Silage management
Make the best silage for your cows
Short field period
Pack hard
Create an oxygenbarrier
Field period
After mowing the grass, the loss of nutritional value in the grass begins. It is therefore advisable not to keep the field period too long before harvest. As the grass gets drier, digestibility of the cell walls also becomes more difficult. As a result, the cow will eventually be able to get less feed value out of it. The rumen bacteria then take too long to break down these cell walls. In a short field period, the sugar content also remains higher in the grass. This benefits the preservation process.
Reduce losses after cutting
Cover the silage with an oxygen barrier
Do you want advise about your silage management?
Ensiling
Packing is a method to keep the cut grass ‘vacuum’. By driving the silage firmly, the oxygen between the grass is pushed away. A plastic material then provides the oxygen-tight cover.
Dry silages (more than 45% dry matter) are difficult to drive. The grass is too resilient, so oxygen can always get in between. This is more likely to cause mildew and scalding. The silage grass gets a dirty taste and the cow eats it badly.
A silage with a dry matter percentage of between 30-35 percent will make it easier to drive on. If possible, a second tractor on the silage can contribute to tighten the grass. Especially when there is a high supply speed, this will have a positive effect on conservation.
- Oxygen barrier
- Sidewall Plastic
- Plastic sheeting
- Protection nets
- Sand / Anchor bags
