With all the silage making around…i thought i would give a quick farmers wife lesson to try and explain the process in plain English ….
Silage is defined as green fodder that is chopped up, compacted and stored in an air tight environment. With maize silage, the whole green plant is chopped up. “Scotch” silage is made from maize that has already been reaped of its mielies cobs, thus decreasing the nutritional value of the silage – offering quantity versus quality. The fodder is not dried and ferments with a high water content, getting quite hot during the process. Silage is used mainly in winter to feed animals. Dairy cows LOVE silage increasing their milk production.
The perfect time to make silage is a few days before the maize is “ripe”, but the schedule of the contractor makes this timing irrelevant to most farmers. Silage can be stored in silos, silage pits, silage buns or bales. The bales are wrapped in the white bale wrap to create the airtight environment. Pits and buns are sealed with thick silage sheeting (plastic) . Air contamination spoils silage and so the pits are sealed and weighted down with tyres and hay or even a green cover crop can be sowed on the pit.
Pink Farm Chick 