Silage is golden. Check out truck-tire side walls at the 2016 NY Farm Show

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Feb. 22, 2016 - PRLog -- The most effective way to minimize costs when making silage for your dairy cows is to maximize the quality. Various factors must be considered at virtually every stage of the ensiling process, from initial fermentation to oxygen exposure at opening. Although it is not uncommon to see as much as a 25% or higher loss, targets should fall below 10%. In addition to cost, one of the problems inherent in silage loss is that the portion lost invariably contains the most highly digestible nutrients, i.e., starch, protein and sugars.

According to qualitysilage.com, good management skills and dedication to producing high quality silage will help reduce losses and feed expenses overall:

·      Ensure that crops are harvested at the recommended stage of maturity and moisture level for each foodstuff

·      Be certain the chop length is right and that the crop is processed (if necessary)

·      Treat forages with effective doses of research-proven inoculants formulated to help address stability challenges (such as one containing Lactobacillus buchneri 40788)

·      Pack densely to restrict air infiltration as much as possible

·      Cover and weight down immediately (preferably with 100% bias ply truck-tire side walls) to avoid exposure to air, water, etc.

·      Seal tightly and repair any damage to the cover during storage

·      At feedout: proceed quickly to prevent heating and remove only the silage amount needed for feeding (do not pile removed silage). Properly balance the ration around the silage.

Want to know more, see more and have a great time in the process? Visit the 2016 New York Farm Show. It’s taking place from February 25 to 27 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse and, showcasing the wares of hundreds of exhibitors, it promises to respond to all your dairy-farming needs. And while you’re there, make a beeline to the Dairy Building, booth D-705 and have a chat with Danny Nadler, president/CEO of Tire Sidewall Depot. He’ll set you up with the finest in silage cover weights fashioned from bias ply truck-tire side walls to provide user-friendly, cost effective, cleaner alternatives to heavy, burdensome whole tires. Tire Sidewall Depot’s bunker silo truck-tire side walls help preserve the nutritional content of silage, while protecting the environment and farmers by eliminating exposure to such breeders of disease as rusting metal (a disadvantage of radial side walls) and stagnant water (a health hazard associated with whole tires). They help minimize your losses by offering greater efficiency, safety, eco-friendliness, and reduced labor than radials and whole tires often used for the same purpose.