Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dan Conine <dconine@bertramwireless.com>]

Hi Harvey,
A good topic. I have done farm scale and a little small scale by 
accident when composting. I think that there are some points to cover 
that are important:
First: silage is a type of pickling process if done just right, and the 
lactofermenting can enhance the feed value, but also makes it acidic 
(hence being careful how much you feed to animals).
The scale isn't really the issue, and the article is right: You'll have 
to experiment with moisture levels and techniques yourself with your own 
climate (drying times, cutting times, etc.).
Usually, cutting finer is better, because fine cut silage allows the air 
to be squeezed out. Too much oxygen yields compost and mold instead of 
fermentation.
Like beer, it ferments to a point where the oxygen and/or moisture is 
used up or turned acidic enough. Too much moisture, again, will generate 
rot from anerobic bacteria, and not enough won't generate enough acidity 
to preserve the feed. Too dry and the material can ignite spontaneously, 
also.
In some climates, freezing can be a boon, as the material (corn, 
especially) will start to ferment right after harvest, then be frozen in 
state and can stay there for some time if insulated. (I've taken frozen 
corn out of a Harvestore silo in July in Wisconsin.)
I would also suggest combining the plastic barrels to make taller silos 
and seal them together real well. You might need to come up with some 
kind of auger to get it out, though. The reason silos are tall is to 
pack down the silage and get the air out (the finer the chop, the less 
air will be trapped). The modern 'sausages' made in plastic are very 
dependent on a fine chop because they don't have as much pressure on 
them, and sharp pieces can pierce the bags and let air in to mold the 
feed (crows are a problem, too).

Dan Conine
Belgium, WI



> From: Harvey Ussery <harvey@themodernhomestead.us> Subject: 
> [Livingontheland] Small-lot silage To: Healthy soil and sustainable 
> growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org> Message-ID: 
> <4BAFF942.2010702@themodernhomestead.us> Content-Type: text/plain; 
> charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Has anybody on the list experimented 
> with making small-lot silage? Seems like a great concept--see 
> http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Small-scale+silage+your+yard+can+be+your+field.+%28Feeds+%26+feeding%29.-a083553803 
> and http://www.smallstock.info/tools/feed/silage/lbs02.htm 

> The thing I don't like about these approaches is the generation of 
> plastic trash. I'm thinking about using some food grade plastic drums 
> (plastic, yes, but more durable--and if recycled, already in being 
> anyway) or discarded wine/whiskey barrels to experiment with the 
> concept. If I get serious about the process, I could make a small 
> concrete lined, earth trench, I suppose. Has anyone made silage on the 
> home, as opposed to farm, scale? Model? Results? Thanks. ~Harvey
> -- Harvey in northern Va