Silage making has been devastated in many countries in recent years, with silage shortages due to incredibly hot summers and unseasonal flooding.

"Farmers will always have to battle with the elements to some extent, but it is becoming apparent that climate change is having increasing effects on the farming community and, if predictions are correct, will continue to do so for some time," said Dr Dave Davies, Microbiologist and Agricultural Outreach Manager at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University.

"As a result, farmers are going to have to make silage when the opportunity arises - provided there's no residual fertilizer - and not just when they've always done it in the past.  The old adage, 'make hay whilst the sun shines', can certainly be applied to silage making now!"

In Dr. Davies's view, maximizing the use of freshly grazed and conserved forages within farming systems can help to capture the value of livestock products for the farmer's benefit, rather than passing it to a feed or fertilizer company.

"Avoiding dry matter losses can both improve silage quality, and excluding oxygen from the point of making silage to the point of feed is a key way to avoid these losses," explained Dr Davies.  "In my opinion, baled silage has much to offer - with losses of just 8% compared to clamp silage losses, which are often as high as 25%."

There are also 10 basic guidelines that will lead to better results if followed:

  1. Wilt quickly to 35-55% DM, no more than 24 hours for grass and 48 hours for legumes such as lucerne and red clover.
  2. Spread the forage in as wide a swath as possible, within 1 hour of cutting.
  3. Add an additive to control the fermentation and reduce in-silo losses
  4. Chop the crop to allow for higher compression and better substrate availability -  aim for 200 - 220 kg of dry matter / m3
  5. Add silage inoculants if necessary and according to planned use
  6. Wrap -as soon as possible after baling, ideally within two hours, using high quality film with 55 - 70 % pre-stretching
  7. Use a minimum of 6 layers of film, this provides an optimum barrier to oxygen, reducing respiration losses and preventing mould and yeast growth
  8. Handle bales very carefully to avoid damage to film wrap to prevent air spoiling silage
  9. Carefully stack wet silage (<25%DM) on end and only one bale high; silage with >35% DM can be stacked 3 bales high.
  10. Net top of stack to prevent bird and rodent damage

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Spring 2009 Newsletter
Bale Silage Production Section