Good Silage Is No Accident By: S.K. Dash, D.V.M. Silage is a product of anaerobic (oxygen-free) preservation of a moist forage crop or crop residue by acidification caused by fer mentation. The silage fermentation process is caused by: the conversion of carbohydrates (sugars) into organic acids, like lactic acid thereby lowering the pH and preserving the ensiled material. The aim of preparing silage is to produce material suitable for animal feeding which can be preserved for long periods of time with minimum loss of nutrients. Making good silage requires common sense, attention to details and sound management. FACTORS WHICH AFFECT SILAGE QUALITY: 1. CROP: Grow any crop that offers the greatest economic ad vantage agronomically and can produce maximum nutrients per acre. 2. STAGE OF MATURITY; Optimum maturity to harvest crops for silage: Alfalfa - late bud to 1/10 bloom. Com - kernels fully dented. Perennial grasses - prior to head emergence. Sorghum - soft dough kernels. Wheat, barley, oats Faster baling with less horsepower phisTbtal Density Control Gehl round balers give you more ways to save First they require less horsepower to operate than the competition That adds up to big fuel savings and less wear and tear on your tractor Designed for efficiency Gehls unique patented baling chamber design saves you valuable time Thais because the unique roller arrangement provides a more circular bale chamber that starts bales quickly and takes your biggest windrows At a taster speed than competitive machines Whether you re working m the toughest hay slippery straw or tangled and shredded cornstalks' And ot course the biggest potential savings of all uniformly shaped bales that stand up to weather retain valuable nutrients ana hold their shape The secret >s Gehls air orauiics a system that gives you total density control (TDC* ) With a Simple adjustment ot the hydraulic triggering t 986 GpMi C T Contact your Gehl dealer for complete details A-L HEM t BRO. Quarryvillt, PA 717-786-3521 LEBANON VALLEY IMPLEMENT CO., INC. Richland, PA 717-866-7518 STOUFFER . BROS. INC. •hembortburg, PA 717-263-8424 CEO. W. KINSMAN, UMBER6ER’S OF FONTANA Lebanon, PA 717-867-5161 . PEOPLE'S SALES t SERVICE Oakland Mills. PA 717-463-2735 HINES EQUIPMENT CrmsoriyPA 814-886-4183 Bollwood 814-742-8171 From Planting to Storage , - soft-dough kernels. 3. MOISTURE: Moisture content of forage plays the most important role in the success of silage fer mentation. Moisture content of 60- 65% is desirable. Ensiling above 75% moisture may produce seepage and undesirable fer mentation. Ensiling below 50-55% moisture creates problems in eliminating air, desirable fer mentation and preventing mold growth and spoilage. 4. CHOPPING: Fine chopping of V 4 to Vz inch length is recom mended. 5. PACKING; Pack the silo as rapidly as possible, and seal the surface where necessary. 6. SILO STRUCTURE; The type of silo affects the quality of silage and amount of nutrient preserved. DRY MATTER LOSS 3to 8% 5 to 15% 12 to 25% 20 to 40% SILO TYPE Oxygen- limiting Concrete upright Trench or bunker Open stack 7. FEEDOUT: Good quality silage must be kept fresh on feedout. If and when exposed to air for long periods, the silage quality deteriorates. KSofa^ultu? GEHL PETERMAN FARM EQUIPMENT, INC. Carlitlo, PA 717-249-5338 BINKLEY I HURST BROS. Lititz. PA 717-626-4705 INC. Honosdale, PA 717-253-3440 BEHHETT MACHIHE CO. Milford, DE 302-422-4837 ECKROTH BROS. FARM EQUIPMENT Now Ringgold, PA 717-943-2131 Silage Quality Depends on Attention to Details 8. WEATHER: Rainy weather can prevent the crop from har vesting at proper drying condition and may interfere with other above mentioned factors. 9. ADDITIVES: Provides added assurance for a good quality silage when management and other conditions are less than ideal. WHY SILAGE ADDITIVES Good silage results from good silage fermentation. Desirable fermentation preserves nutrients, reduces dry matter loss and makes palatable feed. Conditions for making silage are not always ideal. Bad weather, composition of the forage at the time of harvest, moisture content of forage before ensiling, activity of plant enzymes, presence of air in silage and others affect silage fermentation adversely. To overcome these problems and assure a desirable fermentation, several products are being aded to silage. It should be noted that cultures used in various University ex periments and those available on the market may vary considerably in potency and type of organisms present. This is the reason why results from research trials with ' / hill O 11 "'’l \ mechanism you can determine the size of the bale core And by adjusting the hyd/auhe pressure up or down you can select the ideal outer wrap Automatic bale wrap To finish off your bale quickly Gehls optional Auto Electric Wrap System ensure 1 } uniform twine wrap automatically Fo a bigger payoff choose the only machine with TDC‘ -a Gehl round baler Ask your Gehl dealer for a demonstration today Geni Company West Bend Wl 53095 MILLER EQUIPMENT CO. Bechtelsville, PA 215-845-2911 NICHOLS FARM EQUIPMENT Bloomsburf, PA 717-784-7731 ARNETTS EARAfiE Hagoratown, MD 301-733-0515 ELDER SALES ft SERVICE, INC. Stoneboro, PA 412-376-3740 SPRINGS EQUIPMENT, INC. Springs, PA 814-662-2222 R.R. WALKER ft SON Edinboro, PA 814-734-1552 DAYTON EQUIPMENT GO. Dayton, PA 412-783-6990 Lancaster Farming Saturday, May 10,1986-Dll such fermentation products have been variable. Good fermentation products containing L. plantarum-2B (like UAS Silage Inoculant) should be used to stimulate lactic acid production and to speed up the normal process of ensiling by reducing the time required for silage to reach a stable acidity thus reducing oxidative losses. It is essential to achieve and maintain anaerobic conditions, restrict continued plant respiration, and avoid oxidative activities of anerobic micro organisms to preserve nutrients of green plants by fermentation. If suitable micro-organisms are present, adequate nutritional substrates are available, and a suitable physical environment is maintained, a lactic acid fer mentation can predominate. The bacteria responsible for produc tion of good quality silages are primarily lactic acid producers. For this reason, different Lac tobacillus bacteria are being recommended by many silage inoculant manufacturers. It has been demonstrated that Lac tobacillus acidophilus and many such others had no positive effect on com, sorghum, and wheat silages. EFFECT OF UAS SILAGE INOCULANT ON SILAGE FERMENTATION WITHOUT WITH UAS SILAGE SILAGE INOCULANT INOCULANT 1. No. of Silos 2. Average Temperature (F) 3. Average pH 4. Dry matter loss (%) 5. Mold growth (Scores 1 to 5 with 5 most severe mold) 6. Lactic acid LOANS JUST FOR YOU Penn Saving* Bank will give you a special rate on our already low 10.75% home equity loan. • Save '4% when you maintain a $4OO average monthly balance in a Penn Savings Bank checking or savings account • Save another 1 4% when you authorize convenient automatic payment from your checking or savings account It’s the biggest bargain in money we know Ask for details at our nearest branch, but hurry rates are subject to change without notice What? You don’t have an account with us? Open ons now. For mors information call: 393-0601. Or battar still, stop In at your naarast Pann Savings Bank branch. *APR-stmple interest maximum term S years Minimum $5OOO longer terms available at slightly higher rates You’re the reason we want to be the typennSavingsßanti Fsnc Deposits Federally Insured up to $lOO,OOO Equal Opportunity Lender ’ -- The desirable characteristics for a potential organism that would be satisfactory sor use in silage production include the following: 1. The organism should have a high growth rate and be able to compete with and dominate other organisms likely to occur in silage; 2. the organism should be homofermentative; 3. the organism should be acid-tolerant and produce a final pH of 4.0 rapidly; 4. the organism should be able to ferment glucose, fructose, and sucrose, and preferably able to ,ferment frustosans and pentosans; 5. the organisms should not react further with organic acids. Many University studies in dicated that Lactobacillus plan tarum cultures and sugar can provide improved silage fer mentation and decreased silage spoilage losses. University of Georgia research indicated that all Lactobacillus plantarum products (strains) are not alike. It developed a process which makes use of a strain called Lactobacillus plantarum-28, which was isolated from a successful silage fer mentation. It produces superior results in ensiling process. It can be used with all types of forage, including com, alfalfa, wheat, rye, (Turn to Page Dl2) 92.4 4.67 9.20 4.44 4.1 25 89.2 4.33 2.00 1.33 5.6
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