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Safety in Silage Bunker Silos and Piles |
JIM LINN
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This past winter a dairy nutritionist was killed in southeastern Minnesota when a large, frozen chunk of corn silage fell on him while he was taking samples. This tragic accident serves as a reminder that it's important to build bunker silos or piles no higher than the height the silo unloading equipment can reach. Too-high bunkers or piles produce poor quality silage and are unsafe for anyone working around them. For high-quality forage, you need to remove at least 6 inches of forage from the whole face of the bunker silo or forage pile each day, winter and summer. If the bunker or pile is taller than the unloading equipment can reach, ledges form above the face from which forage is being removed. These ledges can fall and kill you. And even if they don't kill you, they can harm your operation. The feed that is in the ledge is usually moldy and low quality. If you throw it away, you lose money to wasted feed. If you feed it, you lose money to reduced animal performance. Bunker silo and pile heights are safety concerns when filling as well as at feedout. When filling and during packing, the risk of tractor rollovers and the severity of injuries increases as the height of the silage pile increases. For safety, bunkers and piles should not be more than 10 to 12 feet high. Build piles at least three times as wide as they are high. In bunkers, don't pile silage more than about 2 feet above the wall. Enough silage should be at the peak of bunkers or piles to build a crown for water to run off. As you fill bunkers or make piles this year, consider how high the feeding equipment can safely reach and do not exceed that height. It is better to build piles longer or wider than higher. A bunker or pile that is too wide for removing 6 inches off the face every day can be split. Feed off of one half (moving back 6 inches or more per day) for a month, then switch to the other half. |
Sampling SafetyThe nutritionist who was killed was taking samples off the face of the bunker. While this is a common practice, there is a safer and better way to get good samples. The best way to get a good sample of forage in bunkers or piles is to knock down the daily amount for feeding and then load a lare quantity into the TMR mixer and mix it for three to five minutes. Unload the forage and then take three or four grab samples to send to the lab for analysis. |
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