Silos and Silage

[Bird]

I've seen pit silos and lots of round vertical silos, but when this thing was built in my neighborhood 3 years ago, it was the first one I'd seen of this size and type (although it may not be unusual to some of you). I've been intending to make some pictures ever since then and today they are hard at work filling it up, so I stopped to visit and learn more about it.

Concrete floor and walls on two sides, open on both ends (although everything is done from the end in the picture - there's an old gravel pit full of water at the other end).

301' x 251', only filled it to a depth of 40' last year, plan to go 45' this year and that will be 65,000 tons. It's pure corn, nothing else, stalks and all, of course, ground so that nothing is larger than about a quarter inch in size (the guy said every kernel of corn must be broken, cut, or crushed).

 

[Bird]

This silo is owned by a consortium of 6 dairies; the largest of which is milking 6,000 cows. They also own 3 more silos like this one, but this is the biggest one. And yes, that's 9000 series John Deeres spreading, smoothing, and packing the silage - 4 of them. I didn't ask why some have a blade on the front, some on the rear, and some on both ends.

 

[Bird]

The corn is being harvested by 6000 series John Deere forage harvesters; don't know how many since I only saw two, and I didn't want to get in the way, so I was a long ways off when I made this picture that doesn't even show the harvester. All you can is one of the trucks driving alongside it to receive the silage. And in the foreground is milo; the corn field was farther back from the road.

The guy told me that, this year at least, the farmers could make 10% to 15% more money per acre selling the corn green as silage than they could get selling shelled corn later in the year.

 

[gordon]

We have quite a few of the open silos like that around here. But nothing even close to that size. The big ones around here are half that size at best. Not time for silage around here yet too early.

Some great pictures Bird.

Gordon

 

[Will_C]

Bird,
Lots of bunker silos like that that here in upstate NY and NE Pa., but not nearly that size. Many farmers will actually excavate into a bank and then pour the concrete walls. Much less expensive on the larger dairies than conventional upright silos. Many farmers are also using ag-bags, large tube shaped plastic bags filled by a blower to a length of 150' or so.
Will

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>Many farmers are also using ag-bags, large tube shaped plastic bags filled by a blower to a length of 150' or so</font color=blue>

I think I saw a few of those when I was up in that area about 9 years ago; wasn't sure just what kind of silage was in them. And a few years ago, in this area, I noticed quite a few of what appeared (in size and shape) to be the round bales of hay, except they were totalled enclosed in white plastic and I've been told that was silage, but I haven't seen any of them in the last 3 or 4 years.

 

[centex]

Could this be the work of Billy Sol Estes? I can't see a silo without being reminded of him.

 

[Bird]

I don't know, Don./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I always associated him with anhydrous ammonia tanks instead of silos./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The things you saw that looked like round bales in plastic was just that. There is a machine that lifts the round bale up and spins it as the plastic just winds around it. As for the silage bags, a lot of farms have stopped using them and went to pits as the baggers take a lot of time for what little they can store inside of them. More feasible to have bunkers put in and just pack the silage in them. You do have some nice pics. Do you mind if I borrow them to have put on another website?

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I can't hear the word "silage" without thinking of my grandfather and his stories about how they'd hand fill the wagons with the stuff. And when they'd get down to the bottom they'd have cups and enjoy the fermented fruit of their labor.

As kid raised on a dairy in Arizona I do recall the sweet pungent smell that came when they were feeding silage to the cows.