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Silage Pit Roller

Picture This: You are driving in the countryside and see a mound covered in tyres and a big tarpaulin, ever wondered what it is and why?

It is in fact a silage pit or clamp.

What is Silage?

Silage is pasture grass that has been ‘pickled’. It is a method used to preserve the pasture for livestock to eat later when natural pasture isn’t good, like in the dry season.

The grasses are cut and then fermented to keep as much of the nutrients (such as sugars and proteins) as possible. The fermentation is carried out by microscopic organisms living in the grass.

Why do we compact Silage?

Basically, for fermentation. It minimises the amount of air trapped in the silo initially which will mean wasteful aerobic processes will cease sooner, allowing fermentation to begin.

The cut grass is chopped into even smaller pieces and then compacted to get out as much oxygen as possible (this is important because the microorganisms, called lactic acid bacteria, are needed to carry out the fermentation like living in oxygen-free environments). When the silage is to be stored piled in a large pit, tractors and other machinery such as a roller are usually driven over the grass pile until it is firm.

What does a Silage Pit Roller do?

A silage pit roller speeds up the compaction process almost four-fold, saving both time and fuel. Rolling tight to the sides of the silage clamp is much easier, resulting in improved silage quality in this vulnerable area. Silage Pit Rollers have been shown to increase dry matter density by up to 40 per cent when compared to conventional tractor rolling. That’s an impressive 40 per cent more feed that can be stored in the same clamp, helping to save valuable space.

Better compaction = better silage

 

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