AlB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 16, 1991
John E. Baylor
Director of Market Development
Beachley-Hardy Seed Company
Reducing Losses In
Silage Making
In my last two qolumns I dis
cussed losses in hay and silage
making, and, in the case of hay,
how to reduce those losses. In
today’s column I'll look at some
of the recent findings to reduce
losses in silage making, with parti
cular reference to perennial for
ages and small grains. In a later
column I’ll do the same for sum
mer annuals such as com, sorg
hum and similar crops.
Silage Additives
The basic objectives in silage
making are quite simple; 1) to
exclude oxygen from the ensiled
mass as rapidly as possible, and 2)
to reduce the p H of the ensiled for
age as quickly as possible through
proper fermentation to a stable 3.5
- 5.0, depending on the crop and
moisture. Accomplishing these
objectives is not always as simple.
As in the case of hay, silage
additives are not a substitute for
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good silage making practices, and
I will summarize these later. But
additives can be a helpful manage
ment tool, when properly used, in
aiding and improving silage fer
mentation. In this column I can
comment only briefly on several
types of additives. Before you
make a choice, you should discuss
Tt with your dealer or other agri
cultural advisor.
The four most commonly used
types of silage additives today are,
1) bacterial inoculants, 2)
enzymes, 3) non-protein nitrogen
sources, and 4) acids. Of these
bacterial inoculants are reported to
be the most widely used and
fastest growing class of silage
additives today, especially for hay
crop silage.
The effectiveness of silage ino
culants depend on the existing
microbial production on the crop,
the buffering capacity of the crop,
and the quantity and quality of the
microorganisms added to the ino
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culant. The naturally occurring
lactic acid bacteria population is
quite variable, especially on small
grain crops and perennial crops,
and may range from none to sever
al million colony forming units
per gram of wet forage. Thus, the
addition of reliable inoculants,
properly applied, can assure
adequate quantities of desirable
bacteria for a mote efficient fer
mentation. And, while they are not
always effective, their use can
result in less nutrient loss,
improve digestibility, less protein
breakdown, and, thus, a silage
with higher feed quality.
Enzymes, alone or in combina
tion with inoculants, ate getting
more attention as possible silage
additives as mote is learned about
them. Their primary function is to
break down fiber components in
the crop so that both dry matter
intake and fiber utilization by beef
and dairy cows will be improved.
And while there is still much to be
teamed, to date the most consis
tent trend with enzyme- contain
ing products is that they are much
more effective on grass silages
than on alfalfa. Most researchers
feel that the use of enzymes in sil
age is likely to increase in the 90’s
as more is learned about them.
Non-protein nitrogen sources
such as urea and anhydrous
ammonia are commonly used for
com and other low crude protein
crops such as forage sorghums
and mature winter cereals. The
main purpose of adding these
NPN products is to raise the erode
protein content of the silage and to
improve aerobic stability. For var
ious reasons the use of these pro
ducts for hay crop silage is likeiy
to be extremely limited.
The use of other additives such
as organic acids is also very lim
ited. If grass and legume crops are
ensiled at moistures above 70%
and sugar content is low, the use
of acids may be helpful. But for
many reasons their use in this
country for silage making is likely
to remain extremely small.
As stated earlier, silage addi
tives are not a substitute for good
silage making practices. Below is
a brief run-down of rules for mak
ing hay crop silage in convention
al silos (upright or horizontal) that
have stood the test for time:
1. Start with a crop of high
quality.
2. Harvest at the proper stage of
maturity - full bud to early bloom
for legumes; early heading for
perennial grasses; late boot to
heading for winter and spring
grains (except rye - late boot).
3. Field dry to 65% moisture or
less to produce either a wilted or
low-moisture silage.
4. Chop at correct length - 3/8”
theoretical cut for perennial
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Young Farmer Seminar
SYRACUSE. N.Y. An
informational seminar for
Dairylea Young Fanners is being
sponsored by Dairylea Coopera
tive Inc. on March 22-23 at the
Sheraton Inn, in Liverpool, N.Y.
This two-day seminar focuses
on “Building for the Future” and
gives young farmers (ages 20-45)
die opportunity to broaden their
industry knowledge and learn
about the current progress of their
Cooperative.
A highlight of the program will
be Dairylea President Clyde
Rutherford’s address on future
changes and opportunities facing
dairy farmers. There will also be
informational sessions on family
legumes and grasses, slightly finer
for cereal crops. Keep chopper
knives sharp.
5. Provide a tight silo to
exclude air and water.
6. Use covered wagons to pre
vent excessive leaf and other los
ses in the field.
7. Fill silo rapidly and pack
thoroughly.
8. Use a suitable seal to exclude
air.
9. Leave silo undisturbed until
ready to use the feed.
Round bate silage is gaining
favor for some producers and
offers some advantages in terms
of investment and labor. The
resulting silage can be of similar
quality to silage stored in more
conventional structures. However,
unless extreme care is taken to
package and store round bates
properly, storage losses are likely
to be higher than with other stor
age systems.
relationships, environmental con
cerns and effective farm manage
ment during a low-price cycle.
Discussion groups will address
bovine somatotropin (BST), bulk
milk distribution, and Dairylea’s
wholly-owned insurance subsidi
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Attendees also will have the
opportunity to interact with other
young farmers and discuss com
mon practices and concerns.
Dairylea, a Syracuse-based
dairy cooperative with 2,300 far
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Hours: Mon.-Fri.
7:00 to 4:30;
Sat. 8:00 to 12:00
o