Vacuum Silage

CDavidLance

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon, UK
With a bag, I think it will be practical to let the CO2 response seep out through the plastic or imperfect seal until it equilibrates in pressure with the air. It will take a few weeks to do that and that will enable thorough pickling to happen in a CO2 atmosphere. After that, the low level inflation should be maintained by the very low CO2 production in the silage during storage. As long as the bags don't flap about, the atmosphere inside should be anaerobic. Covering during storage is therefore just as important as ever. This is the next experiment. I'll tell you more in the autumn.
While this is experimental, two people are needed to work it out. Lifting a wilted grass bale and bagging it should be possible for one person, but tipping it in a dumpy bag may take two. Again, this needs to be worked out. High class products require handwork and perseverence.
 

ringi

Member
Lifting a wilted grass bale and bagging it should be possible for one person, but tipping it in a dumpy bag may take two. Again, this needs to be worked out.

I was thinking use a spike to lift the bale and put both the sealing bag and dumpy bag on, drop to ground then remove air and seal but I don't know if it will work practical. The same spike (if it will lift high enough) could then be used on the dumpy bag loops.

Shame small tractors don't have a remote control so it could be done without needing to get into/out the tractor a few times.
 

CDavidLance

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon, UK
Nominations for Silage Abuse.
It has not been possible to make a full size clamp of vacuum silage this year so I am running some small scale experiments to get an idea of what happens to silage under various unfavourable conditions. If you are interested in evaluating the degradation due to something you have seen that might affect quality, then please write in and I'll see if I can include it with the samples I have. All samples will be analysed to see what happens to the usual measures.
So far I have thought of the following from previous discussions:
1. Opening up a sealed sample for a couple of days and then resealing
2. Soil contamination
3. Manure contamination
4. Lubrication oil contamination
5. Pulverising
I am also going to monitor the changes in pickling with time to see how long it takes for the lactic acid to control the process. You don't see time scales on the silage models, so I would like to know how long it takes to settle down.
Results in due course.
 

CDavidLance

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon, UK
All the above have now been set up.
In addition, fast hay (48 hours) has been made to compare with vacuum silage, wilted forage, and the original standing crop. This should help with questions that couldn't be answered last year. If results turn out to be realistic then it may be a very interesting dataset in three months time. It won't be rigorous science, but it will give clues and measurement examples.
There is so little in the literature that puts values and timings on the various theories. This is a start to try to improve that. I am especially interested in the conflict in reports about whether hay is better than silage. The claims so far have not been made on comparable methods. My samples all have the same starting point, timing and processing so we may start to have a better understaning on that question soon. Fingers crossed.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

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

  • 1,293
  • 1
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/
Top