The most popular silage crops in Manitoba are cereal grains, corn and alfalfa. The green crop is cut and chopped, placed in a silo, packed and covered or sealed as quickly as possible. Then, biochemical processes transform the crop into silage. Within the first few hours, an aerobic reaction begins which consumes all of the oxygen in the silage. The duration of this reaction may range from a few hours to several days.
Heat is created and valuable nutrients are consumed during the reaction.
It is important to manage the forage properly beforehand to minimize the length of this process. When the pH level drops to a certain level, usually within three or four weeks, fermentation stops. The silage is ready. Pros and Cons Advantages Silage can be harvested in almost any weather conditions. Lower dry matter loss during harvesting means higher outputs of nutrients per acre.