Disappointing silage

Silly silage

Member
Livestock Farmer
Looking for any advice about white mould in silage. It has been confirmed as mycotoxin of various forms including penicillin type. However we have used bugs additive for last 3 years and silage has not improved . It is a late crop harvested as one crop in early July and is quite dry. Ensiled with cling sheet and top sheet. Purchased a shear grab to minimise disruption to pit face but still getting pockets of mould within the bite of silage . Using a clay binder in our ration to mop up the mycotoxin but it's all added cost ! It's for suckler herd and followers, use big bale silage for ewes and it is perfect. We have a large pit , 60 feet wide , and it's been suggested that we don't get across it quickly enough . Any thoughts , experiences , remedies?
 
If it's too dry the fermentation will have been sub optimal and it won't be acidic enough to effectively preserve it. Getting across the face faster will help. Mycotoxin binders (toxi-sorb?) will see you for the rest of this season but take care with the crop being too dry (or too wet) this year. If it's hot and dry get it raked up and into the clamp on time before it goes too dry.
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
Once getting beyond 30%DM some inoculant begin to struggle I tend to switch customers over to our Arable Silage inoculant which works far better & in a slightly different way.

In saying that you don't know the DM until very close harvest and ordering the correct inoculant is difficult.

I would suggest using a product which combines feed preservatives Sodium benzoate and Sodium nitrite which is are a safe to use format.

These preservatives will inhibit the growth of moulds and yeasts.
 

beefandsleep

Member
Location
Staffordshire
In fact I would go as far to say that the preservative if the best thing I’ve ever used as far as silage making goes, you still need to pay attention to the basics regarding cutting at the right stage, optimum wilt and good clamp consolidation but since I’ve used the preservatives I’ve fed every blade of grass that’s gone into the pit and the face is always cold to the touch.
For years I accepted as normal having to fork off up to 6 inches of mouldy crap off the top of the clamp, I wouldn’t make silage without it now.
(I expect a discount this year now @Great In Grass).
 

Great In Grass

Member
Location
Cornwall.
In fact I would go as far to say that the preservative if the best thing I’ve ever used as far as silage making goes, you still need to pay attention to the basics regarding cutting at the right stage, optimum wilt and good clamp consolidation but since I’ve used the preservatives I’ve fed every blade of grass that’s gone into the pit and the face is always cold to the touch.
For years I accepted as normal having to fork off up to 6 inches of mouldy crap off the top of the clamp, I wouldn’t make silage without it now.
(I expect a discount this year now @Great In Grass).
Your discount is the amount of silage you've not had to throw away over the winter.

Not a good enough answer? Thought not.

Next on my list to do is work out an early order discount I'll message you once I'm done.
 
In fact I would go as far to say that the preservative if the best thing I’ve ever used as far as silage making goes, you still need to pay attention to the basics regarding cutting at the right stage, optimum wilt and good clamp consolidation but since I’ve used the preservatives I’ve fed every blade of grass that’s gone into the pit and the face is always cold to the touch.
For years I accepted as normal having to fork off up to 6 inches of mouldy crap off the top of the clamp, I wouldn’t make silage without it now.
(I expect a discount this year now @Great In Grass).
I never have any waste on top of the pit or sides of the pit and I never use additive . if you have waste on top of a pit you are not sealing the pit properly.
 

serf

Member
Location
warwickshire
Could you put something like this down middle in future and will always clear a side every year, have smaller face to work off and following year start on alternate sides so will always clear up and have no silage at back getting old .
Screenshot_20210203-171654_DuckDuckGo.jpg
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
Looking for any advice about white mould in silage. It has been confirmed as mycotoxin of various forms including penicillin type. However we have used bugs additive for last 3 years and silage has not improved . It is a late crop harvested as one crop in early July and is quite dry. Ensiled with cling sheet and top sheet. Purchased a shear grab to minimise disruption to pit face but still getting pockets of mould within the bite of silage . Using a clay binder in our ration to mop up the mycotoxin but it's all added cost ! It's for suckler herd and followers, use big bale silage for ewes and it is perfect. We have a large pit , 60 feet wide , and it's been suggested that we don't get across it quickly enough . Any thoughts , experiences , remedies?
Forager needs to be going into the field as the mower leaves with old july first cut grass. You wouldnt need an additive either but it needs to be chopped short
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
Looking for any advice about white mould in silage. It has been confirmed as mycotoxin of various forms including penicillin type. However we have used bugs additive for last 3 years and silage has not improved . It is a late crop harvested as one crop in early July and is quite dry. Ensiled with cling sheet and top sheet. Purchased a shear grab to minimise disruption to pit face but still getting pockets of mould within the bite of silage . Using a clay binder in our ration to mop up the mycotoxin but it's all added cost ! It's for suckler herd and followers, use big bale silage for ewes and it is perfect. We have a large pit , 60 feet wide , and it's been suggested that we don't get across it quickly enough . Any thoughts , exeriences , remedies?
Is it rolled enough?
 

glasshouse

Member
Location
lothians
In fact I would go as far to say that the preservative if the best thing I’ve ever used as far as silage making goes, you still need to pay attention to the basics regarding cutting at the right stage, optimum wilt and good clamp consolidation but since I’ve used the preservatives I’ve fed every blade of grass that’s gone into the pit and the face is always cold to the touch.
For years I accepted as normal having to fork off up to 6 inches of mouldy crap off the top of the clamp, I wouldn’t make silage without it now.
(I expect a discount this year now @Great In Grass).
Could you get away withjust putting preserver on the top layer?
 

nails

Member
Location
East Dorset
A lot of pits are not rolled by heavy enough machines , very rare to see any loader working here on a pit under 15 ton .

, how did we make silage with a DB1394 and a push off buckrake on the pit, no mould , pit open for best part of a week .? If you have mould in the silage which is not secondary fermentation it came in on the grass. Late cut July grass in a wet year can be pretty manky in the stem.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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