Does anybody still use vertical silo's anymore

[deere4040]

Unusual to not have a windbreak around North and West side of yard.

Used to be pine trees on west side. Maybe a windbreak at one time. Long since gone. Used to be 3 pines one on either end and one in middle of shed left of house also long gone. Not sure if shed was built then trees grew or if shed was built with trees already there.

 

[miangus]

Dug my share of broken bottom unloaders. I spent the four summers I was in college working unloader service. The last summer I worked my partner and I went on 52 digouts in a row. Dig in with the hydraulic tool, ventilate, crawl in with a torch and cut the cutter chain lose. Pull the arm off the center hub and throw the cutter chain and arm out the door. You could then pull the machine out on the support rails for repair. You could only repair haylage and corn silage units while full, with a high moisture corn unit the silo needed to be unloaded with an auger over the broken chain unloader. However, a chain unloader in high moisture corn service rarely failed.

 

[flying belgian]

I do not know of anyone in my area that uses vertical silos anymore. The last Harvestores in the neighborhood were damage by a fire and tore down. They are back to bunker silos now.

Edit:
When I was about 23 years old, I run into a Harvestore salesman. He asked me when our farm was going to modernize to a new Harvestore silo. I said about 2 years before we go broke. Our local county agent said my comment was correct for our region.

The best way to take one down is the last time you empty it. Feed for a couple days then knock a couple rows of blocks off. Repeat, repeat. When the silo is empty the silo is down.

 

[Texasmark]

Im pretty sure the bags get holes in them during uploading or rodents rendering them usless

I don't know. If I find out I will post it on here. You probably have a good point and I don't know how much O2 damages how much product....maybe it's not a big deal.

 

[Tony in SD]

I don't know. If I find out I will post it on here. You probably have a good point and I don't know how much O2 damages how much product....maybe it's not a big deal.

Let me rephrase, I am sure they are not reused. They do not survive the unloading at all. At least the bags Ive been around. Not saying that some day someone might make a machine to reroll them but I bet it will still be cheaper to buy new bags.

 

[deere4040]

Bags are one time use. There is no way to feed out of them and they are salvageable. Bunk covers are also one time use however those that keep adding on to a pile throughout the year may take them off or roll them back for filling but every time they are handled the possibility of holes increases greatly. Once officially sealed and feed out starts you cut off the access as you progress through the bunk. In recent years at least in my area they have started adding a 2nd layer oxygen barrier under the white plastic. The ones I have seen are yellow..

 

[Texasmark]

Considering the volume required for a sizable operation, that seems like a huge expense to have to bear annually...yes/no?

 

[rrlund]

Considering the volume required for a sizable operation, that seems like a huge expense to have to bear annually...yes/no?

It's all relative. I don't use bags, so I can't tell you what they cost, but it costs me around $200 a year to cover my 30x80 bunker silo.

 

[Big massey]

Considering the volume required for a sizable operation, that seems like a huge expense to have to bear annually...yes/no?

The price of the bags are offset by some savings. Virtually no spoilage, better quality, a extra guy packing the bunk, etc... Bags work well for small to mid size farms, especially where you can't feed enough off the face of a typical bunk every day to keep up with spoilage. Or if you split your bunk in half the spoilage that occurs on the unfed side. Even large farms benefit when thier bunks are full because you can still keep putting away feed. You can buy a lot of bags for the price of site work and concrete to put in a new bunker. To each thier own.

 

[paul]

The bags or tarps get holes, the bags there is no good way to empty except cut the bag open as you go.

The cost of the plastic is often cheaper per year than the property taxes on a silo in a state like mine.

It bugs me too to waste, or one time use a thing, but it comes out pretty good if you look at all the costs.

Paul

 

[Dan in Ohio]

Strong Mennonite community here in north central Ohio still using vertical silos as they seem to be the only ones still milking cows. I know I should get some pictures of the farmsteads before they are gone too.

 

[Richard Nixon]

I do not know of anyone in my area that uses vertical silos anymore. The last Harvestores in the neighborhood were damage by a fire and tore down. They are back to bunker silos now.

Edit:
When I was about 23 years old, I run into a Harvestore salesman. He asked me when our farm was going to modernize to a new Harvestore silo. I said about 2 years before we go broke. Our local county agent said my comment was correct for our region.

Yes. Here in NE Wisconsin there are farms that use tower silos. One is about one mile from me and I just went over there with my grandsons to watch them blow haylage into them. They have 3 verticals the largest being 24 X 70. They also use bunker silos. Well, I just remembered. On the way over there we drove right by his brother's place and they have one huge vertical silo that is even larger. For beef cattle although the brother with the larger operation does have both beef and dairy. These brothers are fast buddies and do everything together. Fine families.

 

[paul]

My neighbor has a small by todays standards family dairy, he uses the upright silos his dad had, he uses a bunker behind the house for corn silage, and he uses bags for haylage and other types of forage. Also some dry baled hay, and lots of wrapped wet alfalfa bales.

Pretty much anything that stores and keeps good silage.

Paul

 

[sammydwm]

Have one buddy that put up a silo a couple of years ago, loves them. Milks 80 or so...
Another buddy has 3 Harvestores that he still uses every year 2 for forage and one for high moisture corn. Milks 60...