Despite producers’ best efforts, sometimes silage will succumb to yeasts, molds and other microbes that can cause spoilage. Heating, mold growth or mustiness are all signs the silage is aerobically unstable. The losses due to unstable silage can be huge: The most highly digestible nutrients go first, and then the tonnage of feed available starts to really drop.

Managers and owners often have the tough decision of weighing what expenses must be reduced while still increasing profit and, above all, how to be most efficient. The initial impulse may be to cut some costs temporarily, but this may lead to long-term consequences, especially in terms of milk peak, persistence and total yield.

Using dried manure solids for bedding is becoming more common among U.S. dairy herds. It allows farms an alternative way to handle manure, and it can help offset bedding costs – a large expense on many dairy farms.

The first edition of the International Silage Conference (ISC) in 1972 – called “Silage Seminar” – was held in Edinburgh and was open exclusively to British researchers. The conference has since evolved and is now held every three years and hosted by various countries throughout the world.

When a crop is harvested to be ensiled, it’s a race against time to minimize losses and preserve a majority of dry matter and nutrients in the form of digestible fiber, protein and energy. In order to have a successful preservation, there needs to be an absence of oxygen in the forage mass, along with sufficient production of organic (lactic) acids by lactic acid bacteria population.

Crops in the field have naturally occurring microorganisms growing on them, which can affect the ensiling process. These common questions can help you prepare for a more successful harvest.

In many parts of North America, there can be a surplus of whole-plant corn acres left over for corn grain harvesting once the silage tonnage requirements are met.