Silage Insights

Spring 2005

Welcome to the new edition of Silage Insights. As with the previous edition, this pre-season issue will provide you with practical advice, trends, research, and industry news on bale silage, with the addition of a new feature: a series of articles from silage experts from Sweden, France and Germany, who shared with us their thoughts and specialist knowledge on areas of growing interest: the role of bale silage in horse fodder and in organic farming, and whole crop silage production.

I hope you will find our new issue informative and I wish all of you a great silage season.

Producing high quality silage

A new market report on bale silage in Germany was published by Dow (read more in the Trends & Research section), providing farmers and contractors with practical advice for producing high quality silage. Among the areas analysed you can find guidance on:

• The 11 commandments for successful bale silage production
  
  Certain "rules of the game" need to be observed for optimizing silage production and to preserve the high nutrient content of the fodder and safeguard hygiene. Read more
  
  
• Time and Height of Cutting
  
  For the production of high quality and high quantity bale silage, the time of cutting the crop is a key factor for maximizing annual yield. Delays in cutting costs energy in the fodder and directly affects the performance of dairy cows and feeding cattle. Read more
  
  
• Pre-wilting and how to estimate dry matter content of grass silages
  
  Successful silage production requires rapid pre-wilting to achieve an optimal dry matter (DM) content of 35%–45%. This enhances the ensiling processes and reduces the breakdown of protein as well as the amount of fermentation fluid. Read more

Bale silage for horses

Dr. Wolfgang Sommer, fodder consultant and horse expert at the Agricultural Chamber Northrhine-Westfalia in Münster (Germany), illustrates the advantages of bale silage for horses and gives six basic rules to produce optimum quality silage.

Read full article

Checklist on the production, wrapping and storing bale silage for horses

When producing silage for horses, there are a number of factors to take into account throughout the bale silage making process. Read more

Market report on bale silage in Germany

Following the publication of market reports on UK & Ireland in 2003 and on the Nordic Region in 2004, this year Dow has produced a market report on the German bale silage market. The report was devised with the support of independent German experts — researchers and academics, experts from regional Agricultural Chambers, farmers and contractors. Silage Insights brings you a summary of the key trends. Read full article and download market report

The next in the series of market reports on bale silage from Dow will look at the French market. Watch this space for the complete report in the next issue of the Silage Insights Newsletter!

Developing trends in bale silage revealed in Dow-sponsored survey

This is the second year that Dow sponsors a survey aimed at finding out how baling and wrapping silage is developing in terms of wrap type, number of wraps, film colour, etc. The 2005 survey reveals new emerging markets and an increased emphasis on quality. Find out more on survey results.

The influence of crop maturity and type of baler on whole crop barley silage production

Research conducted by an expert team led by Per Lingvall, senior researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, shows that the ensiling of whole-crop barley at dough stage results in higher forage production per hectare. Balers with a restricted number of knives give lower losses than other machine types. Dow will also sponsor a scientific poster on this study at ISC. Read research summary paper

Bale silage in organic farming: a developing practice in France

Several national surveys conducted in France showed a high presence of bale wrapping on organic livestock farms. In good fodder production years, 51% of dairy farms and 42% of beef farms in the survey samples practised bale wrapping. Jérome Pavie of the Livestock Institute in Normandy (France) analyses this trend and illustrates the important role of bale wrapping in organic farming.

Read full article

Trioplast has launched a new silage film for horses — Trioplast HorseWrap®. Made from DOWLEX* PE Resins manufactured by Dow, the film was developed to respond to the specific needs and requirements of the horse market. According to tests made by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the film provides lower air permeability and better air tightness then conventional silage films, as well as a 25% higher puncture resistance, allowing the ensiling of tough dry crops and reducing bale damages during handling and storage. For more information about Trioplast see http://www.trioplast.nu

Forage feeding guidance — Volac International has launched a new guide to help dairy, beef and sheep producers make the most of their home-grown forages. The guide entitled, Forage Management Guide, is designed to help farmers decide which forage options are most suitable for their unit, how to maximise nutrient value and how to include forages in a carefully formulated diet. More details, and free copies, are available on www.volac.com

On-Line Problem Solver and Additive Calculator — Producers looking to maximise returns from this year's silage now have access to a new web-based application rate calculator and problem solver thanks to Trouw Nutrition. Farmers and advisors logging onto the service at www.trouwnutrition.co.uk are able to select the appropriate additive program to suit the quality and conditions on their farm.

Machine for handling conventional size bales — Many farmers have considered making conventional bales for sale in the growing horse feed market; however, they are often discouraged by the high labour costs and slow outputs. The machinery manufacturer Arcusin has developed a machine which is said to allow significant time and cost savings in collection, transportation, storage and loading of bales. The Arcusin Multi Pack produces a pack of 14 small bales tied with four strings, taking the shape — and handling characteristics — of a big square bale. The machine can handle all types of baled fodder with bale length of max. 1.2m and has an output of about 350 bales/hour. For more details see: www.arcusin.com

Stand-alone baler on the way — McHale engineering has announced the launch of a stand-alone round baler. The unit — which would usually form the baler section of the company's Fusion baler/wrapper combination — is to be available for first-cut silage this year. For more details see: www.mchale.net

BPI seminars in Russia — Following the success of the 2004 Silage Season, BPI Agri were invited back to undertake a further Russian Seminar Programme in 2005. Two seminars already took place in 2005 and each attracted over 100 delegates. The main focus of the seminars was on Grass Science, Best Practice and Product Techniques through demonstration of the renowned BPI films and their properties. Other topics were machine preparation, the big bale system and the ensiling process stressing the importance of adequate wrapping. More information can be obtained by visiting the website http://www.bpiagri.com.