Five common missteps in silage production

Making silage may seem straightforward, but several factors can determine whether your efforts will yield high-quality feed or disappointing results. To ensure successful silage production, the following are five key missteps that every producer should avoid.

- By Richardt Venter

Rushing to cut and ensile

Producers often rush the cutting and ensiling process. For direct-cut crops such as maize and sorghum, plants are frequently harvested while still too wet, and in the case of maize, before starch has fully developed. Ensiling wet material disrupts fermentation, leading to reduced yields and lower-quality silage.

For crops that are wilted before ensiling – such as grass, lucerne, and oats – cutting earlier can improve quality, as younger plants generally have a higher protein content. However, if the material is collected from windrows that are still too wet, the same problems arise: poor fermentation, and water and fermentation losses. In addition, if crops are ensiled at the wrong moisture content, butyric acid can form, reducing palatability and the overall quality of the silage.

Slow or poorly managed ensiling