Covering and feeding out

Gary Sliworsky,
Ag Rep.

Last week’s article dealt with filling and packing bunker silos. This week’s continues with covering and feeding out. Again, the information comes from Joel Bagg, Forage Specialist with OMAF
Covering and sealing horizontal silos quickly is essential to avoid spoilage and dry matter loss from both air infiltration and rainfall. Rainfall washes organic acids and soluble nutrients from to the silage. Use silage grade (UV protection) 6-mil plastic film. Dry matter losses can be 30 percent with an uncovered silo.
Plastic should be held in contact with the pile to keep air from moving under the plastic into the silage. Avoid situations where plastic flaps and acts like a bellows to increase air circulation over the surface. Old tires (whole, split or truck tire sidewalls) should be placed so that they touch each other. An alternative is a commercially available system of nylon bags filled with sand or gravel. Sealing the plastic edges can be done with soil, aglime or sandbags. Don’t put sandbags on the wall, because with “shrink” there will be an air gap under the plastic.
It is important to prevent rainfall runoff from flowing between the silage and bunker walls. Silage at the bottom corners of the pile, against the wall, is often too wet when rain water flows from the top down along the bunker wall. This can result in too much butyric acid produced that results in poor palatabilty, high spoilage loss and subclinical ketosis in dairy cows.
One way to prevent this would be to crown the silage to drain over the walls. Another way would be to form flow channels several feet from the walls and sloping them to drain off the silo surface and away from the silo. An alternate method would be to fold the edges of the plastic back, so that a channel is formed to carry the rainfall runoff away without reaching the wall.
The re-exposure of the silage to air at feed-out can result in the growth of molds, yeast and aerobic bacteria, particularly with corn silage. Slower feed-out rates increase the likelihood of aerobic spoilage. The recommended fed-out rate is at least 6 inches per day. During hot, humid weather much larger feed-out rates are required to stay ahead of the spoilage. Bunker silos should be sized accordingly. Do not feed moldy silage.
The silage face should remain tight and smooth to limit the penetration of air. Avoid fracturing the silo face by running at it with the front-end loader and using a lifting action. It is preferred to minimize fracturing by scraping down the face with the front-end loader and allowing the silage to fall to the floor. Block cutters or shear buckets are other options. Uncover and loosen only as much silage as is required.
If you suspect nutritional problems caused by poor silage quality consider a fermentation analysis. Fermentation analysis will measure pH, lactic, priopionic, acetic and butyric acids, ethanol and ammonia-N. This can be useful in diagnosing silo management and animal performance problems.
Net Income Stabilization Account (NISA) Administration is offering advance access to accounts for the 2003 year. This advance access is available to all qualifying NISA Account holders including farmers dealing with BSE impacted markets.
The advance access process is similar to the Interim Withdrawal option available in the previous NISA program. The Interim Withdrawal option allows you to receive your withdrawal entitlement in the same stabilization year as your financial need arises. This will be especially important for producers impacted by the BSE livestock markets in 2003.
To be eligible for an interim withdrawal for 2003 you must:
• have applied for a NISA application for the 2002 stabilization year and received your Deposit/Withdrawal Options Notice (DWON). You do not have to make your 2002 deposit entitlement prior to applying. Final application deadline for the 2003 NISA Stabilization year is Dec. 31, 2003.
• Have an account balance that is sufficient to cover the interim withdrawal payment; and
• Complete and submit the interim withdrawal application and worksheet.
Interim withdrawal applications, which include preprinted account information, are only available to participants upon requests. You will need to call the toll free line to NISA at 1-800-665-6472 and request an advance on 2003. An application form and a calculation worksheet to assist you in estimating your withdrawal entitlement will be sent to you in the mail.
To apply, you will need to estimate what your gross margin is for 2003. You then compare your estimated 2003 gross margin to your previous 5-year average gross margin that will be preprinted on the form.
If the 2003 margin is lower than your previous 5 year average you can request to take the difference out of your account, if sufficient funds are available. There is also a minimum income trigger options for calculating your interim withdrawal entitlement. The minimum income threshold is $20,000 for an individual or $35,000 for a family.
The current NISA policy is that overpayment are required to be repaid. In addition, a 3% penalty will be assigned should your interim withdrawal exceed the actual triggered withdrawal entitlement, by more than 20%. Producers should clarify with the NISA Administration for any update on policies and penalties when requesting their interim withdrawal application for 2003.
Using the advance access for 2003 allows NISA Account holders to access NISA funds now without having to close their NISA accounts before the future of NISA is finalized. A NISA account with a zero dollar balance is still considered an active NISA account.
Contact NISA at 1-800-665-6472 to determine how this advance access option applies to your account.