Using a good quality silage wrap is essential to help preserve your forage. It prevents heat and moisture from affecting the quality of the feed and helps protect the nutrients.

In addition, it is a great way to reduce waste. In partnership with Plastic Forests, Shoalhaven City Council collects discarded silage wraps and twine for recycling into helpful farming products. For more silage wrap collection, check this out.

Collection Instructions

Silage wrap is a plastic film used in agriculture to wrap hay or straw bales to protect them from moisture and other external elements. It also helps preserve these crops’ quality and nutritional value so they can be used as feed for animals later.

The silage wrap is designed with an oxygen barrier and formidable strength, which allows it to create an air-tight seal around the bales. It is important to help prevent the growth of mould, which can result in ruined silage. Silage wrap is also designed to be a reflective surface, which helps keep heat off the bales.

In addition, the silage wrap is odourless and contains no pesticides. It makes it safe for both humans and animals to handle. It is also a renewable resource that farmers can use repeatedly.

Using silage wrap helps increase the production and preservation of hay, as it helps to reduce waste from spoiled forage. It also promotes controlled anaerobic fermentation, which increases the nutrition of the forage for animal consumption. Making hay can be time-consuming and labour-intensive, so silage wrap can save the farmer money and effort.

Not all silage wrap is the same, however. Some have varying layers and may contain different levels of UV protection, tact, or puncture resistance. Choosing a silage wrap that best suits the farmer’s needs is essential, as this can help ensure high-quality hay at the end of the season. For more silage wrap collection, check this out.

Shoalhaven City Council is working with Plastic Forests to collect discarded silage wrap for recycling. It is a great way to reduce the amount of waste in landfills, as the silage wrap can be recycled into new plastic agricultural products such as square pickets and poly sheets. The collected bale wrap is cleaned, shredded, and dried before being sent to two facilities in Ireland, where it is melted into pellets. These pellets are then used to make various plastic agricultural products, which can be sold back to the farming industry for reuse.

Preparation

Silage wrap is a crucial component of modern agriculture, used to preserve crops for later consumption. Made from a type of plastic known as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), it offers strength and durability. It also helps keep pests and rodents off the bales, reducing waste and saving farmers money. Additionally, LDPE is a recyclable material that reduces the amount of waste in landfills.

Before using silage wrap, it is essential to ensure the forage being covered is appropriately harvested and compacted. In addition, it should be free from sharp objects that could puncture the plastic. It is also essential to ensure that the surface where the hay is stored is clean and dry, as moisture can compromise the film’s effectiveness.

For the best results, silage wrap should be applied to bales within 24 hours of harvesting. Delaying wrapping can increase the risk of silage heating, which can lower forage quality and lead to spoilage loss. In addition, it is recommended that silage wrap be used over a layer of washed gravel, as this can help to prevent leaks and moisture from collecting underneath the wrapped bales. For more silage wrap collection, check this out.

Once a bale is wrapped, it should be secured tightly with twine. It will help to keep the plastic in place and protect it from any damage during transport or storage. Bales should be kept in a cool, dry area protected from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.

Silage wrap can be collected for recycling at Plastic Forests, located at 21 Union Rd, North Albury. Please note, however, that the collection of silage wrap is only possible if presented in our straightforward, UV-stable Collection Bags. These bags are available at Plastic Forests and include the drop-off/recycling fee. The bags should be marked with your name and address and dropped off during our opening hours. For more silage wrap collection, check this out.

Silage wrap helps safeguard bales of hay or straw against moisture and other elements, keeping them fresh for use as animal winter feed. Furthermore, silage wrap is 100 percent biodegradable making it an eco-friendly alternative to plastic film.

Built for optimal performance, this 5-layer co-extruded silage wrap keeps out oxygen and humidity, as well as providing great puncture and tear resistance. To learn about the silage wrap price 2023, click here.

Keeps Bales Fresh

Oxygen ingress can quickly spoil hay, decreasing nutritional value of silage for livestock. To minimise oxygen ingress, use high-quality bale wrap that creates an effective barrier against air ingression.

Silage wrap can also help combat weed growth. By blocking sunlight and moisture, silage wrap can stop weeds from appearing and save both time and money on manual weeding services.

Silage wrap can also help prevent soil erosion by sealing rotted forage into the ground, which prevents liquid penetration and prolongs freshness, particularly important during drought conditions. Furthermore, silage wrap protects bales from pest infestation; farmers should regularly check on them to make sure animals or rodents haven’t chewed at them, to save both costs and time spent rewrapping bales.

Keeps Pests Out

Silage wrap provides essential protection for fodder from pests like weeds and insects while also helping the plants from drying out during storage. It offers an environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals.

Ideal baleage moisture content should range between 40-55% for optimal fermentation and long-term storage, as well as reduced dry matter loss during harvesting.

Utilising bale wrap is one of the most reliable solutions, being both organic and completely safe for the environment. This makes it one of the best options available today.

Good quality silage wrap is also distinguished by an effective weed repellent known as RaniRepel that is extruded into the film during production, providing long-term solutions to weed issues. This makes them the ideal solution for farmers looking to preserve the freshness of hay bales while creating premium silage fodder. To learn about the silage wrap price 2023, click here.

Keeps Bales Airtight

Silage wrap is a form of plastic film designed specifically to wrap bales of silage, providing significant gains to both agriculture and livestock performance. Furthermore, silage wrap reduces costs associated with weed management by eliminating the need for herbicides or manual removal of unwanted vegetation.

Plywood bales feature a firm and sturdy material that forms an airtight seal when stored, keeping out moisture during storage. UV stabilisers help prevent degradation from sunlight exposure, making this material perfect for long-term outdoor exposure and making silage storage simpler than ever.

Film storage should take place on a clean surface free from debris or crop stubble, to avoid potential damage when handling or moving wrapped bales. Wrapped bales should also be kept out of direct sunlight as fermentation starts and should only be moved once they have completely cooled to prevent accidental gas bursting during transport. Furthermore, waiting 24 hours between handling wrapped bales to move them prevents them from becoming contaminated with spoilage bacteria or spoilage spoilage.

Recyclable

Silage wrap is composed of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). This material was specifically created for silage wrapping, providing strength and durability necessary to preserve its contents while being easily recyclable and reusing again and again.

Farmers can recycle silage wrap at Echuca or Mt Scobie Resource Recovery Centres along with netting and twine. It is important that it remains separate from other forms of waste to ensure that it stays clean and dry, thus helping prevent contamination that could harm livestock. To learn about the silage wrap price 2023, click here.

Silage wrap can keep hay and straw fresh and nutritious until it is needed to feed livestock, helping reduce costs during times when fresh food supplies are limited and increasing nutritional values for those animals that consume it.