure.

Bunker silos are trenches, usually with concrete walls, that are filled and packed using tractors and loaders. The filled trench is covered with a plastic tarp to make it airtight. These silos are usually unloaded with a tractor and loader. They are inexpensive and especially well suited to very large operations.

Bag silos are heavy plastic tubes, usually around 8 to 12 ft (2.4 to 3.6 m) in diameter, and of variable length as required for the amount of material to be stored. They are packed using a machine made for the purpose, and sealed on both ends. They are unloaded using a tractor and loader or skid-steer loader. The bag is discarded in sections as it is torn off. Bag silos require little capital investment. They can be used as a temporary measure when growth or harvest conditions require more space, though some farms use them every year. 781b155fdc