In practice, many farmers are successfully storing and feeding good quality material with this system. These farmers recognize the importance of crop maturity, moisture content, bale density, speed of storing, etc. that all come together to influence the quality of round bale silage. The moisture content of silage at storage is one of the more important factors affecting quality. At either end of the range, the risk of storage problems increases. This exact moisture is difficult to establish at times because moisture determination on the farm is sometimes more qualitative than absolute.
Drier forage makes handling bales easier, especially where loader equipment is small.
The main problem is to be able to exclude the oxygen. Dry silage contains more oxygen that must be used up in fermentation. If the material is not well packed, more heat is produced from prolonged respiration. Heat damage may increase dry matter losses and bind protein, lowering the feed quality. Extended wilting of the forage increases the risk of harvest losses.