Silage chop length for AD plants
chop length influences the stability of the silage once its open to the elements, or how chop length effects aerobic stability. This is important to all producers of silage but the chop length of silage for an aerobic digester is super important for more than the usual reasons.
How to identify the best land to produce silage
Back in the day, the herd at grass was a constant barometer of the sward quality and quantity….. But for those housing cows 365 or feeding bacteria in an AD tank, how do you know which ground is pulling its weight and which fields need some TLC?
How to make Red Clover silage
..already thought about multi species or herbal ley silage.. ..what about crops of full clover. And even if not fully one hundred percent clover, crops that are very highly dominated by clover, what are the key points to make good silage out of these crops?
What is theoretical chop length of silage?
what is the difference between a forage harvesters theoretical and actual length of chop and why isn’t the silage tipped in the clamp the same as the pretty pictures in the brochure?
Can multi-species herbal leys make good silage?
The advocates will point out all the benefits of herbal leys or diverse grassland but how suitable is it to making good silage, and what special measures should you take to make good multi-species silage?
How many bacteria do you need to make good silage?
….. when you are faced with a “challenging crop” that might be a bit tricky to ensile. It’s tempting to up the dose rate on these crops, to “give it a bit of helping hand” with an extra dose of inoculant. But more isn’t always better because the number of bacteria is actually misleading.
How to set the conditioner for better grass silage
if you want to think about making better silage, then the conditioner settings are something you might need to consider
NIR Silage sensors, what is the future?
track the whole progress of the crop from field to trough. With the right information you could refine your practices to reduce losses and make the very most out of the forage.
Is Lasagna silage worth the bother?
Silage lasagna……, is not some sort of vegan health food, it’s just a way of making silage that might give your nutritionist a much easier time. In essence it’s all about the layers
How to avoid slurry contamination in silage
slurry in the silage is a very bad thing and something we all need to avoid but changes in regulations are increasing the chances of bringing slurry contamination in with your grass silage. ……we need to find some solutions.
What makes grass silage protein so low?
over the past couple of years we have had some very cold, and often quite dry spring weather during the time when we would normally expect the grass to start growing. This can have some really important implications on not only the quantity but also the quality of the silage you produce.
High dry matter maize silage - harvest do’s and don’ts
To make the most of what is available, you need to plan the harvest very carefully. So what are the potential pitfalls for this years maize harvest? In summary it’s a list of do’s and don’ts, and in particular a list of don’ts!
Can I leave sheeting the clamp until the morning?
…at the end of a long day, is it really necessary to sheet up silage or will it be ok to leave it until the morning? If it’s not going to rain, it can’t come to much harm can it? Well….. …yes it does matter.
Can you make silage TOO fast?
….is all this haste really necessary to make good silage or would a bit less speed make better silage?
How to apply the right amount of silage additive
So you’ve done the technical bit and chosen the best silage additive….. but how are you actually going to apply it?
Time to change the mower blades?
keep a close eye on those mower blades if you are a silage contractor or a farmer because changing them might be a whole lot cheaper than you originally thought
Using Acetic Acid or Potassium Sorbate to aid stability in silage
silage additives have the choice of two different substances to fight aerobic moulds and yeasts, acetic acid and potassium sorbate
How to predict grass silage dry matter
we need to wilt the crop to hit the clamp dry matter target. What we are trying to do is calculate how long the crop needs to be on the ground before the chopper picks it up.
Forage Wagon vs Forage Harvester
when it comes to good silage, which is best, forage wagon or forage harvester?
Silage Clamps and Big Tractors
Back in the day a tractors all up weight was unlikely to come anywhere near to the clamp limits but today it’s extremely likely to overload the clamp walls.