There, beyond the free stall barn
of content Holsteins munching on last year’s crop, I begin to hear a familiar
sound. A kind of metal clinking, engine humming,
and corn stalks whirring and crunching as the chopper works through the field
and his ever constant companion of a wagon or truck works to keep up. Silage chopping is a team sport- in this case
the whole family is working to get feed put away for their herd for the next
year. I can sense the urgency in the air
as I am warmly greeted on to the farm.
One of the two brothers, Mike, met me and we chatted quickly about why I
was there. But I knew I was not very
high on the priority list for today- Corn silage was top priority today. At Aspirin Acres I am sure when each of them woke
up this morning that is exactly what they thought. So after the cows were checked, fed, milked
and moved; the heifers and calves were fed; machines were fixed, all the people
were rounded up…finally they can start in the field. Mike pointed over the hill to the next field
where his son Joe was chopping and his wife and younger son were running wagons
and invited me to ride in the chopper; this man had some bunker packing to do
today and I am slowing him down. I had
never been in a self-propelled chopper before, and I thanked my lucky stars I
don’t have motion sickness. Joe and I
chatted in the cab about the crop this year and how their silage was two weeks
behind last. We also talked about how
they work with their agronomist and nutritionist to make a plan from seed to
feed. 
Jacob is excellent at placement and you can
tell his knowledge is highly valued on farm.
He helps to create a plan with
the grower so that you have a pretty good idea what field will need to be
harvested first. A great way to spread
out your silage season is to use multiple maturity hybrids. That way you can have a greater window of
opportunity for when you corn will be ready to chop.
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| NIR Gun |
Jim Stelse introduced me to the
Animal Nutrition world of silage…and all the acronyms that come with. We talked about CCP (Critical Control
Points), DM (Dry Matter), NIR (Near Inferred) Gun for checking moisture, TLOC
(Total Length of Cut), KPS (Kernel Processing)…I really could go on and
on. You should see all the tools and
testing equipment that an animal nutritionist carries on the farm! It’s quite
the carload. Animal nutritionist use
these “on farm tools”, along with lab testing to help make decisions like
increasing the kernel processing, moisture and nutrition needs of the
animal.
For an animal nutritionist getting
the highest forage quality is very important.
Jim uses CCP to have a guide for his growers to go through the season
with a plan for success. The CCP includes
decision making as to when the harvest of the silage starts or is altered. When determining when to start silage, a
number of factors go into this decision making- such as finding a maturity
optimization for yield quantity and quality. The silage harvest season is very
highly influenced by moisture. This
makes the window for harvesting very narrow and can make for a stressful
event. During the chopping season conditions
change, but you have control over a few things…and weather is certainly not
one! If your chopper is equipped with a kernel processor, you can alter
processed taking into consideration their moisture and starches. Use a shaker
box to see length of cut and how the plant in processing. Another way to insure you are working for the
best forage is to have excellent packing and then seal it. In silage oxygen is the enemy. A bunker must be packed to protect the feed
from spoiling and to increase storage.
I also asked with Matt Solymossy
from our Safety Manager about silage gas safety. He warned “Silo Gas is very dangerous gas made
up of primarily Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide that are released during
the early stages of the fermentation process. Silo gas hazards exist
anytime farmers or employees enter silo storage structures, but there is
increased risk in the days immediately following filling the silo. Silo
gas can typically be detected by its bleach like odor and faint red or yellow
haze. Never enter a silo if you detect the presence of silo
gas.”
No one would argue the fact that
dairy farmers are hard workers… but to think that they work to get the everyday
chores done- then get to the field to chop between chores (which itself is a
full time job).
I think it is good to remind ourselves and others that farming can be very dangerous…especially during silage season. As I left Aspirin Acres and I watched the wagons coming and going to the bunker area, I was reminded of all those familiar yellow signs on the road portraying a tractor and a farmer. Having so much farm equipment frequenting the road during silage season working feverishly to get a job done is stressful enough, having another person on the farm, I know from experience can make you very nervous. So I want to extend a sincere thanks to the Benish Family of Aspirin Acres for allowing me onto their farm. Whether you are packing a bunker, filling a bag or blowing it up a silo have a safe productive silage season! Thank you!
