Round bale silage is simply forage of a relatively high moisture content that is baled with a round baler and then stored in a sealed container, usually a plastic bag. Both grasses and legumes can be preserved as round bale silage if proper techniques are followed. It is much easier to make good hay crop silage in silos than in large round bales. Some people think that baled silage is best adapted for use late in the growing season, with bales fed as early as possible that fall or winter. Fall also is a difficult time to dry hay in the field.
Procedures Cut and mechanically condition the forage as normal for haymaking.
Baling at the proper moisture content is the single most important variable in round bale silage making. Baling silage with too much moisture reduces the amount of dry matter stored per bag which greatly increases storage cost. Baling silage with inadequate moisture reduces fermentation which greatly increases storage losses. The type of baler does not appear to affect results, but comparative data are lacking. Therefore, bales for round bale silage should be smaller than for dry hay so that the final weight of the bale is about 1500-2000 lbs.