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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

silage

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Jay

03-05-2004 16:57:05

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I know this is supposed to be a forum for implements, but being I see a lot of hay questions, maybe someone can help me with silage. I am from an area of CT where farming is almost gone. I have nobody to ask for advise, so I am turning to you guys. Last year I grew around 3 acres of Corn and intended on using it for silage. I know I'm really small time here compared to all of you, but bear with me. I had some of the best corn I have ever seen. I bought my seed from Fielder's Choice, and it grew great. I was all excited to have raised feed for my animals for the winter. I cut it all with a machetti, ran it through my commercial wood chipped, made a nice pile, and covered it for winter time. Well it all got moldy and rotten. What did I do wrong? The ground was dry under it, and it was covered tight. I don't want to make the same mistake this year too. Please help a guy that likes to keep his little 8 acre piece of land working. I only raise animals for my own consumption, but raising my own feed will both keep the land working, and give me a sense of acomplishment.

Jay

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JMS/MN

03-06-2004 23:59:18

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

No matter how you do it, I don't see any practical way to make silage with only three acres of corn. You need a forage harvester to cut it at the proper length- 3/8 inch, when the whole plant is at about 65% moisture, when the maturity line is near black layer. A wood chipper is not practical. It is not worth digging a bunk silo for 3 acres of corn, nor is it practical to somehow stuff it into little plastic bags. The smallest Agbagger uses a bag 8' in diameter by 100' long, and holds 2-3 times what your acres would yield, plus you don't have the equipment to utilize that system. If you did, you'd still need to feed at least 3" off the surface each day to stay ahead of spoilage once the bag is opened. A long, narrow, well-packed pile covered with silo plastic and sealed with dirt or other heavy material at the edges would be a reasonable option if you had the right equipment to chop, haul, and pack the silage. Again, you'd need to feed several inches off the face of the opened pile each day, and a few animals won't consume that much. Steers can handle some spoiled feed, but any pregnant animals can abort from the same. Picking the ear corn is a better option, but you need a picker with decent husking rolls, and the ears should be down to at least 25% moisture or less for proper storage in a crib. If your animals are losing weight when on hay only, you need to add some grain to their diet to increase the energy level, and perhaps some protein as well needs to be added.

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Jay

03-07-2004 11:19:47

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Re: Re: silage in reply to JMS/MN, 03-06-2004 23:59:18

I agree with a lot of what your saying now that I have been learning from the wonderful people here on the forum. I was thinking the only way to make it work at all, would be exactly what you were saying. A long but narrow pile with what we call here mafia blocks. There are several concrete plants around the area, and they take the leftover concrete from the trucks and make large solid blocks something like 4x3x3 feet each. I could stack these to make sides maybe 4 to 6 feet high, but quite narrow so I would always be using fresh feed. Then packing it down, and sealing it with a good tarp. If I make it as wide as my tractor, I can use my front bucket to take feed to the animals, and also to drive back and forth on the pile to pack it down. I wouldn't try it again after talking to all of you without buying an old 1 row chopper, but that can't cost a lot, I already have a dump truck, so I could chop into the truck. I'm leaning toward to ear corn idea for right now though. I'm going to have to do some research to find out some about the black line stage you mentioned, but I may make out better that way. I'm not trying to do away with the hay I'm feeding, like I said, I help a friend pick-up his hay in the field, and stack the barn, and in return, I get my hay for free. I'm sure it's not the best hay though. I have been feeding grain all winter as soon as I thought my animals were loosing weight, I would rather use either silage, or the ear corn than buy all the grain. I'm just looking for something I can grow and feed in addition to the hay. Thank you for helping me, I appreciate all the help I am receiving here on the forum.

Jay

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JMS/MN

03-07-2004 13:01:21

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Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-07-2004 11:19:47

I wouldn't spend any money on mafia blocks-They'll let air in from the sides, and your top cover will not seal tight against them, nor will the silage pack tight against them. It should take only a few hours to chop three acres of corn- just put it in a long narrow pile and drive over it with the tractor. Cover with the silo cover and dump dirt along the edges. Lay old tires on top to hold that down. It needs to be virtually covered with tires to keep it from whipping in the wind. Your idea of using the loader to feed it will create spoilage because breaking in to the pile will disrupt the face of it and let air in. Large feedlots using piles use a rotary device on a skidloader to claw the silage loose without disrupting the face. Again, more equipment ($) involved. That's why I wouldn't even mess with silage on a small scale. You're looking at maybe 30-50 tons at most, and the losses would be staggering. Much better to pick and grind the corn. Reference to black layer is this: After the corn plant sets ears, the kernels develop, then go to milk and dough stage before denting. Outer edge of kernel develops the normal yellow color while going through this process. That yellow milk line (maturity) goes slowly towards the cob, when the line gets to the cob it develops a black layer at the base of the kernel. Crack an ear open every couple days during this process to trace the progress towards maturity.

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Jay

03-07-2004 14:00:16

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Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to JMS/MN, 03-07-2004 13:01:21

ok. Now I'm getting it. I understand a little better. Properly packed, this stuff is pretty solid. It's not a loose mess like I had from the unpacked stuff. I'm thinking your right. I'm going to try and do the ear corn thing. I assume if I decide they drop too much and waist too much feeding the whole ear like someone suggested, then I can always gring the ears and feed like that, I assume grinding cob and all would work ok. I think I'm near decided that ear corn is the better choice for my smaller operation.

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03-07-2004 17:10:02

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-07-2004 14:00:16

You may also want to check one of the college coop, ag extensions for planting/harvesting info in your area. In CNY cornell provides such info for a few dollars, but as always, you may surf the web for info, I know there's info on organic farming as well in case you are interested; and listen to the excellent advice given by JMS/MN !

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JMS/MN

03-07-2004 17:43:45

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to JM, 03-07-2004 17:10:02

Appreciate the nice comment. When we had the dairy cows, we typically made 50 acres of corn silage each year. Upward of 7-800 tons. Also 120-140 acres of haylage and baled hay. Used upright stave and Harvestore silos, bunker, bale bunker, ag bag and piles with and without plastic. Just can't imagine going to all that work for 3 acres, and then lose so much to spoilage, either in storage or during the feeding period. I would certainly grind the corn- whether shelled or on the ear. Otherwise too much passes through, and a small burr mill or hammermill is low in cost. The land would still be in farm use, and could be grazed after harvest. Gotta admire the guy's ambition to work, but he deserves some return on it too.

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evielboweviel

03-06-2004 15:42:41

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

I have never done silage.
Now based on what everybody is saying, oxygen is the enemy. So if you could get big bags fill them with ensilage and the hook up a shop vac or dust collector and pull the air out. You might have a working system. Thinking on the scale you are talking the time from cutting silage to sealing the bag would be less than 24 hours per bag. This would allow you to cut silage over a two week period. This is a guess based on what other people have posted.
Let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out.

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Hound

03-06-2004 14:08:47

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

A for effort. Thats for sure. Everybody's got some good advice here....but don't forget about geography. What works in the dry south midwest doesn't work in the wet humid north east. You have to cover it next time, for sure. The problem is you didn't pack the oxygen out of it. After you "chip" a pile, get your tractor on top of it. run back and forth, overlapping 1/2 tire width at a time. Keep your tractor up on the pile, and blow beside it, then level it out. We have made stacks 35'-40' up this way. Almost a "square" pile. You have to cover it to keep the air out and most importantly the rain...pack, pack and pack some more, nock the snot right out of it. It can't react and go bad with no oxygen. Then go get another load and pack it again. Do this fast, even cover it over night, less o2 the better. Talk to your local seed dealer, they have preservative that will help to make it keep and make it "better feed". With the rain we get up here you can't use a earthen pit. A tarped, packed pile will work. There are even bunker bags that may help you, where you blow your silage into a "big garbage bag" that you can seal. Good luck. blow then pack, blow then pack...you get the idea.

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Jay

03-06-2004 14:51:52

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Re: Re: silage in reply to Hound, 03-06-2004 14:08:47

Now see, I was thinking about stuff like that. The North East is different some than south. I was worried about moisture from rain, melting snow, ect. Do I need to worry about moisture from underneath? Should I put a tarp down first, then pile on top? I too am thinking my largest problem after all that has been said is more that I didn't pack it. That rules out putting it under my hoop houses, because after it got 3 feet high, I wouldn't be able to drive on it anymore to pack it. I guess it's a tarp, or to go with the ear feeding everyone has been telling me about. Just for personal accomplishment, I almost feel like trying the silage again, just to prove to myself I didn't get beat. I have a hard time when something beats me, even if I only do it 1 year, and then go to ear feeding, I'll still be able to say I did it, and now know how to do it should I ever decide to do it on a larger scale. I have some thinking to do. The good thing is, I have all summer think about it. I'll be planting before too long, and will decide when it's time for harvest. Thanks for your help.

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Jay

03-06-2004 08:53:26

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

OK, my mind is running all over the place here now. The thought of using an old 1 row chopper sounds pretty good compared to all the back breaking work, or maybe even the corn picker and ear feeding. I have 8 or 10 phone poles that I got from the local power company for nothing, so a corn crib wouldn't be real hard either. If anyone knows of a chopper or picker within a day trip from CT, it would be a help. Like I said, farming around here is scarce, and finding implements isn't easy. I know PA, NY, VT, MA, ect still have a decent farm base, so please keep your eyes open for me. I'm not afraid of hard work, but I don't want to be foolish either. I've unmasked my email in case anyone wants to email me direct, I can't thank you all enough for helping me here. I wasn't ready to give up, but I was dreading the thought of all that work and having it go to waist again.

Jay

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Silage

03-06-2004 03:31:11

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

I think KyHayman is right on the money. Do a search "corn silage" you'll get a ton of information. I'd suggest you somehow make yourself a "pit silo"---also called a "bunker". What you'll end up with is a cavity in a hillside where you'll store your silage--the trick is to cut it at the right stage of maturity and to pack it tightly (to exclude air) and to have as little surface area exposed as possible. If you're raising good corn, you should get about 10 tons of silage per acre...that would give you lots of winter feed. I'd also suggest doing some research on seed, they have seed specifically for silage. (I may be overestimating the tons per acre...don't know for sure) I'm guessing here, but I'm wondering if your chipper cut it up too fine--I cut mine into about 1/2" pieces...in theory it would pack tighter cut up finer, but you'd cut all the kernals up...I don't know. I'll bet you could find an old chopper and sure make it alot easier. Years ago (when I was a kid) people used to cut and blow it into a wagon--like a 4 wheeled hay trailer with sides and an endgate. What they'd do it make a wooden plate to go in the front with a chain rope or cable that hung out the rear of the trailer...when the got to the silo, they'd get the trailer to where they wanted to unload and pull the load out the rear with another tractor. It worked pretty darn good to. Good Luck. Post back if I could be of more help. It will be worth the effort when you get your system down pat, I've got 3 steers on a ration that I'm hand feeding for the freezer, and they have done amazingly well over the winter on a corn silage, corn, hay and supplement ration.

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Jay

03-06-2004 08:33:30

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Re: Re: silage in reply to Silage, 03-06-2004 03:31:11

I'm taking in all the information all of you are giving me here. Now I'm getting confused, because I don't know what road to travel. My thought was to do silage because I already have a dump truck, corn planter, and eventually I would try to find an older 1 row chopper. I figured with time it would take some of the back breaking work out of it. But after getting advise from the guys here, I'm thinking maybe I should be picking my corn ears, drying them and feeding them, but I really don't have a good set-up to let the animals graze the stalks, so they would most likely be waisted. My chipper cut the corn up into pretty fine pieces. It's an industrial wood chipper (4cylinder Perkins Diesel) and cuts wood into 3 " pieces, but for some reason, the corn came out more like mash. After reading the other posts, I'm sure I let the corn dry too long before chopping, I didn't pack it down, and didn't have a pit set-up, I just made a plie in the middle of the field and covered it. Also, when I opened it up and saw spoilage, I was afraid to make the animals sick, and considered it all bad. I just spread it with the manuer spreader back onto the fields. If i go silage rout it won't involve making corn cribs, and digging a bunker on a side hill won't take very long with the tractor, but I may get too much spoilage in a small pile to make it worth while. Although I have to say, I had a pretty good sized pile last year from my little field. I also see, making stands of bundled stalks was suggested too, I am going to have to research that one too, but I would rather learn silage because as my back breaks from the work, I can look for a chopper, or the ear feed, because as I get older and more tired, I can maybe look for a corn picker, right?

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Tim(nj)

03-06-2004 09:51:58

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Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-06-2004 08:33:30

Corn cribs are easy. All you need is some railroad ties and plywood for a base, a couple of rolls of wooden snow fence, some upright posts to attach the fence to, and a good tarp to cover the top. Some people set them up in circles, but I set up in long, narrow rectangles. Less chance for mold that way. Past two years I've had enough room in the permanent cribs, but there have been years where I've had to put up a temporary crib or two.

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John A

03-05-2004 21:28:39

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

Jay I comment your effort, try, & engunity,
Keep working on it for you will get it soon.
Sound to me you were right on track till you covered it. In the TX/OK panhandle we put up silage in trench silos. The green chopped crop MUST be packed. use a tractor with a loader and drive on it, pack it like you were packing road base, The ensilage process takes place in a oxygen limited enviroment.
Find and ol 2 row drag chopper. will be less work than cutting, then chopping with a multcher.
Borrow and ol dump truck to hall to the pit area.
Built a mound, keep packing and pushing the new material up on the mound. Pack it, and pack it tight. Under normal situations about 8in to a foot will spoil on a well packed silage pit. The Harvest Store type silos are able to limit the o2 bu the way they seal up at the top.
Hope this helps,
John A.

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Jared in VT

03-05-2004 19:41:06

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

Jay, Phil, Hayman and the Cowman are very clever and will not steer you wrong. You may want to look at other crops though. Growing Pumpkin and Turnips may prove far more satisfying. They store well and the cows love them. Keep them in a cool, dry place. Spray the Pumpkins with a weak bleach solution when you put them down, it stops spoilage. The Hayman talked about making good hay. A 4th generation Irish dairyman from Maine considered good hay the corner stone of cow nutrition. Everything else was gravy, (so to speak). At one time I purchased oats from MPG; Maine Potato Growers. They had them bagged and bulk, blown and augered. Good stuff. Raise good hay and vegetables and leave the silage for the day you can plant 20 arces of it. It sounds like you are having a great time, don't quit and listen only to that inner voice that sayes that it's all worth it!
Jared

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Jay

03-05-2004 20:44:08

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Re: Re: silage in reply to Jared in VT, 03-05-2004 19:41:06

Thank you for your comments. I already grow pumpkins but sell them at the farm stand. The thing about me and doing this kind of stuff is it helps a bunch of things. First, I love doing it. Second I get excersize from doing it, where some people would rather join a gym. Next is I like to have controll of what I eat, or should I say what I eat eats. Then there is the fact that I want to keep the ground working and keep it from getting all overgrown, and i just can't do all the vegetables for the farm stand my Father and Grandfather had by myself, so animals and crops are the best choice for me right now. I don't think they are as much work as the vegetables were. I still work full time, so I only have before work, and after work. And that leeds me into the biggest reason of all, I own a small Machine Shop, and when I leave work, and go home to relax, I need something that occupies my mind, or I just keep thinking about work. I like the corn idea, because I already have a 2 row planter. and the deer do enough damage to the pumpkins I plant near the house to sell, never mind trying to plant more out back. With the hay thing, it would cost me a lot to buy the equipment to cut hay, and I only have 8 acres. Like i said in another post, I do help a guy cut hay 2 towns over, and get my hay for free now, well not for free, for helping him. I don't know about the quality of the hay though. Everyone here thinks the hay should have kept the animals fine over the winter, and they were really loosing weight on hay alone. So his quality may be poor. I know it's only grass hay, so it's nothing special. I doubt i could get him to transport his equipment to my place to cut the little bit of good hay I could plant. The other thing I didn't even mention about wanting to keep working the land is the land is currently still listed as farm land, and the city hates me for it. They are always trying to say it isn't a farm anymore, so they can raise the taxes, so working the ground and keeping things movig, reassures the farm status. The last thing is, it's pretty rewarding and neat to sit and have an evening beer after working all day on the place, and overlooking a nice patch of healthy looking corn.

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Phil Munson

03-05-2004 18:00:20

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

You got it wrong from the beginning; sorry. First, I am sore and stiff just from thinking of cutting three acres with a machetti!! If our wives hear about this kind of stuff, God save us. Goodbye woodsplitters, tractors and all of our toys. You didn't post this just to savagely frighten all of us, did you??

Second, get an old chopper, Papec made gobs of them out here in Shortsville, NY. I have bought them for as little as fifty dollars.

Third, get in touch with your County cooperative extension agent. You can get a mountain of good advice and help from them taylored to husbandry practices for your immediate area.

Fourth, don't quit. Home raised beef is healthier and tastes better. Hamburgs from a well fed beefer are superior to most of the steak at the grocery store.

Five, it is cheaper and a lot more fun than therapy.

Good luck if you do not get the advice you need holler back.

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Jay

03-05-2004 18:19:03

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Re: Re: silage in reply to Phil Munson, 03-05-2004 18:00:20

I agree with you about the beef. I got a kick out of the rule changes that they made after BSE. No animal that can't walk under it's own power can be processed for human comsumption. Duh. I would never eat a sick animal anyway! Even if it could walk! Some people join a gym for excersize, I like to do farm work, and raise my own good food doing it. I have friends that can't eat my fresh meat because they saw the animal alive, and they would rather eat somethig bought at the store. If i could ever take them to a livestock processing plant, or auction to show them what they are getting at the supermarket, they would be beating down my door.

Jay

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Nebraska Cowman

03-05-2004 17:42:48

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

jay I feel bad now that you tried so hard but am glad that you are brave enough to try again. 3 acres is a pretty small amout to put in silage. At best there is always some spoilage on the outside of the pile. also in a larger pile the simple weight of the silage on top searves to pack that lower down. I put up what I considered a small pile this year (180 tons, about 35 acres of drouth stunted corn) Uncovered it has about a foot or so of spoilage. With that amount I can mix the spoiled in with the good and my beef cows eat it all. when i was milking cows years ago we threw out all the spoiled. I would recomed other options for your cropping. Dry ear corn is very good feed and the stalks could be left in the field till needed and utilized as fodder. That's more the way small farmers did it in the old days.

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Jay

03-05-2004 18:13:00

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Re: Re: silage in reply to Nebraska Cowman, 03-05-2004 17:42:48

I am determined, that's for sure. I won't give up easily. I only did silage because I saw farmers around here as a kid growing corn, chopping it in the fall, and feeding it over the winter. I was under the impression that spoiled feed would make the animals sick? As soon as i saw mold, I threw it all away. I have a couple goats, not to eat, to eat brush where I hate to mow, a new calf every year, and a lamb a year maybe a pig or two this year too. I did try to keep some of the ears last year for the chickens, but it too got moldy, I assume it was because I didn't dry it properly before putting it in crates. I get people telling me all the time, farming in my area is a thing of the past, just sell the property and move someplace where farming is big and I will be able to buy more land and have $$$ left over. But all my friends and what family I still have live here, so i'm not giving in to selling anytime soon. Maybe I should look around for a 1 row corn picker? I have a JD 2040 with 46 HP, so I figure 1 row only right? Thanks again for your help.

Jay

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Nebraska Cowman

03-05-2004 18:33:10

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Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 18:13:00

you can pick 3 acres by hand. in the old days men would pick a quarter section (160 acres)

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Jay

03-05-2004 18:40:53

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Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Nebraska Cowman, 03-05-2004 18:33:10

ok, I guess your right now that I think about it, but I do still have to figue out how to finish dry it so it doesn't rot right? Even just picking the ears by hand, sounds easier than all the work of trying to make silage the way I did it. I just don't want the ears to rot on my, because they have to dry to keep, unlike silage fermenting right? I'm learning here. Also i just thought of something else, if i graze the stalks like what was mentioned above, how do I keep my animals from getting bloated from over eating? Or is that really overplayed? I read all I can in books, maybe that's my problem, they always seem to tell you what to look out for health wise. They make me nervous thinking I'm going to kill my animals by doing something wrong.

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kyhayman

03-05-2004 17:04:02

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Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 16:57:05

I would guess oxygen contamination an insufficient moisture. Silage must be packed tightly to exclude oxygen and allow for anaerobic fermintation. Low moisture content will reduce the propionic fermintation and increase the ethanol fermintation (too high moisture will drive a butyric fermintation). I would rather see you try to bag it and pack press than pile and cover. Silage needs to be packed and covered within 12 hours of chopping, I'd speculate that your pile was unpacked an uncovered each day that you were chopping. One its chopped and covered it needs to be left alone for at least 28 days to ferment.

Regards,
David

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Jay

03-05-2004 17:36:14

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Re: Re: silage in reply to kyhayman, 03-05-2004 17:04:02

Well let me give you one more little bit of background also. My Dad and Grandfather were vegetable farmers, and we grew vegetables for a farm stand, so when it comes to farming, I know growing, but am lost about the silage and feed for the animals thing My father passed away young at 54, I figured he was going to be around for ever to help me, so i never asked him these questions. I didn't pack it at all. I did keep it covered when ever I wasn't chopping, but didn't pack anything. Should I take the front bucket of my tractor and pack it down, or do I have to do something different? As for bagging, I assume your not talking about 100# feed sacks, but I'm lost after that. I would do hay rather than silage, but I already help somebody cut hay, and for my help, I get the 200 or 300 bales a year I use free. I tried feeding straight hay after I lost my silage, but the animals started loosing too much weight. Maybe someone could put themselves in my type situation, and try to tell me the order and way they would process the corn. I have a 1 ton dump truck, a large commercial wood chipper, two hoop houses for keeping stuff dry, although I try to keep the eguipment in there under cover in possable, and a tractor with a front bucket. Thank you all in advance for taking the time to try and help me.

Jay

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kyhayman

03-05-2004 17:56:39

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Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 17:36:14

I'm with Nebraska Cowman on this one, it wouldnt be much more trouble to pick ear corn by hand than cut and chop all that fodder, then graze the stalk field.

With that said, when I used a bunker silo for 25 acres of corn I hired a D6 dozer just to run over the silage as we were dumping to increase the pack density. I'd be temped in you situation to see if you could mow it and get it round baled then wrap it in film, the baler with pack it for you. I dont think you can pack enough with a loader, maybe driving over it.

It I was going to do it with just what you have I'd try going to Sam's Club and getting a bunch of leaf sized plastic trash bags and double bag it in them. It will be a slow process.

Another option would be to plant the field in alfalfa or red clover and graze it or get someone to bale it. I dont recall from your post (my memory is slipping, halfzimers I guess :-)) if you are feeding calves or cows. Neither one should lose body condition on good hay. I've got momma cows calving and breeding back (holding body condition) on nothing but grass clover round bales. Weaned calves gaining at least a pound a day on the same hay/ 2 pounds a day on alfalfa silage.

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Nebraska Cowman

03-05-2004 17:52:54

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Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 17:36:14

yup, after reading your reply the ear corn idea loks gooder and gooder. cows will learn to eat the ears whole or you could run the through the chipper. I'd leave the shucks on, the cows love shucks. But bear in mind the corn has to be dry to keep. It is usualy stored in well ventelated cribs up off the ground, except in dry climates (I just make a pile on the ground here)

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Jay

03-05-2004 18:32:45

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Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Nebraska Cowman, 03-05-2004 17:52:54

See, I'm learning already. So maybe I start to travel to where people still farm and start looking for a corn picker? I assume if I can still find one in decent shape, they shouldn't cost very much. Then build a corn crib over the summer. Maybe silage was the wrong idea. What do I do to be able to dry the corn in large amounts with the shucks still on? My corn really never gets to dry 100% on the stalks, or the birds start really killing me. As for grazing the stalks, I could put up more fence and do that, but that takes me a little farther away from water, and power for keeping water from freezing during the winter too. Nobody local with a round baler at all. I mean sure, 10 or 15 miles away, but I will have to pay them more than I save to come bale my stalks no? I can't tell you all how happy I am to be learning what to do here. It will be really nice to do the work and actually benefit from it. I'm tired of it all going to waste after all the work.

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kyhayman

03-05-2004 19:27:19

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 18:32:45

My emailis unmasked if you want or need to email me, be glad to help if I can.

Regards,
David

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Nebraska Cowman

03-05-2004 18:38:25

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Jay, 03-05-2004 18:32:45

if you have msn messenger we can chat about it sometime. add me by my hotmail addy

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03-05-2004 20:07:01

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: silage in reply to Nebraska Cowman, 03-05-2004 18:38:25

Hi, our ancestor would cut the complete stalk and make stooks of corn stalks. During the winter they would feed the complete stalk to the cows.

If you are doing silage it must be cut fine 3/8" or less. Chop silage before stalk becomes to dry, we do it when the kenerls on the cob have started to dent and the material in the kernel is in the "dough" stage. Keep the area of your pile as small as possible. Drive over the bottom layers with your JD to pack. Old timers would sow oats on top of the pile. The oat roots would form a mass and create a crust on top of the pile that would prevent air from getting at silage.

Corn cribs must be tall and thin and constructed in a place where the wind will blow through the crib drying out the cobs. Most constructed of poles in the ground and chicken wire used for sides. The chicken wire would allow the air to flow through.

Good luck
JB

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