Silage production in the UK contributes to the bulk of winter feed on many farms; 50 million tonnes of silage are estimated created annually, and the silage film supplier in the UK plays an important role here. However, there are still many losses in the DM silage because of bad practices. The losses are estimated to be between 25-40%. The UK farmers are cost up to £170 million by this.
contents
An Assessment of Silage Condition in the UK
According to the project done by AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) on 01 September 2016 – 30 September 2017, there was an assessment of silage losses final report of the UK farmers. Up to 20 farms across the UK were recruited with a focus on being beef producers including several dairy farmers.
An extensive questionnaire was asked to the farmers, with some questions covering the entire management of their silage. The Silage Solution Staff Ltd undertook two visits as they must standardize the assessment across all farms.
The grass silage variability in clamps from 20 farms to examine the quality to see what factors are associated with the silage quality both between clamps on different farms and clamps on one farm. The length and width of the clamps and the height of the grass in the clamp were assessed first.
Silage Density
A major maker affecting many problems associated with storage is the density of silage. The secondary fermentation (not similar to aerobic spoilage) and poor preservation quality were caused by poor density.
This is where the primary fermentation product, usually Lactid acid, is converted to butyric acids and acetic acids in the secondary fermentation process. This process is created by unwanted microorganisms because of the availability of oxygen since the first storage period.
Oxygen ingress also increased by poor density if sealing is inadequate and ultimately increases the possibility of aerobic spoilage that affects deterioration at feed-out.
Waste
In terms of waste, there was no upper or shoulder waste of nine of the 20 farms, with 0.2% to 36.7% range of other clamps. It equates to 44 pounds to more than 8,000 pounds of production lost due to waste in the clamp.
The UK farmers are now become more educated about how to produce good silage by harvesting good quality forage. The management factors should be evaluated from the cutting point to feeding, significantly affecting the silage quality and animal performance.
On all farms and collected samples, shoulder and top ‘waste’ silage was assessed. Taking a core vertically downwards into the clamp about 30 m deep every fourth step and then mixed them is the way of collecting the waste samples. The wet chemical procedures for Ash and Dry Matters were used to analyze these samples.
Clamps
For clamps assessed, 0.5 m from the top sheet of the clamp or sidewall is the prone zone. Many farmers ignored this portion as ‘beet around the side’. With this evaluation were being conducted, it is clear that a significant proportion of fresh weight should be 21% of all the silage and 27% of the volume.
The average cost of clamps filling was around £21,000. That means silages that were in the vulnerable zone were £4,000 worth of silage. While the height and width of the silage clamp decrease, the clamp proportion within 0.5 m of the wall increases.
The filling and rapid feed-out management process is the crucial factor and this is true regardless of clamp size. The quality and DM (dry matter) losses can be reduced by the proper management process.
As the geographical of the open face and the clamp, there was also a measurement of ambient temperature in the front of the clamp. The sampling points of the clamp dimensions in each clamp were then marked out. A cored sample was used to assess silage density (kg/m3) at each sampling point.
How A Silage Film Supplier in UK Helps
The integral part of successful silage production is silage film. The film releases air into the forages so that fermentation and lactic can occur, leaving carotene and vitamin-rich feed. Feed quality can preserve for several months if properly wrapped in silage film.
It means that the availability of your silage is not a problem when you need it. For example, during seasons when not enough food is available and during busy growing periods. The film wrapping system results in the best quality silage; it prevents oxygen trapped inside by make the bale denser. Another advantage when using wrap film is it can use flexibility in silage management.
Leading bale net and silage film wrap brand. Making good silage bales is only in one way, which is the film system; this concept will continue in the future. What are you waiting for? Provide your animal with quality feeds by using wrap film from Silopak, a reliable silage film supplier in the UK.