The Rural Voice, 2001-05, Page 27well."
Listing seven different ways to
store forages, Hutjens said there are
real differences between initial
outlay and annual costs for each
system.
Though he noted there are
economies of scale for the price of
producing and storing forage, those
benefits cease beyond 1,000 tonnes
annually.
Herd size would also be a
determining factor in the type
of storage method used. For
less than 100 head, Hutjens
recommended tower silos, bags or
wrap. Once the number exceeds 200,
he suggested bags, bunkers or pd'cked
piles. Between these, producers can,
use towers, bags or narrow bunkers.
The bunker structure he referred
to would be approximately 10 feet
high so that a four to six-inch depth
would be taken off the entire width in
one day.
Though Hutjens does not like
bunkers for haylage, corn silage is
fine. He suggests bagging for
Bagging
haylage
gives
better
control
than
bunkers
haylage as there is tremendous
inventory control.
If forage is removed from the field
in a wetter condition, it lowers field
loss, he said, though he warned that
if too wet, it can result in poor
fermentation.
While the harvest window for an
alfalfa/grass mixture is only about
three days, Hutjens said corn silage
removal can stretch over two weeks.
It was recommended that the pH
level in the silage should be
monitored regularly. If the silage can
get to a low pH level quickly, it
keeps the acetic acid low. For best
corn silage quality, Hutjens looks for
acetate. levels greater than three,
lactic acid at greater than 70 per cent
of the total and a pH of 3.8 to 4.2.
He also suggests inoculating the
silage as it increases dry matter
recovery by three per cent and makes
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