WINTER BONUS MAGAZINE 2025

Content of dry matter • Forages should be ensiled at a preferred dry matter of 35%. • If the DM content increases, it complicates the compaction of the forage. • Higher DM content increases the chance of moulds forming, which increases the mycotoxin risks. • Drier forages will have a darker colour when ensiled and have the smell of tobacco, which tells us that protein degradation already occurred. • Lower DM silage will lose a lot of nutrients through leaching. • Clostridia contamination also increases with lower DM silage. • The dry matter of forage can be determined by the microwave method. • Spread 100 g of the forage evenly on a paper plate. Remember to deduct the weight of the paper plate. • Heat this sample for ±4 minutes. • After about 4 minutes, you can weigh the sample and heat the sample again for 90 seconds. Repeat this step until the sample’s weight is constant. • That constant weight indicates the amount of dry matter in your sample. • Milk line on maize crops can also be used as an indication. The milk line should be 2/3 away from the kernel. • De Heus Optimaize® method. Chop length • If you run into a situation where the DM content of your forage is already above 35%, shorter chop lengths will help with better compaction. • Sheep feedlot 5 to 7 mm • Beef feedlot 10 to 12 mm • Dairy 15 to 18 mm • The chop length will be determined and manipulated by the machine used to cut the silage. Compaction • This step is considered the most important during the ensiling process. • It will be beneficial to have your most experienced driver do the compaction on the silage bunker. • Compaction starts as soon as the material is offloaded at the bunker/surface. • With silage bags and bales, this process is done by the machine that is filling the bag or creating the bales. • The rule of thumb is that for the amount of forage (ton) dumped into the bunker every hour, you need 0,4 times the weight on top of the bunker compacting. This can be tractors or any heavy machinery. • Every inch of the bunker should have tyre marks. • Operators must not turn on top of the bunker and rather drive in straight lines when compacting. • Material should be spread out in 200 mm to 300 mm compaction layers while compacting. Thicker layers will result in oxygen not being successfully removed. • Silage should be compacted at 750 kg per m 2 . 5 C’s When How