Why is silage leachate destructive in water?
(Silage leachate has a high biological oxygen demand or BOD.) So, whenever silage leachate enters surface water, it could create conditions that deplete the amount of dissolved oxygen in water and lead to fish kills. Even small amounts of silage leachate can severely impair aquatic life and result in fish kills.
Why is silage bad for the environment?
Silage liquor is one of the strongest pollutants that occurs on farms. Even in very small quantities its effects are devastating. It’s at least 200 times stronger than untreated domestic sewage. It kills fish and the tiny creatures they feed on, starving them of oxygen until they suffocate.
How is silage effluent disposed of?
For disposal of effluent, spreading it on land just cut for silage is the most practical. On leafy grass, in sunny weather it should be diluted 1:1 to avoid scorch. Fresh, uncontaminated, undiluted effluent from well-preserved silage can be fed to cows or cattle. Daily intake can be up to 45 litres.
How does silage effluent affect water quality?
Silage effluent is a highly polluting liquid and can cause fish kills in watercourses/rivers and contaminate wells if not collected, stored and land spread properly. Defects or problems should be remedied before silage making commences. …
What is silage drainage?
Silage effluent is one of the products of silage making that leaks out of the silo shortly after the start of the silage fermentation process. The amount of effluent collected varied from one year to the next because of different rainfall patterns and their effect on surface moisture and maturity of the harvested crop.
What happens if silage is watery?
Moisture is critical when harvesting silage. Remember that if the silage is too wet there is a risk of butyric acid forming and nutrients being lost due to seepage. Silage that is over 70% moisture should not be harvested and should stand in the field for a few more days.
How can you tell if silage is good?
The pH is used to tell the amount of acid in silage. Silage with a pH of 3.5-4.2 indicates excellent fresh acidic/sweet silage, 4.2-4.5 is good acidic, 4.5-5.0 fair less acidic and above 5.0 poor pungent/rancid smelling silage.
What is leachate water?
Leachate is defined as any contaminated liquid that is generated from water percolating through a solid waste disposal site, accumulating contaminants, and moving into subsurface areas.
How wet is too wet for silage?
What to Watch For. Moisture is critical when harvesting silage. Remember that if the silage is too wet there is a risk of butyric acid forming and nutrients being lost due to seepage. Silage that is over 70% moisture should not be harvested and should stand in the field for a few more days.