A new oxygen barrier film reduces aerobic deterioration in farm-scale silages.

Recently, many studies have focused on the aerobic deterioration of corn silage at the farm level, because a large part of the product stored in horizontal silos is exposed to air and is more prone to spoilage. The most important factor influencing the preservation of forage ensiling is the degree of anaerobiosis that is usually achieved with sheets of polyethylene. A new black-on-white (125-µm) coextruded oxygen barrier (OB) film has been developed for silage sealing and was tested in the present experiment to assess the effects on fermentation quality, dry matter losses, and yeast and mold counts at opening of whole-crop corn bunker silos compared with conventional polyethylene (ST) film. Two trials were carried out on 2 commercial farms. The bunkers were divided into 2 parts along the length so that half of the feedout face would be covered with ST film and the other half with OB film. Eight plastic net bags with well-mixed fresh material were weighed and buried in the upper layer of the bunker, and 4 bags were buried in the central part. The silos were opened for summer consumption and were fed out at different rates (19 vs. 33 cm/d)..........