Abstract
An efficient feed management is important for a sustainable and economic agricultural production. One of the main points for improving the efficiency is the reduction of feed losses. In the present investigation the dry matter (DM) losses of grass, lucerne and maize silages in farm scaled bunker silos were analysed. The method of determining DM losses was the total-in versus total-out DM mass flow of the silos, including the determination of DM content and other silage parameters via manual sampling. The results taken from 48 silos showed on average for all investigated crops 9–12% of DM losses. Density and feed out rate showed a negative correlation to DM losses in maize silages. According to the applied method for determining DM losses on farm scale, a guideline of 8% can be suggested for maximum DM losses in bunker silos for grass and maize silages. The described method seems to be applicable for improving the feed management by using largely automated measurements on the harvest and feeding side.
Highlights
Agricultural production faces worldwide challenges due to climate change, population growth and loss of agricultural land
The silos were investigated by the total-in versus total-out procedure to obtain reliable information about acceptable dimensions of Dry matter (DM) losses for farm scale bunker silos
The aim of the study was to define promising starting points in order to improve the efficiency in feed management and to develop a useful tool to control DM losses in farm scale bunker silos
Summary
Agricultural production faces worldwide challenges due to climate change, population growth and loss of agricultural land. Only 7% of energy losses during the ensiling process are supposed to be unavoidable (Zimmer 1980) Because those results were obtained from measurements in bench scale silos, transferability of these test results to practice is questionable. Concerning DM losses of farm scale bunker silos, reliable values are still not available. For this reason, in the present study DM losses at storage for 48 silos were examined. The aim of the study was to define promising starting points in order to improve the efficiency in feed management and to develop a useful tool to control DM losses in farm scale bunker silos
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