Brownie Style Silage

Quick and efficient Ensiling of Beets

Handling and storage of the beets after harvesting is one of the most frequent reasons why the beet is not chosen as feedstuff for cattle feeding.

In recent years, it has been common practice to ensile the beets, either with beet pellets or layered with grass or maize silage. For some, this has been seen as a high effort and the loss due to re-ensiling could not be fully quantified. However, some dairy farmers have tried other methods that can facilitate the work effort.

The “Brownie Style Silage” – a sweet topping for an existing silage layer of grass, maize or wholecrop silage of cereals - is very efficient, and cost-saving.

Compared to the "Lasagna Style Silage” where beet layers are incorporated onto fresh harvested maize or into existing grass silage, the existing silage does not have to be mixed. This new method offers many advantages:

Each crop is harvested at its optimal time.

Depending on availability, different layers in the lower part of the silo can be used (grass silage, corn cob mix silage, maize silage...).

The amount of beet to be included in the diet can be adjusted individually.

No problems with effluent - the bottom layer absorbs it gladly and well.

No heat in the corn in summer: By ensiling the beets on top of maize silage and corn cob silage, it has been observed that no heat occurs in the silage in summer.

The work effort is significantly lower, as the silo does not have to be emptied and refilled again.

Good to know about Brownie Style Silage

Avoid Effluent Loss

It is important that the beets have been stored in a pile for at least two - preferably three weeks before ensiling. This matures the beet and reduces the effluent, even with very fine chopping. This means that the beets can be chopped in a relatively high layer, without moving out to one side.

Chopp the Beets

The beet is chopped with a VDW RS model beet cutter, which chop the beet twice in the same operation. Provides good distribution between the different sizes of the pieces so they ensile without being compacted.

It is important to have crumble to fill the space between bigger pieces. It is not possible to compact the chopped beets. Therefore, the chopping starts from one end of the silo and at a height suitable for the ratio of beet you want to feed.

Leave Space for Beets in the Bunker Silo

If you want to ensile beet on top of grass or maize silage, remember not to fill the silo up to the edge of the silo wall – there must be room for beet. Please try our new “Feedbeet Topping Calculator” in my KWS* to calculate the amount of beet you have to put on top in relation to your silo dimension, your planned feed allocation and your herd size.