Producing high-quality forage is crucial for maintaining animal health, ensuring all year-round feed availability, reducing feeding costs by meeting nutrient requirements and that just names a few! Focusing on quality silage production practices, farmers can optimize their feed resources, enhance animal performance, and improve overall farm profitability. However, producing high-quality silage isn’t just dependent on the fodder being ensiled – the quality of your silage wrap can make or break the fermentation process determining whether your product experiences high degrees of dry matter loss, or progresses into a premium product.

We looked into five reasons why high-quality silage wrap is vital to producing good silage.

1. Preventing dry matter loss: Silage wrap is responsible for creating an airtight seal around the silage, reducing the movement of oxygen through the layers of the product. High-quality silage wrap ensures proper sealing, preventing air and moisture from entering the silage bales. This helps retain the nutrients, vitamins, and energy content of the fodder, ensuring that livestock receives optimal nutrition when consuming the silage.
2. Reducing spoilage: Properly wrapped silage bales using high-quality wrap minimize spoilage and losses. High-quality silage wrap has excellent oxygen barrier properties, reducing the risk of aerobic spoilage caused by mould, yeast, and bacteria. This helps maintain the quality of the silage and prevents nutrient degradation.
3. Increased Digestibility of the product: Silage wrap plays a crucial role in promoting the fermentation process, which improves the digestibility of the silage. High-quality wrap helps create an anaerobic environment inside the bales, allowing beneficial bacteria to ferment the fodder efficiently. This fermentation process breaks down complex carbohydrates into simpler sugars, enhancing the digestibility and palatability of the silage for livestock consumption.
4. Extended Shelf Life: It is common in Australia to store silage-wrapped bales for 12 months or more. A high-quality silage wrap helps extend the shelf life of these silage bales, allowing for longer storage periods without compromising quality. The superior barrier properties of high-quality wrap prevent the entry of oxygen, which can degrade the silage over time. This extended shelf life enables fodder producers to store silage for longer durations and ensures reliable and consistent feed sources throughout the seasons.
5. Cost Savings: Investing in high-quality silage wrap can lead to cost savings in the long run. By using a wrap that effectively preserves the nutritional value and quality of the silage, farmers can reduce feed losses and waste. This translates into higher feed efficiency and ultimately reduces the need for additional feed sources, resulting in potential cost savings for fodder production operations.

Choosing a reliable and effective silage wrap can significantly contribute to the success and profitability of fodder production endeavours and significantly alter the nutrient profile of the silage you rely on to produce good cattle.

SilaWRAP Ultra is the only Australian made silage wrap available in the market. Developed specifically for the heavy demands of high-speed wrapping machines, SilaWRAP Ultra contains a special blend of resins to maximise resistance to puncturing – ensuring the prevention of dry matter loss, reduced spoilage, increased digestibility and an extended shelf life.