Cutting feed storage losses in silage, hay and grain
Cut feed storage losses on the farm: seal silage clamps within 24 hours, pack to at least 240 kg of dry matter per cubic metre, and stack hay below 15 percent moisture on raised pallets. Aerate stored grain so temperatures stay even, check the covers every week, and log feed use against your stock in HerdMobile.
Compiled from open-access scientific sources.
How do you stop shrink and spoilage in the silage clamp?
Pack chopped whole-plant corn or grass silage to at least 240 kg of dry matter per cubic metre. Run heavy tractors over thin 15 cm layers so trapped air is pressed out quickly. Cover the clamp within 24 hours with an oxygen-barrier film under a 150-micron UV-stabilised black sheet, and weigh it down with gravel bags or tyres laid edge to edge. At feed-out, take 15 to 20 cm off the whole face every day with a shear grab or defacer to keep the face clean and tight. Good face management stops the silage heating up again and keeps the fermentation acids that preserve it.
How do you keep hay and stored grain in good condition?
Store baled alfalfa and meadow hay below fifteen percent moisture; wetter bales grow mould, heat up and lose feed value. Stack round and square bales in a covered shed on wooden pallets or a coarse gravel base, 50 cm away from the outside walls so air keeps moving around the stack. In grain bins and flat stores, run the aeration fans on cool, dry evenings to keep grain below fifteen degrees Celsius and relative humidity under 65 percent. Raised, well-ventilated, dry storage keeps dry matter recovery in both forage and concentrate above 92 percent over twelve months.
How does HerdMobile keep your feed stock in view?
HerdMobile gives dairy and beef farmers a clear picture of the feed store. Log grain deliveries, silage harvests and bale counts with what you paid, and add your own dry matter figures to each feed. As you record daily feed use, the stock on your phone goes down with it, and HerdMobile warns you when a feed runs low so you can reorder in time. Because each feed carries its price and nutrient values, the ration calculator shows what every ration costs per head per day.
Questions from the farm
What packing density keeps clamp silage losses low?
Pack to at least 240 kg of dry matter per cubic metre. That keeps air out and gets lactic fermentation going fast.
What is the highest safe moisture level for stored hay bales?
Bale and store hay below fifteen percent moisture to prevent mould, heating and dry matter loss in storage.
How does HerdMobile keep track of feed stock on the farm?
HerdMobile records feed deliveries, bale counts and silage stock, takes off the feed you log as used, and warns you before a feed runs low.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
