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The Rural Voice, 1982-10, Page 24FARM NEWS Success making corn silage A lot of time and money has already been spent to grow the corn crop that now stands out in the field, waiting to be harvested. Whether one actually gets all of the potential value in the standing crop depends, from here on, to a large extent on the way in which the crop is harvested and stored. The following seven points outline the key ingredients in a recipe for success in this endeavour: 1. Storage Structures - Make sure the silo structure is sound, and has at least air -tight floor and walls to prevent loss through oxidation and spoilage. 2. Time of Harvest - The right time is a) at the right stage of maturity, and b) the right moisture content. Fortu- nately there is a correlation between these two. Corn, to yield the most in tons of digestible material, should be harvested when the moisture content of the whole plant (chopped up) reaches the 60-70% range. Normally this occurs when the grain has a moisture content of 40-50%. At this stage digestibility and yield will be a maximum. Fortunately, this moisture content is also the right range as far as structure, equipment and nutrient losses are concerned. Seepage should be avoided if at all possible. Free liquid (squeezed out juices) means nutrient losses, and possible damage to silo walls. This is of particular significance to those farmers with conventional concrete tower silos. Both research and practical experi- ence have shown that where as small silos (12x50, 14x60) can hold 70% moisture material without see- page, this moisture content must be lowered to 63-65%, for larger silos (24x80, 30x90, etc.). With horizontal silos the moisture content can be somewhat higher - 68-72% is desir- able to ensure good packing effect during filling. However, if the mois- ture content goes too high, not only will seepage occur, the chances are also great a poor type of fermentation will take place resulting in lower palatability and reduced dry matter intake. 3. Fineness of Cut - Chop finely - but not too find. Set the harvester at 3/8 - 1 /4 inch theoretical length of cut. This will give average piece size sufficiently small to aid good packing and air exclusion, and yet not so fine the the fibrous quality of the feed is destroyed. Keep the harvester knives and ledger plates sharp and properly adjusted. 4. Speed of Filling - Fill the silo as rapidly as possible to reduce the amount of time the chopped material is exposed to the atmosphere (air). The less the exposure the longer the bunk life after removal from storage. Make sure all equipment is serviced (and repaired) so it is ready to go before harvest time arrives. 5. Distribution - In order to achieve an uniformly dense pack throughout the silo use a suitable distributor to spread the various sizes and weights of particles evenly. This avoids abnormal silo wall pressures, in- creases the storage capacity of the silo, aids proper fermentation, re- duces spoilage losses, and ensures better operation of the unloading Farm and Commercial Buildings KASE VANDEN HEUVEL CONST. CO. LTD. R.R. 2 Goderich or Ken Janmaat, Seaforth 524-9176 527-1858 after six PG. 24 THE RURAL VOICE / OCTOBER 1982 equipment (in both tower and hori- zontal silos). 6. Packing - In open -top silos (both horizontal and tower) the exclusion of air is highly dependent on the density of the silage mass. This in turn is dependent on the method used to pack the chopped material. The weight of the material itself, together with good distribution, is the method with tower silos, while with horizon- tal silos it depends on mechanical packing - usually with a tractor. 7. Sealing - If the right fermentation is to take place, with a minimum of losses, air exclusion is essential. This is true regardless of the type of silo. Immediately after filling, the silage should be sealed off from the air. With an oxygen -limiting silo this means closing the hatches; with a horizontal silo it means covering the silage with a sheet of plastic well weighted down. If a conventional tower silo is not to be used imme- diately it should also be capped off with a layer of plastic. Good quality silage, with minimum losses, is not an accident. Following the principles outlined in the foregoing will help to ensure these results. H.E. Bel!man, Agricultural Engineer. Bruce Farm Report Fire detection and procedure Make sure that every resident and employee on the farm understands the importance of prompt action in the event of fire. When fire is discovered, call the fire department at once, before making any attempt to fight the blaze. Keep the fire department number posted prominently near the telephone. When speaking on a party line, always hang up immediately if another caller breaks in to report a fire. Always remember that delay in calling the fire department will give the fire fighters little chance to avoid a total loss. While aid from neighbours is of great value when fire strikes, do not allow cars or trucks to obstruct the approach of the fire department to the burning building. Neighbours can help best by bringing extra water from their own supplies, in milk cans, barrels or drums. If your area lacks the protection of a fire department, meet together with your neighbours and plan to organize such protection, or to provide equipment for use on a mutual help basis.