Improve silage quality and the environment

Plastic waste is a growing concern for many who make silage. Now, thanks to new technologies in silage covers, farmers can significantly improve the quality of silage while using one third of the plastic.

Most often silage spoilage occurs around the surface, as this is where the oxygen can get in. Even in stacks or bales that do not have visible spoilage, oxygen causes the silage to heat and that heat is energy lost. Spoilage organisms take the nutritious parts of the feed (starches, sugars and proteins) and leave you with less nutrient dense silage, with lower palatability and an increased risk of mycotoxins. The combination of energy losses and mycotoxins means that milk production or weight gain can be significantly compromised when oxygen is able to enter a stack or bale.

New technologies in films and covers are drastically reducing oxygen penetration and surface spoilage. One layer of SiloStop® Orange oxygen barrier film from Nutritech is equivalent to almost 60 black and white covers stacked on top of each other when comparing on an oxygen transmission rate basis.1 Trials have shown that for silage sealed with SiloStop® Orange oxygen barrier surface losses can be reduced by almost half2. Under a conventional black and white cover, the top metre of the stack will typically lose 20% of its original dry matter due to the presence of oxygen and subsequent heating. For a 20m x 50m stack3 this is over 26 tonnes of dry matter lost, which can be over $15,400 worth of silage. This could be reduced to an 11.4% loss under SiloStop® Orange oxygen barrier film, saving over $6,600.

An added benefit is the significant reduction of plastic usage when using SiloStop® Orange under a woven Silostop® UV Cover. SiloStop® Orange is 45µm compared to 125µm with conventional black and white plastic which means there is 47kg versus 130kg of plastic on a 20x50m stack. This means SiloStop® Orange produces roughly one-third of the plastic waste than black and white, while still providing a strong seven-layer oxygen barrier. SiloStop® Orange is applied fresh each year and can be recycled through the Plasback product stewardship scheme and woven SiloStop® UV Covers can last for 6—7 years when well looked after. Given the effectiveness of the SiloStop® Orange oxygen barrier, tyreto-tyre coverage is not required. Gravel bags are proving a popular alternative to tyres as they are often more effective at sealing the edges and are more friendly on the environment.

Not all plastics are equal. For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Nutritech

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3. Michigan State University, Test D3985 - 21% oxygen. SiloStop® Orange OTR < 5 cm3/m3/24hrs compared to more than 300 cm3/m3/24hrs for conventional black+white, versus 1000cm3/ m3/24hrs for polyethylene ‘cling film. Wilkinson, J.M (2002). Effect of triple co-extruded film (TCF) on losses during the ensilage of ryegrass. In: Proc. XIII International Silage Conference. Ayr, Scotland. Assuming a silage density of 220kgDM/m3, valued at 35c/kgDM with 19.5% losses under conventional black+white and 11.4% losses under SiloStop® oxygen barrier film.