Have the silage in the pit or bale within 24 to 48 hours, if possible.
Making and feeding high quality silage with lower fibre levels encourages higher feed intakes and better cow performance.
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The five steps to making high-quality silage are:
Cut pastures early.
Wilt quickly and harvest as soon as possible.
Compact forage as densely as possible.
Seal quickly and well to exclude air.
Repair holes immediately using specific silage tape.
Cut early in the season
For maximum silage quality, cut pastures when they are at or near canopy closure. This is also the optimum stage of growth for grazing in spring.
Providing pasture is at, or only slightly past grazing height, and harvested in good weather conditions, milk production will be only marginally less than if the same pasture had been grazed by the cows.
Wilting rate of the mown pasture has a big impact on silage quality. The time of day that pasture is cut impacts on the wilting rate.
The following should be considered when deciding on mowing time to aid rapid drying but to avoid over-drying:
Mow after dew has lifted.
Match mowing and harvesting operations so mown material is not left unharvested for lengthy periods.
Reduce wilting periods for forages, such as legumes and young, leafy plants.
Delay mowing until mid to late afternoon to reduce the risk of over-drying the forage during hot, dry and windy weather.
Stagger mowing and narrow the swath width if there is a real risk of over-drying.
Seal stacks, don’t just cover them.
Wilt and harvest quickly
Have the forage in the pit or bale within 24 to 48 hours, if possible. Wilt rapidly to reduce potential dry matter and quality losses.
Several strategies that can increase wilting rates:
Mow crops at canopy closure (lighter crops with more leaf and less stem).
Use a mower-conditioner with flail or tynes.
Follow the mower with a tedder to spread the forage. Ted within 0.5 to 2 hours after mowing while plant stomata are still open, if possible, to substantially increase rate of wilting.
Leave the swath of the conditioned forage as wide as possible (moisture evaporates quicker from thin, wide swaths).
Do not over-wilt — field losses increase and silage is harder to compact.
Additives are available to improve fermentation if wilting conditions are poor.
Inoculants may also improve silage quality and animal production.
The ‘hand squeeze’ method
Hand squeezing is a quick and easy method to use in the field to estimate dry matter and is more accurate than ‘wringing’ a handful of unchopped grass.
Collect representative samples of the forage, mix the samples thoroughly and take a sub-sample. Cut the forage into 1-2cm lengths.
Tightly squeeze a handful into a ball for about 30 seconds. Quickly open hand and estimate the DM content:
The DM content is below 25 per cent when free moisture runs through fingers as the material is being squeezed. When pressure is released the ball of chopped forage holds its shape. A lot of free moisture is present on hand.
The DM content is between 25 per cent and 30 per cent when the ball just holds its shape. No free moisture expressed. Hand moist.
The DM content is between 30 per cent and 40 per cent when the ball falls apart slowly. No free moisture. Little or no moisture on hand.
The DM content is more than 40 per cent when the ball springs apart quickly
Compact stacks and dense bales
The better the compaction, the less air will be trapped in the stack or bale resulting in a higher quality silage.
For bulk stacks:
Chop material short (10 to 30mm); spread the forage thinly (150mm) to ensure thorough compaction; and roll slowly to allow the tractor weight to compact the forage.
For baled silage: Set bale density as dense as possible on the baler; slower baling will increase bale density; chopping balers (knives) can increase density by 8 to 15 per cent; and ensure feedout equipment can handle shorter chopped bale silage.
Apply at least four layers of film to individually wrapped silage bales.
Seal airtight as soon as possible
Seal stacks, don’t just cover them.
Finish rolling immediately after harvest is completed. Avoid rolling the next morning as this just ‘pumps’ more oxygen into the stack. Rolling should keep up with forage delivery from the paddock.
Seal pits or stacks as soon as harvest is complete. If leaving overnight minimise air getting into the stack by placing plastic on the stack and weighing down the edges. Finish weighing down the stack next morning and ensure seals are airtight.
For an airtight seal use gravel bags, filled with pea gravel or washed sand along bunker walls and stack surface. Even a double row of tyres around the perimeter does not achieve an airtight seal.
For baled silage:
Apply at least four layers of film to individually wrapped bales.
Apply six layers if: placing on stiff stubble, such as cereal; for wrapping stalky crops, such as Iucerne; and transporting, wishing to store for up to two years.
Apply at least six layers on continuous in-line wrapped bales.
Minimise damage to stretch wrap by wrapping at the storage site or use specialist equipment to transport bales to storage.
If a white/grey mould is present in your silage, air has been or is present and should be prevented in future.
Patch it up
Maintain silage quality by repairing holes as soon as possible.
Ensure the area to be patched is clean and dry.
Use specific silage repair tape of similar colour to the holed plastic. This minimises the difference in contracting and expanding in hot/cool conditions and stops the seal leaking.
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