Recent nationwide studies conducted as part of the LK Silage Project 2024, involving more than 670 grass silages and 190 corn silages , showed that the exceptionally warm spring, as well as the increasing use of forage harvesters and silage additives, tended to lead to better grass silage quality. For corn silage, hail, heat in August, and heavy rain in September 2024 presented challenges. The top-quality silages were selected by a panel of experts and awarded prizes in six categories at the 52nd Livestock Farming Conference on April 10, 2025.
Table: Winners of the Austrian Silage Championship 2024 in the 6 categories
Silage quality – what matters?
Good agricultural practice is the foundation for successful silage preservation and the reduction of avoidable losses, but it is not always sufficient to completely prevent undesirable fermentation in grass silage. The findings from the 2024 LK silage project serve to learn from the best practices of top-performing farms. Accelerating lactic acid fermentation in conjunction with a rapid reduction of the pH value below the critical level is a key objective. Fermentation can be effectively accelerated by ensuring the forage contains less than 450 g NDF/kg DM, shortening the field phase (under 12 hours) through forage preparation, wilting the forage to over 300 g DM/kg FM, avoiding soil contamination (iron content below 500 mg/kg DM), harvesting with very short forage lengths (less than 5 cm), professional use of effective liquid silage additives (precise distribution and dosage), and ensuring sufficient compaction and immediate airtight covering.
Corn silage quality is optimal when grain is properly mature (DM content 32 to 38%) and has the best possible grain breakdown. Above 38% DM, a significant increase in energy content is unlikely because increasing plant maturity reduces the fiber digestibility (NDF) of the remaining plant material. In practice, insufficient fermentation time before opening, inadequate compaction of the surface layers, loosening during removal, and insufficient feed-out are still widespread, so that with rising air temperatures in spring, the risk of spoilage due to secondary fermentation is often present. "Top silage quality is the result of acquired expertise combined with good practical work. Current findings serve to advise, educate, and support farmers in promoting the qualitative development of farms towards becoming silage experts with high forage yields for their animals," concludes Reinhard Resch, overall coordinator of the LK silage project from the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, drawing a realistic conclusion for 2024.
Sponsors of the Silage Championship 2024/2025
RWA Raiffeisen Ware Austria www.rwa.at
DieSaat Seeds Austria www.diesaat.at
SAATBAU Linz eGen www.saatbau.com/at/
Rosenau Feed Laboratory www.futtermittellabor.at
BÖCK Silosysteme GmbH www.boeck.de
COVERIS Flexibles Austria GmbH www.coveris.com
ÖAG (Austrian Working Group for Grassland and Livestock Farming) www.gruenland-viehwirtschaft.at
