How Is Silage Made?

Silage is made from fresh green forage, corn, oats, pearl millet and additives preserved by fermentation, usually in a silo for use as a high-fiber feed for livestock. Silage is manufactured for use during times of extremely wet conditions to take advantage of excess growth in the pasture, to use as a routine feed supply and to store a potentially unstable material.

  1. Harvesting Crops

    • It is important to decide the amount of silage needed for your facility. This is dependent on the number of livestock, the type of livestock, equipment and financial resources and the length of the feeding period. In order for the manufacturing and storing of silage to be successful, the material to be stored must be rich in soluble carbohydrates and uncontaminated with soil. The forage should be chopped into pieces no larger than 2 cm in length to aid on compaction. At the time of ensiling, the crop should contain 30 to 35 percent dry matter. It is best to make silage at several times throughout the year and to feed it after optimum fermentation: 60 to 70 days of conservation.

    Filling the Silo

    • Fill the silage into the silo layer by layer. It is recommended to divide the amount of silage into several silos, instead of completely filling just one silo. This will help keep losses to a minimum since the silos will be emptied out quickly.

    Compaction

    • In order to remove the air while filling the silo, compact the crop by continuous treading. Removing the air allows facultative anaerobic bacteria, which is naturally present in forage, to quickly turn soluble carbohydrates into acids. This process usually begins with 48 hours of the silo being filled and takes approximately two weeks to complete.

    Sealing

    • To prevent water penetration into the silage it is vital to expel the greatest amount of air within the forage before closing the silo. This process should be done in the shortest possible time.

    Silo Effluent

    • During the fermentation process, a corrosive liquid is released called silo effluent. The amount of liquid released depends on the amount of silage in the silo and the moisture content in the silage when the silo is filled.