Bale wrapping was first seen in Ireland in 1981. At that time, the bales were made and placed in a big bag and tied. The system never really took off as labour and damage to bags were the incumbents to success. It was not until the blue Silawrappers arrived from Australia in 1986 that baled silage started to make an impact in Ireland.
This Focus section also looks at handling bales and how to avoid damaging them. We also look at the new balers on the market with updates and new models from all the big players. Will four or six layers make the difference when it comes to the quality at the end of year? We look at
Looking into this further with help from a Teagasc online calculator, I compared the value of silage relative to a tonne of rolled barley priced at €191/t. See Table 2.
According to the calculations on the feed value, that may be out by 10% for wet forage like silage accounting for ensiling loses and contamination. The potential value of bale one that costs the same money to make as bale two will deliver much higher results in liveweight gain and milk yield.
The benefits of increasing the dry matter percentage are evident, as less water and more of the potential feed value are ensiled. If a farmer has 1,000 bales for the year and the feed value is down by €11.55 per bale, there is a lot of potential saving on concentrate feed bills lost. Bales at 35% to 40% dry matter can be more susceptible to mould growth and most suppliers of silage wrap film would recommend using at least six layers of film to prevent air entering the bale.
The next issue is the size and weight of the bales which has increased over the years. Skimping on net wrap is not an option with bales expanding after leaving the bale chamber allowing air back in to the bale. At least 2.25 turns of net should be applied to the bale to ensure the bale remains tight. The storage of bales on the farm is an area we will look at later in this Focus. A lot of bale clamps are located in the wrong part of the fields or yard and are not stockproof, not to mention the birds.
Safety
Handling bales last year resulted in a number of serious accidents. The weight of a bale of silage is in the region of 650kg to 900kg. If the bale slips or falls off a trailer or clamp, the risk of injury is very high. Care needs to be taken around the baler, especially when clearing blockages and changing rolls of net. If leaving the tractor and loader for any reason, ensure that the machine cannot roll by applying the handbrake and lowering the loader to the ground.
Just last week while working on my home farm spreading fertiliser, I looked at where I was taking the plastic cover off the pallets and where I left the loader forks positioned. I had the handbrake on and the tractor secured. For a quick moment, a cold shiver came over me at what could have happened if the tractor did roll. Rushing and tiredness is when your guard will be dropped and accidents may happen.
To read the full Baled Silage Focus supplement click here.