Storing the grain whole appears to have some advantage for the reconstitution of milo. Conventional upright silos rank next to sealed silos in storage losses but have had 4 to 6 percent more dry matter loss in some studies. They cost much less than sealed units for the same storage capacity. Management is more critical for conventional silos but not as great as for bunkers and trenches. The top can be resealed if feeding stops before emptied.
Horizontal units have the least cost, but management is important for their success.
A good job of filling, packing and covering is needed to keep storage losses low. Storage losses can be held to a minimum in large capacity trench or bunker silos that are well managed. Losses need not be much higher under these conditions than those in upright silos. Using a stationary loader or a front end scoop on a tractor to remove grain from a horizontal silo makes a fast, efficient way to feed. These silos are used most exclusively in commercial feedlots of the high plains to store the large quantity of high-moisture grain needed by this size lot.