August 20, 2010

Properly storing silage now can help ensure you have good feed for your livestock when you need it.

Even after silage has been chopped, piled, and packed correctly, it can be seriously damaged by air and moisture slowly penetrating the outer 3 to 4 feet. In fact, good silage can lose 15% to 20% of its feed value from fermentation and spoilage under normal conditions. However, this loss can be cut in half by carefully covering your silage with a sheet of plastic.

Cover freshly chopped silage with black plastic immediately after you finish filling the trench, bunker, or pile. Then cover the plastic with something to help hold it down. Old tires often are used because they are readily available and do a good job of keeping the plastic from blowing away, but tires only keep the plastic in direct contact with the silage directly under the tire. In between the tires, air can circulate and cause spoilage.

An even better choice would be a solid cover, something like freshly chopped forage or weeds or maybe even a 3- to 4-inch layer of manure. Then, the entire surface of silage will be fully protected.

You go to a lot of time and expense to make good silage. Isn't it worth it to spend just a little bit more to protect that investment?

Bruce Anderson
Extension Forage Specialist