New Silage Pits

Happy at it · Jan 4, 2019

Not meaning to put you off surprise farmer, but the the niea can be hard work when they land in on you. If you get an inspection or they're tipped off by a jealous neighbour who's just spent big rent on a shuttered silo, they'll try and make sure you'll never be fit to set bales on your silos let alone a heap of silage.

By right, I think your meant to have an engineer cert for any substantial upgrade or new silo and have to contact niea to inspect it before you first use it. Could you get an eng cert for a silage pad like down south then and the earth banks could magically appear at a later date?

The country were in a well built silo is worth a lot, knowing you can put wet grass in and not get a your name in the paper is always nice. Get whoever doing them to spend a bit of time on them with drains and a few gullies up the floor to save to concrete with water bars set in at the expansion joints etc.

A1an · Jan 4, 2019

surprisefarmer said:
Unfortunately I don’t have the length

If you give it a shave it'll look a lot bigger.

Davy · Jan 5, 2019

Remember, youll have to collect the water off the floor and the niea count the total rainfall area of all outdoor silos for your storage accomodation if they so happen to inspect.

FarmerFrank88 · Jan 5, 2019

If you are using a clay floored and banked pit you clearly aren't too worried about wastage

Slippery Slope · Jan 5, 2019

@surprisefarmer are you wishing you never asked yet?!

shumungus · Jan 5, 2019

@surprisefarmer
Ok don't shoot the messanger…….
As I understand it these are some points,
No need for planning permission up to 500m2, your two 90 x 40 silos floor area count into 669m2.
Any thing modified or constructed after 2002 has to be signed off by NIEA on the SSAFO regulations (Slurry,Silage,Agricultural Fuel Oils) 2003.
All the details are in here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2003/319/contents/made
For NIEA to sign it off it needs an Engineers Certificate.
If NIEA come upon you for being naughty they are a complete shower of b.....ds.
If you approach them for advice they are not the worst (seem to have mellowed over recent years).
If sh!t ever hits fan they have access to DAERA aerial farm maps to show timeline.
Silage has to be stored on concrete not allowed on stone, all water that hits the ground has to be collected unless silo is completely empty and clean.
Round Bales can be stored on Hardcore and nothing needs to be done, but if you put 1 round bale on a yard or in the back of a silo all water that hits the ground has to be collected.
Sorry for all the negative news.
I am not a clipboard jockey its just DAERA used my farm for training on this subject in 2008 during the Nitrates Scheme and a lot of it has stayed in my head.

surprisefarmer · Jan 6, 2019

Thanks for all of the valid advice guys, that’s why I asked, and I am genuinely grateful.

However, there would appear to be a case of Chinese whispers in this thread, I never once stated, nor would I ever consider putting silage onto a raw floor of any sort. The whole project has been set with falls so as channels can be incorporated to fall to a newly installed sump. I have then piped straight to a storage tank from the sump.

watcher72 · Jan 7, 2019

surprisefarmer said:
However, there would appear to be a case of Chinese whispers in this thread

Not just this thread nearly every thread! Because I run a dairy it was presumed I know how to rear calves.
Don't think they knew what a flying herd is!

Anyway back On Topic the rules around silage bales silage pit are very non-uniform shall we say it's a can of worms if you ask me

Will Wilson · Jan 7, 2019

I would be happy to help work a design out for you if you think it would help - Unfortunately we don't supply NI.

We take into account a lot of factors to get the right length and width.

You will need to comply with the regs if you altering or building a new clamp - they are attached (see page 12)

Will

www.arkagriculture.com
[email protected]

Turboman · Jan 7, 2019

clay bank pits with a concrete floor are legal in NI as I know of one not far from me at an AD plant and they got it all passed.

If you are going to be feeding silage all year round id go narrower pits and more pits. Ideally id like 4, one for each cut of grass and one for wholecrop. It offers much more flexibility, its a pain having a good bit of silage in the back half of a clamp only to have to eat through poorer stuff sometimes to get at it. and with more smaller pits you dont have to constantly strip back covers to put in another cut of grass.

surprisefarmer · Jan 7, 2019

@Turboman , Currently I have went with 2 nr 33 ft pits, with room for a thirdwhcih I will probably do within the next 2years.

In the original yard I have 3 covered pits, but the plan is to use 2 for animal housing and one for a workshop down the line. With the size of machinery now it is a real struggle to get the grass into these pits, especially now that it comes in so fast.

Will Wilson · Jan 8, 2019

Another tip so to think about the width of the pits and the ease of covering them, if you're on your own when you cover them narrower pits are easier to work with covering left to right. Try to make them the same size as the available covers.

If NI regs are the same as UK (SSAFO) then I am afraid clay banks and a concrete base are not 'legal' as the base does not extend beyond the wall (unless the banks are built on top of the base)- the EA aren't always very clued up on this.

It all depends on what you are trying to achieve - if you want as close to perfect silage quality you will have a different design to a pit which costs less to build but not make as good silage.

Tullyvernon · Jan 8, 2019

daijd said:
Go 40ft. If you find it’s heating up go half depth of shear grab so you go across face quicker

There will still be the same surface area open to the air, moving faster across the face will prevent it from getting as bad looking, but you will have more open faces throughout the eating off the pit. So the DM losses will always be more in a wider and higher pit

Will Wilson · Jan 8, 2019

From experience the width and length of the pit should be based on the on the feed out rate (most important) which is the capacity stored, height the pit will be filled, speed the pit will be emptied/number of days the pit is open and the number of pits.

You can also consider size of machine to fill the pits, covering the pits, number of cuts in the pit, drainage of the pit etc.. it goes on and on and on...... as I do when it comes to silage pits.

The most important thing I think most people can do is not build a back wall in most cases 2 parallel walls make significantly better clamps and better silage.

Tullyvernon · Jan 8, 2019

Will Wilson said:
From experience the width and length of the pit should be based on the on the feed out rate (most important) which is the capacity stored, height the pit will be filled, speed the pit will be emptied/number of days the pit is open and the number of pits.

You can also consider size of machine to fill the pits, covering the pits, number of cuts in the pit, drainage of the pit etc.. it goes on and on and on...... as I do when it comes to silage pits.

The most important thing I think most people can do is not build a back wall in most cases 2 parallel walls make significantly better clamps and better silage.

I like the idea of no back wall, you can eat from the opposite side each year and never end up with silage for more than a year in the pit, and can keep feeding even during silage time.

Will Wilson · Jan 8, 2019

It's not quite that easy as you normally empty from the lower end of the clamps so water drains away from the face, if you empty from the other end (the higher end) then water puddles at the silage face.

There are ways around it (drainage) but the real advantage is that no back walls mean no corners that are hard to get compaction into. In my experience tractor wheels sit 1m (ish) behind a front weight so against a back well compaction/tyre pressure on the silage doesn't happen in the last m, hence bad silage at the back of the clamp.

I would appreciate anyone else's feedback.

Tullyvernon · Jan 8, 2019

Will Wilson said:
It's not quite that easy as you normally empty from the lower end of the clamps so water drains away from the face, if you empty from the other end (the higher end) then water puddles at the silage face.

There are ways around it (drainage) but the real advantage is that no back walls mean no corners that are hard to get compaction into. In my experience tractor wheels sit 1m (ish) behind a front weight so against a back well compaction/tyre pressure on the silage doesn't happen in the last m, hence bad silage at the back of the clamp.

I would appreciate anyone else's feedback.

The roof solves all problems, then you only need to catch the actual efulent

if the silo was filled with feeding from both sides in mind it would help with the run off problems in open clamps

Aircooled · Jan 8, 2019

Would it not be stronger with a back wall. I've seen daylight through shuttered walls 2yrs old . Corrosion not good either after 10 yrs.

Tullyvernon · Jan 8, 2019

Aircooled said:
Would it not be stronger with a back wall. I've seen daylight through shuttered walls 2yrs old . Corrosion not good either after 10 yrs.

It will act as a tie, but if being built as two parallel walls would need to be built accordingly

vantage · Jan 8, 2019

Aircooled said:
Would it not be stronger with a back wall. I've seen daylight through shuttered walls 2yrs old . Corrosion not good either after 10 yrs.

If they were that bad they must have been cowboy builders and should not have been paid. Shuttered walls here on one farm approaching 40 years old,still perfect.

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