Stretchable silage film helps farmers keep the forage last longer. How does this kind of stretchy cover contribute to the husbandry world? This is the question that people usually ask. There are so many kinds of wraps; there has to be a good reason why the farmers should pick this.
This kind of wrap not just focuses on preserving the forage but also offers waste reduction, efficiency improvement. The good news is, along with time past away, the usability, sustainability and the whole performance are upgraded. Keep reading to dig into the information.
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Poor Wrapping=Rich Feed Loss
Wrapping seems to be a simple thing to do. Many people refuse to admit this part as an important one, whereas some serious problems could cause damage to the whole bale. Thanks to some failures that finally taught the world to admit that this part is also super important. Wrapping with poor technique or the wrong method could cause moisture imbalance.
Mold could grow in this condition. For over-drying, dry matter loss often happens. The loss could be just a few (or sometimes so much) per bale, but if those are accumulated, it is enough to feed the livestock. This contributes to financial loss.
Wrapping with the proper technique and material comes as a solution to avoid those. To avoid damage to the wet livestock feed, stretchable silage film helps control the moisture. Feed waste can be prevented.
Silage and Its Moisture
Moisture level can be said as the most important thing after the material. The feed is successfully made if the moisture is right. It also determines the quality of each bale or even each batch. With the right moisture, the feed is perfect with no spoilage organisms, quick fermentation and great compaction. The correct content moisture ranges from 60 to 70%. Here’s the breakdown of the imbalances:
Too Much
The quality degrades with the low nutritional content, as the benchmark. Letting the livestock eat this leads to malnutrition, where the livestock can’t reach the production target. The high moisture could cause Clostridia bacteria. It shifts acids and sugar into ammonia, butyric acid and carbon dioxide.
Those result in taste and smell changes. Moreover, due to the foul taste and smell, the palatability degrades with the texture, which also doesn’t attract the livestock to eat it. After being unsealed and exposed to air, it spoils easily. Low pH, which inhibits bad microbes, is hard to reach in wet conditions.
Too Dry
The lack of moisture makes the feed too dry. The material contains air more so the texture is more bouncy. This characteristic disturbs the packing process. Bulky bale is the most common problem when the water content is too low.
This poor packing then leads to the growth of aerobic bacteria that can spoil the forage due to the heat they produce. Furthermore, the damage can be even worse with the presence of molds and yeasts.
It leads to nutrient loss, or worse, total damage. Some material, like kernels, can be hard to chew and hard to digest. The fiber digestibility also decreases. Rarely, but it can happen, the heating caused by oxygen presence can light a fire.
Imbalance or incorrect moisture level can be harmful. It runs for both the feed and the livestock. The livestock could protect themselves from poisoning by spitting out the bad-tasting feed. But under certain conditions, they cannot taste well, so it’s the farmers who have to always check thoroughly. The elastic wrap, in fact gives contributes to maintaining environmental stability.
Make a Difference
The stretchable silage film has high flexibility that allows it to expand. It wraps the bales tightly. The layers have a strong cling that prevents the air from rushing in. In the shape, it helps the bale to be proportionate and good, making the storage process easier. In terms of loss, here are the detailed reasons why this wrap prevents loss.
Protect Bales from External Disturbance
The material is elastic but strong, preventing outside disturbances from entering. Rainwater is the most common one. Small animals are the next, but with this strong wrap, the feed is safe, and no holes are caused by those creatures. With the perfect protection, the durability is extended.
Moisture Maintenance During Storage
The wrap prevents the drying process inside the bale. So, the moisture will be the same from the start from when the bale is ready for the livestock meal.
Great Compression
The bale is tightly wrapped, and the air inside will be pushed out. The elasticity is the characteristic that allows this to happen. The fermentation runs consistently because of the oxygen reduction.
The elasticity is not about the proportional shape of bale or convenient storage, but affects the quality. With these multiple functions, stretchable silage film is recommended for your livestock feed wrap.
