The effect of alternative bunk silo ballast systems on the qualitative value of corn silage

摘要

In order to reduce dry matter and nutrient losses from the silage mass bunk silos are covered with plastic film sheeting. Plastic sheeting is typically held in position with a ballast system, usually in the form of automobile tires of varying sizesand weights. Three alternative ballast systems were compared to the standard tire ballast (control) with respect to forage quality and labor efficiency in covering bunks. The three systems were stacked, side-by-side, and sidewall. Temperatures were monitored at depths of 6, 12, 24 and 48 inches as an indication of oxygen infiltration through the cover system. Temperatures were recorded hourly for 50 days. The daily temperatures of the control, stacked and side-by-side treatments peaked at all four depths between day 5-14 and were at or below 90 deg F, suggesting a successful fermentation process. Changes in forage nutritive value were measured at the same depths as temperature measurements. Evaluations included dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, ash,lignin, non-structural carbohydrates, volatile fatty acids and pH. All ballast treatments had acceptable levels of these silage quality indicators. Labor efficiency of placing the four ballast systems was also measured. The sidewall treatment displayedthe most efficient surface area covered per labor hour compared to the control (861 vs. 527 square feet). This experiment has shown that under proper corn silage harvest management practices, alternative ballast systems can effectively be used instead ofconventional tire systems.