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
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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
\
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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
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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,
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