Preserving stock feed potatoes

[Andrew1983]

Normally get offered stock feed potatoes in May, we take them and mix with silage and clamp them which has worked well the last couple years. I am contemplating keeping back my tail end of yearling stores to graze and hang up in October/November. I’d prefer to feed them tatties near enough all summer along with grass (ideally to cut down on feeding cereals)

How would the tatties store in a dark old thick stone wall shed covered with straw maybe? We used to do this with tatties in my childhood but that was through winter.... I don’t want to pile 100t into this shed and end up having to dump them in July. I know they won’t be perfect but will they be safe to feed?

 

[Exfarmer]

The peoblem is they need to respire to a certain extent, so you will need to allow a little ventilation. However that means the stack will gradually warm in the spring and sprout. As they sprout they respire and produce moisture. This will encourage moulds etc. .
i think you will be very lucky to keep them far beyond May June but if they are in the dark, I do not think their is a great risk of glycoalkaoid build up, but you may find them running out of the door. I have seen a large commercial store do this in November.

 

[KennyO]

They will sprout. Probably badly if they have been coldstored before you get them.
We have kept stuff till second cut silage time in a heap. Often get some small new tubers and lots of sprouts. Went in with grass ok but not sure I'd want to feed them.

What about pitting them with draff and then feeding out together. There was SAC stuff done on ensiling tatties with draff. Think @Chae1 maybe did tatties and draff.

 

[Scholsey]

We stockpile some during the summer to mix with silage, cant see you being able to store them more than a month or so at ambient temp, spud growers dont spend 10000s on fridge kit to store them if they didnt need it.

 

[Andrew1983]

We stockpile some during the summer to mix with silage, cant see you being able to store them more than a month or so at ambient temp, spud growers dont spend 10000s on fridge kit to store them if they didnt need it.

Yeah quite aware of that, they need to keep them right for selling either as seed or ware though, they wouldn’t need to be perfect for cattle but just how unperfect can I get away with is my question I guess.

I have done them in Draff before as well which works ok although I think the Draff doesn’t cook them as well as grass.
I also messed about last year putting a couple loads off the mixer wagon along the raked bouts of grass before baling/wrapping, we only put 100kgs of spuds per bale which if I could get that figure up to 200 plus per bale it might be my best option, least they could be fed out as required and not like opening a pit in summer when it’s warm and not using a lot....

 

[Sandy]

Normally get offered stock feed potatoes in May, we take them and mix with silage and clamp them which has worked well the last couple years. I am contemplating keeping back my tail end of yearling stores to graze and hang up in October/November. I’d prefer to feed them tatties near enough all summer along with grass (ideally to cut down on feeding cereals)

How would the tatties store in a dark old thick stone wall shed covered with straw maybe? We used to do this with tatties in my childhood but that was through winter.... I don’t want to pile 100t into this shed and end up having to dump them in July. I know they won’t be perfect but will they be safe to feed?
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I tried similar 2 yrs ago they didn’t keep very well the last was fed end of July and even the cattle were leaving them