How to take silage samples
the biggest factor that influences the accuracy of your silage analysis is how the sample is taken and how its treated right up to it being analysed. So whilst there is loads of advice on how to collect and mix a silage sample, there is little attention on how to “protect” the sample until its tested.
Are NIR sensors accurate for silage analysis?
I have been very positive about silage analysis made with NIR sensors but is this justified, are NIR sensors really accurate and useful tools or are we being hoodwinked by marketing and hype?
Silage Fermentation - what’s going on under the sheets?
it is all about what happens during the fermentation of silage, but the aim here is to explain why these processes are so important down the line. The processes that get started as soon as this silage is formed have a massive effect on how that silage will behave when you come to use it
How to keep a silage clamp safe
high above an unforgiving floor slab, with a slippy surface strewn with trip hazards close to an unprotected edge….. how do you safely uncover the silage on top of a 6m high forage cliff face?
Best asphalt for a silage clamp floor
what sort of asphalt should you use for a silage clamp floor, and what the differences between each type?
Stacking silage above the walls - a good idea?
The really critical aspect is the angle of the silage slope; stack it as steep as it will go and sure, you will get a lot in the clamp, but you will also loose loads of feed value.
Getting silage clamp face progression right
The speed the silage face progresses is important because it is porous. This means that oxygen rich air can get past the first few millimetres and actually penetrate deeper into the silage, fuelling more of the unhelpful microbes and increasing nutrient losses.
When is a silage clamp exempt from SSAFO?
exempt silage clamps do not need to be SSAFO compliant as long as they were completed before 1st September 1991 - but just how long can you continue to use them?
Does maize silage improve with age?
Is maize silage like a good wine, does it improve with aging or is it best fed as soon as possible to retain as much “freshness” as possible, and does it just go off if it is kept too long?
Is it worth sheeting silage?
What does it really cost you to sheet the silage clamp, and what are the downsides of not covering the silage at all?
Are maize or corn knives worth the cost?
Maize knives are designed to make the most of all the horsepower in chopping these really tough silage crops like maize or corn - or so the manufactures would like you to believe - but are they really worth the extra cost to buy and change?
How to bale maize silage
How can you make the most of maize or corn silage if you don’t have a clamp, or is it possible to bale maize or wholecrop silage?
When to cut silage in a drought?
So how should you react to hot dry weather and what is the best way to make silage in these conditions? Should you mow whilst the grass is green and lush or wait until there is a bit more bulk
Precast or cast in-situ concrete silage clamp walls?
The walls of a silage clamp - if you’re having walls - will probably be made of concrete…. I’m often asked if precast is better than cast on site or cast in-situ walls.
Is adding beet pulp to the silage clamp a good idea?
is there any merit in adding ingredients such as sugar beet pulp to the clamp as you are making the silage; what are the benefits and what are the risks?
What happened to trailed forage harvesters?
all the forage harvesters that followed, actually did follow, because they were all trailed back in the day. Fast forward a few decades and everything is self propelled, so why the change?
How best to seal silage clamp floor joints?
it is always the joints in a concrete floor slab that will most likely be the weak point when it comes to pollution control in a silage clamp floor. Designing these joints - where they are, the spacing and their sealants is the really tricky bit to get right when detailing a silage clamp floor and it is hydrophilic swellable sealant that might just be your best friend
What is the best way to fill a silage clamp?
The Irish love to build a steep clamp with a ramp that resembles the north face of the Igor, whilst the Germans build a clamp that has more in common the the flat lands of the neighbouring Netherlands…. Steep or shallow, high or low, what is the best way to fill a silage clamp?
Is it possible to make silage with zero losses?
I hear it all the time - the claim that “my silage clamp has zero losses”…… there is no such thing as a clamp with zero losses. Unfortunately that’s just a fact of biology or chemistry or whatever. It’s just not possible to make silage with no losses.