The Staalmeester JF 1300 AT row-independent silage harvester.

All livestock farmers are aware of the importance of maize and sorghum silage in providing quality nutrition to cattle throughout the year.

With changing rainfall patterns and severe droughts in some regions, producing quality silage has become more important than ever before.

It is important to take precautions when preparing silage, so that the end product is of a high quality, and to prevent the necessity of discarding any spoiled or unpalatable feed. It is especially important to have a closer look at certain finer details of silage production.

Use the correct harvester

A good quality precision harvester must be used to ensure a good cutting quality of the desired size.

Staalmeester’s JF 1300, JF C120, JF Double C240 Evolution, and JF 1600 AT models are good examples of this. All of these models are available with a wide range of cutting lengths and offer precise control and precision.

Silage storage

Another very important aspect of making silage is its storage. Good ensilaging means better nutrition for cattle and cost savings for producers.

Silage is mostly stored in bunkers. However, newer technology promotes improved ensilaging and greater efficiency. The storage of silage in silo bags is becoming increasingly popular and can mean better quality silage. Losses due to poor compaction and oxygen exposure are also eliminated with the use of silo bags.

Optimum utilisation

The JF Silomaster quickly places freshly cut silage crops into bags, without the need for extra tractors to compact the silage on the silage heap or in the bunker. This means that the feed is exposed to oxygen for a shorter period, and there are ultimately fewer dry matter losses. Each bag can store 60 to 90 tonnes of silage for as long as 18 months, depending on its quality.

The bags also greatly eliminate spoilage of silage when removing portions for daily feeding.

Nowadays, more and more farmers produce better silage with less losses by making silage in bags. This way they can feed more cattle with the same quantity of crops, or they can reduce the area on which they plant and still have the same amount of feed available for their cattle.

For more information, contact 018-431-0300 or send an e-mail to info@staalmeester.co.za