My secret of making silage for big returns, from harvest to feeds

Two tractors move side by side on the maize farm in Uasin Gishu County; one inside the crop, the other on the edge.

The one inside the farm – a harvester – cuts the crops, chops them into tiny pieces and funnels the product to the back of the other tractor.

The job is done with precision ensuring that the distance between them is maintained and nothing goes wrong.

It is a spectacle to behold as the work goes on the 300-acre farm known as Elfam, owned by Senator Margeret Kamar and is located off the Eldoret–Iten Road.

Eric De Jong, 28, who runs a firm known as Agri-Assist consultancy, is driving the harvester and is keen to see the work completed.

On this day, he is offering silage making services on the farm, with the work entailing harvesting the crop, cutting it into tiny pieces, compacting and storing.

“Initially, we used to lease a farm and grow the maize and make our own silage then sell. But this was a bit expensive, from growing and maintaining the crops in the field to making silage and then marketing,” he recounts.

De Jong, a native of Luxembourg, says he started the business three years ago after realising that most dairy farmers in the region and others across Kenya were struggling to get quality feeds.

“I came to Kenya in 2014 as an intern with SNV (Netherlands dairy development organisation) working with farmers. As I moved around, I noticed a gap in the market when it came to accessing quality feeds and promised to do something.”

He invested between Sh35 million and Sh40 million into the business, with the money mostly going on purchasing the machines.

Away from the maize farm where the machines were working, workers dressed in overalls are busy compacting the silage spread on plastic sheets.

Once the maize crop has been harvested by the six-row harvester, it is shredded and crushed, including the stalks killing the stem borer.  

“The corn crusher ensures that we get the right size of the feeds that will not cause problems to the cow during feeding and digestion. Once crushed, the feed is transported by a tractor to the location where it is spread on plastic sheets for compaction,” observes De Jong.

There, it is placed on top of a layer (2.5cm) of wheat straws or dried Boma Rhodes grass and then compacted and then covered by a special polythene bag. Thereafter, it is covered with a layer of soil (15 cm), explains De Jong.

“We don’t include any ingredients like molasses when preserving the silage. The machines chop, crush and compact it in such a way that the sugar content in maize is largely released, aiding the fermentation process.”

The compaction allows the elimination of air since the silage is made through a fermentation process. One pit (measuring 16 metres by 50 metres and three metres high) can hold between700 tonnes to 800 tonnes of silage. After four to five weeks, the silage is ready for the market.

Philip Wanyonyi, the operations manager in charge of at least 18 workers, says they get at least 18 tonnes of silage from each acre, which is equivalent to 31 bags per acre of commercial maize.

“In the past, farmers have been digging and burying the silage underground. But we don’t do that to avoid rotting since the maize crop has high moisture content. We place ours on top of the dry wheat straws,” he observes.

Before the maize in the field is harvested, Wanyonyi says it must attain certain attributes to meet nutritional requirements for dairy cows.

“The crop should have a high ratio of leaves to stem, good cob and grain that has not been damaged or rotten. Leaves should be green, the stem thick to ensure good mixture of stem, leaves and grains,” he explains.

The silage is sold as loose, baled or packed in plastic bags or drums to farmers in the North Rift, Central, Nairobi and Eastern. 

“We sell at Sh9 per kilo of loose silage and Sh12 per kilo of baled product to wholesalers but the prices rise in the retail market,” says Wanyonyi, noting the job is labour intensive.

De Jong says when he started, he was working with several small farmers but changed the model.

“I now work with mainly large-scale farmers to enjoy the economies of scale. The farmer supplies maize per acre, thus, he is responsible for ploughing, planting and maintaining the crop until it is ready for harvesting. We then harvest, make quality silage, pack or wrap it. Sometimes our input in the partnership also entails the administration, security and sales of the product and then we share the profit with the farmer,” he says, adding in 2018 they produced 1,400 tonnes of silage and in 2020, 4,600 tonnes.  

Dr Francisca Lusweti, a livestock specialist who retired from Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation, says that for one to get clean milk that is free of aflatoxin, they should not make silage from rotten maize.

“With a good crop with clean grains that is not rotten or damaged, one can get aflatoxin free feeds. There are also anti-spoilage agents that a farmer can use to guarantee quality feeds.”          

The anti-spoilage agents or bacteria inoculants help in inhibiting harmful bacteria from spoiling silage.

“It is recommended that a farmer use these anti-spoilage agents during silage preparation so that you don’t add them in the feeding troughs. If not, they can use it once they open,” she says.

There are two main types of inhibitors. The propionates (or propionic acid) which reduce yeast and mould growth.

“It is often sprayed on silage at feed time to improve bunk life (aerobic stability). If bunk life is improved, cows will respond with increases in dry matter intake and production.”

Second, we have acids (formic and sulphuric) used to immediately drop silage pH and stop enzyme and bacteria activity. Generally, these products are applied to high-moisture silage (70% moisture) which would otherwise be at risk for protein degradation. Often, sugars (molasses) are added in conjunction with acids.

She advises that during preservation, one should properly manage the silage. For instance, cover the silage immediately to maintain the quality. 

“You can put soil on top of the polythene sheet to prevent entrance of air. The distance from the field to pit should be as short as possible. The shorter the distance, the faster the filling of the pit, thus better quality silage. A pit should always be filled, compacted and closed in 12 hours,” she offers.

According to her, silage can stay for up to 20 years without damage when properly compacted to eliminate oxygen/air.

“If the silage is spoilt, throw it away because it contains aflatoxin causing micro-toxins and most animals will not eat it due to the bad smell.”

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