Silage Insights

Spring 2006

Silage Insights is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Saurin as the new European Silage Market Manager at Dow. Mark is replacing Alexander Van Veen, who moved to a new role within the company. Silage Insights wishes Alexander much success in his new journey and welcomes Mark in his new role. Read Mark's biography  to get to know him better.

Dear readers,

It is with great enthusiasm that I join this new venture in the silage market, keen to learn and to pursue the implementation of the long-term programme which Dow has embarked in since 2001 working alongside business partners, leading academics and other players in the bale silage market. I look forward to working with you to further develop the programme by exploring new options and opportunities for improvement and change through innovation.

In the meantime, I invite you to uncover this new edition of Silage Insights, which brings you a wide-ranging overview over the latest market developments, experts' advice and practical guidance to help silage and haylage producers and users make informed decision on key aspects of bale silage production.

You will also read about a number of important initiatives and advisory tools developed by Dow and its partners for the bale silage market, these include: the development of a new and expanded Economic Benefit Tool and the launch of a newly created website dedicated to silage.

I trust this issue will provide you with many useful insights to produce high quality and safe silage and have a profitable season.

Mark Saurin
Silage Market Manager
Dow Europe GmbH

Silage dilemma solved with new Economic Benefit Tool

A new web-based Economic Benefit Tool (EBT) is now available to help farmers predict the economic benefit of harvesting silage as bales compared to forage harvesting and storage in clamps. The model, developed jointly by the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER) and Dow, shows that significantly reduced wastage gives a clear benefit to baling every time.

An EBT on-line calculator is available on-line on  www.dowsilage.com/calculator

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How to prevent reheating and mould development in bale silage

When making bale silage, the objective is to produce good silage with the maximum possible value in terms of forage, fermentation and perfect hygienic quality. The most frequent deviation from this objective is unwanted reheating. Dr. Johannes Thaysen from the Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Agriculture explains measures to minimise or even prevent the potential risks of reheating and mould development in bale silage.

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Using green fodder silage for feeding horses

In the last ten years, the importance of green fodder silage in horse feeding has been constantly increasing. In this article, Dr. Michael Röcken, veterinary at the Starnberg veterinary clinic, proposes that green fodder silage for horses is an excellent alternative to feeding hay. However, some basic rules for the production and use of haylage need to be followed.

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Choosing the right stretch film bale wrap

To make the best silage, it is important that good quality materials and equipment are used and clearly that includes the bale wrap film. A quality film can reduce losses and increase the nutritional content of every bale, and brings benefits for contractors and farmers during the bale wrapping process because there are fewer stoppages resulting from tears, inconsistent stretch or jamming of the equipment. Read more about the key requirements that a stretch film bale wrap should meet.

Creating a secure airtight cover

In addition to the quality of the raw materials being conserved, there are two factors contributing to the success of bale silage: the structure and density of the bale and the effectiveness of the airtight cover. Modern farming practices involve wrapping bales in multiple layers of plastic film to create a secure airtight cover. The nutritional value of the ensiled crop is preserved and spoilage is reduced. How much should the film be pre-stretched? What is the right wrapping time? How many layers of film should be used?

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Defining strategies and optimum solutions for horse silage

Due to the lack of conclusive scientific studies on haylage as a high-quality fodder for horses it is still difficult to convince owners and breeders of its overall nutritional benefits. Silage Insights brings you the main conclusions of the Dow-sponsored workshop on haylage for horses organised at ENESAD (France) where researchers, haylage and equine nutrition experts and industry players discussed how to overcome this information gap and reviewed strategies and optimum solutions for haylage.
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Comparative use of lucerne/cocksfoot hay and a similar crop baled, by 18-month-old saddle horse

Trials have been conducted by the National Studs of Chamberet (France) comparing horse eating behaviour when fed with the same crop mix but stored in the form of hay or baled silage. In this article, Catherine Trillaud-Geyl, expert National Studs, presents the differences on the appetite, quantities ingested and weight observed. The results show that bale silage has a positive influence on the horse appetite, feed intake, and increased animal growth.
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Increasingly versatile and cost efficient machinery

The equipment market has developed rapidly over the past twenty years, first with portable machines then, soon after, with the introduction of trailer-mounted machines, followed by increasingly sophisticated systems. Today, users are looking for reliable, autonomous, versatile machinery, enabling them to increase profitability. In this article, David Leroyer, Product Manager at Kverneland Group in France, analyses the bale-wrapping systems currently available in the market and future trends.

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2006 Dow-sponsored bale silage survey

This is the third 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 2006 survey, which will run in May on UK's leading magazine Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer, has been further expanded to review trends in the growing horse market. Participate to the survey and entered for a draw for three £100 cash prizes!
Watch this space for the survey results in the next issue of Silage Insights.

Industry facing permanent volatility

The legacy of the Hurricane Katrina caused massive disruption to US oil and gas supplies, creating a state of permanent volatility in the availability, and therefore price, of oil, chemical feedstocks and other raw materials.
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Dow Silage website now live

Dow launched a newly created Web site offering silage and haylage producers and users, others in the bale silage supply chain, as well as advisers, journalists and academics an in-depth and comprehensive platform to gain new insights and share best practices with regards to the European bale silage market. Read more. To visit the site, go to www.dowsilage.com

Alternative use of silage: biomass energy

Biomass from silage can be a valuable source of alternative energy that does not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly but that also proves extremely inexpensive. Biomass energy from silage can therefore help to empower the targets set by European Commission's Biofuels Directive and its Green Paper due in early March.
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ADAS research shows that using inoculants to treat big bale silage increases quality

UK agricultural site Stackyard.com reports on research conducted by ADAS Pwllpeiran Research Centre, near Aberystwyth.  The introduction of inoculants in the production of big bale silage is said to help reduce losses and achieve a higher quality product, compared to untreated bales. These findings provide real opportunities for livestock farmers as less than five per cent currently use inoculants on big bales. Read more on the research findings on: http://www.stackyard.com/news/2006/03/crop/03_big_bale_silage_adas.html

DLG at the EuroTier trade fair: focus on forage hygiene

The Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft (German Agricultural Association), DLG, will focus on improving the quality of forage at the next EuroTier trade fair, one of the most important trade fairs for animal husbandry, taking place in Hannover in November 2006. In cooperation with other exhibitors, the DLG will demonstrate solutions for keeping forage hygienic as well as point out potential issues. More information about the trade fair can be found at http://www.eurotier.de; to learn more about the DLG, go to www.dlg.org (website in German).

Smithfield Show cancelled

The Royal Smithfield Club, owner of the Smithfield Show, has decided to cancel the Show, due to take place from November 30 to December 2, 2006. Spokespeople point to the lack of support and responses from the agricultural industry for a major agricultural machinery showcase in London. The Royal Smithfield Club will be working to find alternative ways to promote primestock championships, a popular feature of the Smithfield Show.

Latest big baler from Case IH at Grassland 2005

Visitors to the Case IH demonstration plot will see the latest big baler, the LBX322. According to the manufacturer, the new baler is easy to handle and easy to distribute, and the new size is ideal for those handling haylage and straw. For more information, visit www.caseih.com. Grassland 2005 is a major Grassland event featuring static exhibits and working machinery demonstrations to be held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire on 18-19 May 2005.