Makers of maize silage urged to try new product

Farmers and agricultural contractors currently producing maize silage could be set for excellent results if they employ a new product.

Launched earlier this year, Visqueen Clingseal is a new silage sheet from bpi.agri which has been proven to reduce top and shoulder losses in the clamp. bpi.agri believes the new product will prove especially beneficial to those now making maize silage because of the higher value of this crop and the therefore more costly nature of any clamp wastage.

“Top and shoulder losses are undesirable in any clamp and particularly so with a crop like maize which has a high nutritional value - and that’s priced accordingly” explains Louise Aplin, Marketing Manager at bpi.agri.

“Visqueen Clingseal can help farmers to protect their investment in terms of time, effort and money by providing clamps with an improved air barrier.”

The way the product works is simple. It is designed for use underneath a conventional, high quality silage sheet such as bpi.agri’s Visqueen Agri-S. As it’s thinner and subsequently more flexible than conventional silage sheets, it is able to ‘cling’ more closely to the contours of the clamp’s surface and to tuck in better at the sides. This closer fit minimises the presence of air pockets, depriving aerobic bacteria, such as those that cause white mould, of the oxygen they need to grow.

In addition, the enhanced air barrier achieved by using Visqueen Clingseal also facilitates a faster, more efficient fermentation process, resulting in maize silage with greater nutritional value.

Those involved in testing the product as part of final, field trials before its official launch included Will Jones from Higher Living Dairy in Devon. Speaking of the new product, he said: “We normally use salt to try and control waste on our maize clamp but Visqueen Clingseal proved to be more cost effective, easier to apply and resulted in no wastage whatsoever. This was despite the fact it was used on a clamp with very high sides which made it impossible to roll completely.

“In marked contrast, the neighbouring clamp, which was treated with salt and sheets in the usual way, did see some wastage on both its top and sides.”

He adds: “Having seen the results firsthand, there’s no doubt that we’ll be using Visqueen Clingseal on our maize clamps this season”.

Hefin Richards, a consultant at Profeed Nutrition, was also involved in Visqueen Clingseal’s pre-launch evaluation. His views of the new product are just as favourable: “Under commercial silage making conditions, IBERS cites that total dry matter losses of 25% can be expected from field to feedout, whilst in-silo losses of 5 to 18% are typical. The ability to exclude oxygen from the clamp can be a key factor in reducing these losses.

“By providing an improved air barrier, products like Visqueen Clingseal can minimise losses during both the harvesting and clamping process. They are definitely worth employing and never more so than when ensiling a moist feed like brewers’ grain or crimped maize which are not only higher value, but also more susceptible to wastage.

“To appreciate the advantages, you only have to think about it in terms of hard facts and figures. A cubic metre of maize silage equates to around 800kg of material and if that maize was bought for £25/tonne will have a value of £20. Following on from that, a 10cm deep layer of that silage would be worth £2.

“It’s not unusual for farmers to regularly lose that kind of depth and more from their clamp due to aerobic spoilage. And not from one cubic meter either - but from across the clamp’s entire face. It’s an expensive and now easily avoidable waste.”

To raise awareness of the difference Visqueen Clingseal can make to farmers using maize silage, bpi.agri is actively promoting the new product over the coming season.

Louise Aplin says: “Visqueen Clingseal is an important innovation and farmers and agricultural contractors producing maize silage need to know about it. They need to know about its capabilities, its benefits and its ability to help them save money.”

DATE: 31/08/2010

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