Silage Insights - Testimonials
Baling maize silage: the experience of a German contractor

Testimonial from Rainer Fischer, a contractor from Dümmerlohausen in the district of Damme in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Rainer Fischer, a contractor from Dümmerlohausen in the district of Damme in Lower Saxony, Germany, runs his company with seven permanent employees and some temporary staff. Alongside the usual service offerings and the exploitation of liquid manure on behalf of companies, Rainer Fischer has specialised in the preparation of maize bale silage and, since 2005, is one of the pioneers in this field.

Rainer Fischer was made aware of the LT Master, a press-wrap combine for maize through specialist trade magazines. He had often heard of the problems faced when clamp silos were used to prepare maize silage, however he decided that making maize bale silage would be a good alternative and ordered the machine for a trial on the 2005 maize harvest. 400 bales were wrapped and distributed to various customers. All the customers seemed very satisfied so Fischer decided to buy the LT Master and make the maize bale silage a permanently solution and also making an important investment for the future. In 2006, 3000 maize silage bales were produced and once again he received only positive feedback from farmers in terms of silage quality and the handling of the bales. For the upcoming 2007 harvest, the volume of orders has once again increased in comparison to the previous year.

The maize bale silage preparation process

When preparing maize bale silage, the maize usually comes freshly chopped from the field, if possible with high dry-matter content. Depending on the forage requirements, it can be used with an absolute dry-matter content of 35% for bull feed and over 40% for calf feed. The chaff-cutter reverses towards the press intake and empties its contents. The maize is then, compressed in the press and wrapped in a net 4 times. The bales are subsequently carried onto the belt to the wrapping machine where they are wrapped in 6 to 8 layers of film. During this wrapping process, the next bales are already being compressed in the press. The ready bales (weight, around 900 kg) are then transported using a front or telescopic loader to the store. Rainer Fischer recommends: “To achieve an optimal result, the maize bale silage should be taken to the store as quickly as possible and left to ensilage for around six weeks until it is used for feed. As far as storage is concerned, you only have to ensure that the store’s walls are plastered in order to minimise the entry of pests.

According to Rainer Fischer, it is important during the wrapping process to use a good brand of film. The quality of the net is not so important, as it must only last until the bales are wrapped with film. The contractor recommends wrapping with 8 layers of film. 6 layers can only be used when the bales are made in the final storage area and when there is no more transport involved. This means that around one euro per bale can be saved. However, Fischer stresses “With 8 layers of film, there is a guarantee of more security and in my opinion this is very much necessary during transport.” There are no special films used and consequently the same type of film is used for maize bale silage and grass silage.

The advantages of maize bale silage compared with clamp silo silage

Rainer Fischer lists the following advantages:

• Hardly any losses: there is almost no waste when preparing maize bale silage. If a pest does damage the film then usually only a few shovels of maize silage has to be removed. On many farms, the weekly feed rate in the clamp silo is significantly less than two metres, which often leads to reheating and mould formation, which in-turn can lead to big losses.
• Excellent quality: the dry-matter content in maize bale silage lies is approximately 39-42 % and therefore is significantly higher than with clamp silo silage.
  The higher dry-matter content leads to a better forage intake and forage exploitation. The excellent forage quality is of particular advantage for sensitive young calves.·
• Portionable forage removal: the advantage of maize silage bales is that each bale is a new portion, thus eliminating problems such as reheating of the remaining maize silage.
• Longer conservation: The quality of the maize silage of a bale can usually be conserved for 14 days. According to Fischer we should respect the various opening techniques: if the bales are used for forage within two to three days, a hole is made in the front. For low consumption, the bales are opened up on the top and the silage removed in layers.
• Space saving: Bales can be stored almost anywhere.

According to Rainer Fischer’s experiences, many farmers who have a weekly feed rate of less than two metres in their clamp silos, are faced with problems. For example the low feed rate, the clamp silo is seldom correctly closed and therefore subject to mould formation. Many calf feeds only have a weekly feed rate of 50 to 60 cm. Rainer Fischer reports: “There are cases in which the farmers cannot cope with the problems of the reheating and the formation of mould, which means that the affected silage has to be discarded and the remainder ensilaged once again. The clamp silos are then cleared out from behind and then maize silage bales compressed with the press-wrap combine.” Some farmers who had to ensilage once again immediately opted for maize bale silage for next year.

Silage additives

Lactic acid bacterial can also be added when preparing maize ball silage. Most of Rainer Fischer’s customers, once they have worked with silage additives, immediately demand it the following year and some have concocted their own recipes. In the press-wrap combine there is a dosing facility. This works automatically during the pressing procedure and sprays the prescribed dose amounts according to the individual needs of the farmers.

Press-wrap combine for maize

Rainer Fischer uses the LT Master (80 km version) from Göweil and is very satisfied with his machine. The press-wrap combine is fully automatic, very easy to use and ready to start within a few minutes. Göweil is always eager to further optimise the machine technically and some of Rainer Fischer’s special wishes have already been taken on board. Alongside the LT Master from Göweil, other manufacturers also offer machines. Orkel, for example, has a machine for the production of maize bale silage.

Costs

Maize bale silage production is very expensive, as the bales have to be wrapped with a net 4 times and then with film 8 times. However, it is important not to overlook the low level of losses and the high quality of forage, which make maize bale silage lucrative and a very sensible alternative for farmers who have a low weekly feed rate in the clamp silo. Fischer stresses that for this year in particular, which has seen a sharp increase in maize prices,, they cannot afford any bad silage quality or big losses. This is guaranteed for maize bale silage whereas there is a higher risk with clamp silo.

< Back to "Testimonials Section"
< Back to Autumn '07 Newsletter