By Dr. Günter Pahlow
Director and Professor at the Institute of Crop and Grassland Science, Federal Agricultural Research Center (FAL) in Braunschweig

On organic and conventional farms, generally speaking, bale silage fermentation biology, ensiling technology and work processes are the same.

The obvious advantage of flexibility is apparent in both cases, especially with regard to

  • harvesting small quantities or silage making in scattered fields
  • the use of short periods of good weather for silage making
  • the possibility of delegating work to private contractors.

Additionally, due to the rapid consumption of each bale, the problem of heating caused by fungal spoilage (as well as the associated mycotoxin risks) is practically eliminated.

In organic farming bale silage offers additional possibilities; especially for the production of home made protein rich fodder from for example field beans, peas or lupins. This regards:

  • the production of silage with specific fodder characteristics
  • the separate conservation of different crops, for example legumes as well as mixtures of them with different crops varying according to the optimal cut time of the different plants

Special feed requirements exist on those mixed organic farms that often keep a range of small ruminants such as goats, sheep or horses in addition to dairy and feeder cattle. If necessary, fodder harvested especially for these species can be traced back to individual areas of a field, or even to portions with different degrees of pre-wilting. If the bales have been marked accordingly they can then be used in a targeted way. This is not possible in large clamp silos that have been filled in layers or where a silo block cutter is used.

If it is planned to ensile legumes with coarse stalks, the crop should be harvested using a cutter with an attached roll unit conditioner. Such conditioners synchronise the drying speed of leaves and stalks to a large extent while at the same time causing only minor mechanical losses of the highly digestible leaves.

Exceptions to this recommendation include grain legumes with large fruits in order to avoid seed loss.

The number of layers of bale wrap should be increased from the regular six to eight layers so as to avoid the risk of film damage that exists especially in mixed cultures with spring grain, the stems of which mature at the time of harvest.

Experience to date shows that a biological ensiling additive must be applied to improve the fermentation quality of legume whole crop silage (which is normally difficult to ensilage). Additives should be chosen, preferably osmotolerant lactic acid producing bacteria which are suitable for organic farming. These are also appropriate when less water is available in pre-wilted crops.

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