News

Find up-to-date information about BONSILAGE products and general information on ensiling here.

Maize plant

An early harvest of maize crops?

Maize needs sufficient rain around the maize flowering time if it is to be fertilised and develop cobs. This year, a number of regions had no rain, and many maize crops are therefore under drought stress. These crops are frequently without cobs but contain a lot of sugar. Maize plants...

Drought stress

Less forage due to drought – act now

The persistent drought has caused problems in grass and maize crops. The grass harvest yields are significantly less than in previous years. Reduced yields are also expected for maize. Now is therefore a good time to consider the feeding regime on your farm. Read on for tips on what measures...

Maize silage

BONSILAGE SPEED M: Results of the 2017 silage monitoring

SCHAUMANN evaluated numerous silages treated with the ensiling agent BONSILAGE SPEED M during its silage monitoring of maize silages. The average energy content was 6.75 MJ NEL/kg DM. After comprehensive examination of all the silage samples, the winner was announced: In first place is Schumacher GbR from Stemwede (North Rhine-Westphalia)....

maize silage

Bring in immature maize now with ensiling agents

Harvesting immature maize crops has already begun in some parts of Germany as it can be assumed that the badly drought-damaged maize will no longer recover. Additionally, many regions are not expecting rain in the next two weeks. If, in consultation with the maize seed breeding company, you decide to...

Maize silage

BONSILAGE FIT M: results of 2017 silage monitoring

SCHAUMANN analysed a large number of silage samples treated with BONSILAGE FIT M as part of the 2017 maize silage monitoring. The average energy content of the silages was 6.72 MJ NEL/kg DM, and the propylene glycol content in dry matter was 1.1%. Careful evaluation of all maize silages yielded clear winners: 1...

Reheating in silages

Stable silages to take farmers through summer

During the summer months, elevated cell counts in dairy cows are a common problem, which is caused by high temperatures resulting in the proliferation of moulds and yeasts across the silage face. This leads to silage reheating, a phenomenon that is clearly illustrated by thermal images. Silages that have not...

Compaction of grass silage

Optimal ensiling – good compaction counts

Excellent silages are created under optimal ensiling conditions, for which thorough compaction is essential. Read on for useful tips on this topic. Optimally wilted silage Silage with a dry matter content of 28–35% is ideal for ensiling. As a rule, the higher the DM content, the shorter the chop length (DM >...

Timing grassland cuts

Timing grassland cuts right is essential for good silage quality

High-quality silage forms the basis for successful, profitable milk production, and timing the first cut right is essential in this context. Ideally, the silage produced will have a maximum of 240 g crude fibre per kg dry matter. Many years of experience have shown that grassland reaches harvest maturity between the 30t...

Old growth presents a risk for silage quality

Clear overgrown grassland now

Many grassland areas could not be harvested last autumn due to persistent wet weather conditions. It is now essential to remove the resulting old growth because it can have disastrous consequences if left in place. Remaining old growth suppresses and suffocates the young sward before it is able to establish i...

Harvesting grass

Lower Saxony silage competition 2017

Every year, the Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Saxony presents the best silages and awards prizes to the winners of the silage competition as part of its Grasslands Days. Participation in these competitions, where silages are ranked by nutrient and energy contents, plus fermentation quality for grass silage and fungal c...

Cows

Forage milk yield – a decisive factor for operating profits

The Schleswig-Holstein Chamber of Agriculture compared the full cost evaluations of about 1000 Schleswig-Holstein dairy farms in its 2016 Cattle Report. The result: high forage milk yields deliver considerably higher operating results. Farms with a very high forage milk yield of more than 5000 kg ECM/cow achieve an imputed operating profit that...

Prevent reheating

Prevent reheating: Be particularly mindful of silage hygiene in autumn and winter

In autumn and winter, opened silages are especially prone to weather influences. Rain and snow often cause silage surfaces to soil, resulting in hygienically compromised silages (see image on the left). Find useful tips for optimal silage hygiene here. Tip 1: Clear away removal residue Remove any loose material from silo...

Grass silage

Silage additive BONSILAGE FIT G: Results of silage monitoring

SCHAUMANN evaluated a large number of 1st cut silage samples ensiled with BONSILAGE FIT G. The results were very positive: After an average ripening time of 68 days, the average energy content was 6.27 MJ NEL. The content of propylene glycol in the silages reached values between 0.38 and 7.51%. Thorough analyses of all s...

Maize silage

BONSILAGE SPEED M – indispensable in combating yeasts

Heavy rains and very damp weather conditions have made maize highly susceptible to infections. As a result, many plants were affected by high yeast levels at the time of harvest. Analyses of fresh maize samples revealed levels of up to 500,000,000 colony forming units (CFU) per gram of fresh matter. Even...

Grass silage compaction

BONSILAGE SPEED G: Results of silage monitoring

SCHAUMANN has evaluated a large number of 1st cut silage samples treated with BONSILAGE SPEED G from all over Germany. The resulting silages were highly impressive: their average energy content was 6.2 MJ NEL, and the pH of all silages was clearly below critical levels. Careful evaluation of all silages yielded c...

BONSILAGE SPEED G

BONSILAGE SPEED G – practical results confirm measurably faster ensiling

BONSILAGE SPEED G, SCHAUMANN’s innovative silage additive for accelerating silage maturity, has been on the market since spring 2017. This silage additive for grass, clover grass, lucerne and forage rye silages allows silage to be opened after only 2 weeks’ ensiling, without aerobic spoilage processes or heating. ISF Schaumann Research has eval...

Silage competition

Best grades for BONSILAGE - silage competition in Lower Saxony

In 2016, the chamber of Agriculture of Lower Saxony has awarded grass silages of high quality. Many farms were able to produce, in spite of adverse weather conditions, excellent quality forage and lay foundation for low feed costs, high animal health and best performances. The obligatory programme of grass ensiling includes...

Winners ensile with BONSILAGE

Winners ensile with BONSILAGE

BONSILAGE yet again proved its high effectiveness. Silages treated with BONSILAGE ranked top in the silage competition of the Testing Association of the federal state of Saxony. All three prizes (ranks 1–3) in the “Grass silage for lactating cows (regardless of cut)” category were awarded to farms relying on BONSILAGE. A closer...

Troubleshooting in grass silages

Grass silage with moulds

Reheating, moulds and silage fermentation failures can have numerous reasons. Find possible causes and solutions for any problem here.

To the vulnerability analyser

Troubleshooting in maize silages

Schimmliger Silo

Reheating, moulds and silage fermentation failures can have numerous reasons. Find possible causes and solutions for any problem here.

To the vulnerability analyser

BONSILAGE-VIDEO

This video introduces the product groups BONSILAGE BASIC, SPEED and FIT and showcases practical experiences made by farmers with these products.

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