Preparing a silage clamp for the new season can be daunting. A farmer's to-do list can be as long as your arm. Silostop Agri has put together this quick and easy guide to make the process as painless as can be.
1) Clean out any old silage.
As a farmer, the last thing you'd want is to give your fresh new crop any chance of being spoilt or contaminated. First, ensure that you clean your clamp of any silage from the previous season. Use a pressure washer to speed things up.
2) Make any repairs needed.
Any task worth doing is worth doing right. This goes double for ensuring your clamp is in top shape before the new season.
The first step on any silage clamp's repair list is checking for scuffs or cracks. Failure to do so may introduce the silage clamp's enemy - oxygen. Filling a clamp and storing silage puts pressure on these walls, so keeping an eye on this is essential. When filling the clamp, layer the forage 15cm deep. Consolidate it well to reach a target density of 700kg/m3. Using too heavy machinery can also put added pressure on the walls of the clamp, so it's one to look out for.
3) Check that effluent channels are not blocked.
As we all know, draining effluent is critical to any silage clamp. If not, anaerobic conditions may occur. This can promote the growth of harmful bacteria, affecting the quality of your silage. Once the crop has begun to ferment, the effluent must have somewhere to drain. Otherwise, it is all too easy to experience this situation.
4) Remove any obstructions.
Much like the silage clamp repair job, this step is about ridding your silage of as much oxygen as possible. Check the walls for any obstructions, such as nails or debris. These could cause tears or damage to the new silage sheets. If there are uneven areas, it might be a good idea to patch these up. Do this before putting a side sheet on the walls to make them as smooth as possible.
5) Paint the walls.
Your hard-working clamp deserves a new lease of life before the new season begins. Applying a lick of wall paint will make your clamp appear brand new. It will also ensure that silage effluent does not damage the walls. This nasty liquid will start to eat away at your concrete, given half a chance. This is an excellent opportunity to add a much-needed layer of protection.
Silostop Wall Paint covers 60m² of wall and is a great way to help prepare your clamp for the busy months ahead. The good news is that application can be a simple process. You can apply Silostop Wall Paint with either a spray applicator, a brush, or a roller. This leaves your clamp with a non-porous, smooth finish.
6) Cover the walls with wall film.
We've cleaned the clamp, fixed it, and given it a fresh paint job. The only thing left is to keep it that way. Because of this, the last job is a no-brainer: Protect the walls from silage acid with wall film. Wall film keeps acid away from your walls and is a superb way to ensure the clamp is air-tight.
Hang the wall film with at least a 1.5m overhang over each wall. Next, hang gravel bags over the top to help keep it in place while the clamp is filling. Finally, you can fold the wall film with the top sheet in place and tuck it down the sides once consolidated. These steps will ensure maximum protection and prevent oxygen ingress.
Your silage clamp should now be spick and span and ready for the upcoming silage season.
