Corn grain silage

Corn grain silage has recently become an important factor in the profitability of Suinosul Farm. The silage is made from corn harvested with 30-35% moisture content. It is milled and stored in a shed with 6 bays, compacted by the tractor which is used to distribute it in the bay.

The resulting product is a highly nutritious silage, with many advantages over corn grain fed dry. Its nutrients are highly available to the pigs, compensating partially for its higher moisture content. It is very easy to acquire at harvest time, on extended payment terms, thus avoiding oscillations in corn prices between harvests. And it is not subject to production of mycotoxins which so easily contaminate dry corn.

Corn is harvested twice per year in southern Brazil. The main harvest is in January, and the second one in June. The silage shed at the farm has a capacity of 1,500 tonnes, enough for 6 months of feed production. The corn silage is used in all feeds except those for the younger pigs.

The photos show: 1/ External view; 2/ Internal view; 3/ Receiving corn; 4/ Mills working; 5/ Tractor spreading and compacting; 6/ Bay almost full.

Details of the corn silage shed: