In France, Christian Leroy covered his corn, brewers' grain and sugarbeet pulp silos with Silostop Orange and Anti-UV covers.
As a result, Christian Leroy, dairy farmer, and brother Thierry Guitry are very happy with the quality of their silage. Previously the corn silos were covered with conventional black PE plastic secured with tyres. "On the top layer and the edges of the silo, silage losses were phenomenal. We commonly had to throw away 10 to 15% of our silage, which meant many hectares were cultivated for nothing! I used to chuck mouldy silage into the woods for the wild boar, but now they no longer have anything to eat I have to buy them grain corn! What a shame!" jokes the farmer.
The silos were covered with one layer of Silostop Orange film. Silostop film is just 45 micron thick, and contains a layer of EVOH (Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol) which acts as a barrier to oxygen. "Silostop has the same preservation properties as fresh meat packaging”, “Sheeting the silo is very easy. The Silostop film clings to the corn, reducing air pockets. Although thin, Silostop film is strong and can be walked on. In addition, it is very light, making it easy to handle and reducing labour costs, and it is cheaper and easier to recycle than conventional PE plastic”.
On the farm the beet pulp and brewers grain silos are also covered with Silostop (see photos below). "The grains are very wet. The consistency is slippery and it is difficult to ensile them effectively. It is a produce that usually keeps poorly. Here, the result is surprising" recognizes the farmer.
Silostop Ultimate Oxygen Barrier Film comes in widths ranging from 4 to 27 meters. The film needs to be covered with a net or Anti-UV cover to protect against physical damage, and should be well weighted with gravelbags. "I stopped putting tyres on the silo. They fill with water, are difficult to handle, and above all there this the risk of wire from worn tyres entering the silage”, says Christian Leroy. “Finding wire in the cows’ feed has happened to me in the past.”
