Making

Minimize Costs

·       Are Your Harvesting, Storage And Feed Out Systems Well Matched To Maximize Efficiency And Minimize Costs?

·       Should You Invest Capital In Silage Equipment? Should You Consider Using A Contractor?

·       Will Capital Investment Increase Efficiency, And Therefore Increase Profitability?

Cut At The Recommended Growth Stage

·       Forage Quality Declines As The Crop Or Pasture Matures. Time Of Harvest Is Important.

·       Consider The Effect On Regrowth Of Pastures And Forage Crops.

·       Maximize Pasture Utilization By Integrating Silage Cuts With Grazing.

Wilt As Quickly As Possible To Target Dry Matter (Ideally Within 24 Hours, But Less Than 48)

1.  Leave The Swath As Wide As Possible;

2.  Use A Mower Conditioner;

3.  Use A Tedder To Spread The Windrow.

4.  Don’t Over-Wilt – Field Losses Increase And Silage Is Harder To Compact.

Minimize Losses (Of Quality And Quantity) During Harvest And Storage

·       Harvest At The Target Dry Matter Level.

·       Certain Additives Will Improve Silage Fermentation If Wilting Conditions Are Poor.

·       Even When Good Silage Preservation Is Expected, Inoculants Can Improve Silage Quality And Animal Production.

·       Additives Will Not Compensate For Poor Silage Management (Late Harvest, Slow Wilting Or Poor Sealing).

Chopped Silage

·       Roll Pits/Stacks/Bunkers Throughout The Harvest Process To Eliminate Air.

·       Finer Chop Will Be Easier To Compact.

·       Seal Pits Or Stacks As Soon As Harvest Is Complete, Ideally Within 3 Days Of Starting Large Pits Or Stacks.

Baled Silage

·       Aim For High Density Bales To Minimize Air Pockets.

·       Wrap Or Seal Bales As Soon As Possible After Baling.

·       Minimize Damage To Stretch Wrap By Wrapping At The Storage Site Or Use Specialist Equipment To Transport Bales To Storage.