1. What Happened to Wisconsin’s Silos?
International Silo Association
December 12, 2012
Greg Booher, Lakeshore Technical College

2. Thousands built like this 12’X36’ on my farm in the early part of the1900’s

3. Excerpts: Silo Latin for silus meaning cellar
Citation: Fish, N. S. "The history of the silo in Wisconsin" Wisconsin Magazine Of History. Volume: 08 /Issue: 2 ( )
Excerpts:
Silo Latin for silus meaning cellar
In 1923 Wisconsin had 20% of the silos in the United States
Silos allow the entire use of the corn plant for economic reasons
High priced feed and land was requiring dairy farmers to be more efficient.
Silos allowed dairymen to keep their cows rather than selling them at the end of the grazing season.
Milk cows in the winter.

5. Prof. F. H. King, Wisconsin Agriculture Experiment Station
First silo experimenting began in 1852 in France.
First trench silo in Wisconsin was in the Fort Atkinson in 1877 followed by Dr. Weeks who built the first tower silo in 1880.
Prof. F. H. King, Wisconsin Agriculture Experiment Station
Early silos were stone but leaked too much oxygen silos were constructed from wood generally in the corner of the barn.
Professor King, 1891, introduced the round silo as square silos had packing problems in the corners. Father of the modern silo.
Early beliefs silage would cause cows to loose teeth and some creameries would not accept milk from cows fed fermented feed.
1915 Wisconsin had 56,000 silos and by 1923 the state had over 100,000 silos. Two thirds of Wisconsin farms had silos by 1923.

6. Dr. Weeks, dairy farmed
near Oconomowoc supplying
butter to the 400 room old
Plankinton Hotel.
Weeks writes he could not make
any money so he expanded his herd
from 6 cows to 12 cows, bought
feed to meet his larger herd’s needs
and still lost money.
Weeks builds the first tower silo
In 1880 which he learned about
from a French publication.
This was a last resort to his
dairy farming venture.
His experiment worked as he
increased his herd to 19 cows and
the following year to 42 cows.
He also experimented that a cow
went off feed when allowed to
consume 90# of ensilaged corn
fodder.

7. Farm silos, used to store agricultural goods, were mostly wood up until about In 1907 Hiram Smith had patented a concrete silo, the first of its kind. This sort of silo would be much more expensive due to the material it was constructed from, but was also more durable, less likely to give in to the elements and fire. The very first one actually produced by his Smith Silo Company (of Paw Paw, later Oxford, Michigan) was constructed in 1909 in Paw Paw, which is southwest of Kalamazoo.

8. Why did producers buy into the belief that the bunker silo is a lower cost way to put up and feed forage?

9. The Advent of Flat Feed Storage: Why?
Upright silos didn’t fit with the group management and feeding of cows in free stalls.
Popularity of the mobile TMR mixer.
Poor memories of top unloader problems and climbing silos.
Perceived repair expenses with upright silos.
Perceived beliefs about ease of expanding flat feed storage.

10. Bunker Silo vs. Upright Silo
Posted by Jeremy Karsten on May 4, 2010 at 11:14am in Sample Title
View Discussions
This has been a big debate at our farm.  We have a small farm, and would like to keep it semi small by milking no more than 140.  So far we have not been past 100 milking.  So, we want to expand and we are trying to figure out a plan. We currently have for silage a 20x50 which is getting old, and a decent shape 20x60, both tower silos.  I know that a bunk silos are very cheap to build, but they also take up a lot of equipment and labor to make them work but they are the most expedient come harvest time.  I like using the tower silos, because they don’t require any additional equipment.  What are your opinions on this decision?

11. Fast Forward to June 2011 www.uwex.edu/ces/crops/uwforage/storage.htm
Strack Dairy, Random Lake, WI 200 cow expansion
Bruce Johnson, Wisconsin Silo Company assisted cost analysis
Used UW tools developed by Holmes and Frank to determine storage dimensions (“Silage Pile Sizing Calculator”) and the (“Investment and Annual Costs of Forage Storage Spreadsheet”)
Actual bids for excavation and fill.
Bruce Johnson provided bids on tower silos and both center drop and Patz top unloaders.

12. Information Required for Analysis
Storage tons required
Excavation cost
Structure and equipment cost
Proportion of time each piece of equipment is used in storing each forage.
Cost to operate machinery, repairs, percent of engine capacity
Cost of fuel and electricity
Tractors-skid loaders purchase cost and operational cost for filling and feeding
DM density for each storage method
Face removal rates required (sizing)
Walls or no walls, unloader type uprights, bag size (diameter)
Macadam or concrete floor bunkers
Bag site base, prep, maintenance

13. Information Required for Analysis
Annual cost of ownership of bagger or rental expense
Plastic costs for bags and bunker covers
Cost of bunker cover tires or throw bags (mess bags, gravel/filling labor)
Speed of filling and unloading each storage system
DM density and size of loader bucket
Average distance to travel and speed required when loading mixer
Time and expense to uncover and remove plastic from bags and dispose of plastic waste. Environmental concerns with plastic disposal.
Depreciation, repairs, useful life of investments, salvage value

15. Investment and Annual Costs of Forage Storages Spreadsheet documentation

16. Dry Matter Loss – the telling variable!! Figures used in this study.

17. Project Type: Corn Silage 2175 TDM
Results Measured in Terms of Annual Cost/Ton of Feed Fed ($/TDM Feed after dry matter loss)
Compare poured concrete silo four 24’X108’ uprights
Patz hybrid top unloader
Jamesway Big Jim center drop unloader (Valmetal Model
2000 center drop)
2. Compare flat storage systems
Pile on concrete no walls
2-bunker silos on concrete with three walls
3. Compare bag systems
Compare twelve – 12’X250’ bags to 36 – 8’X200’ bags
Compare 12’X250’ system rented machine to owned machine
4. Compare each system to each other on a $/TDM feed fed

18. Spindler Dairy – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsins
Compare four 24’X108’ poured concrete upright Silos
Valmetal Model 2000 center drop unloader
Patz hybrid top unloader
A. Center drop unloader type –bid for four silos (2175 TDM capacity)
four 24’X108’ poured concrete $98,500 each $394,000
four center drop unloaders $27,000 each ,000
Total cost four silos/unloaders $502,000
B. Poured silos with Patz unloaders
four 24’X108’poured concrete $98,500 each $394,000
four Patz hybrid unloaders $13,230 each ,920
Total cost four silos/unloaders $446,920
Spindler Dairy – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsins

19. Compare flat storage systems
Pile on concrete no walls
2-piles on concrete with three walls
No walls
- 10’ of apron on each side of the pad
- 40’ of apron approach on each end of the pile
- Dimensions (102’+ 20’)X (365’+80’)=54,290 ft² (adjusted for removal rate)

20. Construction Cost for the No walls – one pile
Strip top soil, Excavation, road access (445’X125’) $ ,813
Flat concrete (102’+ 20’) X (365’+80’) = 54,290 ft² , ( $2.80/ft²)
Total estimate $ 179,825

21. Construction Cost for 3 walls – 2 bunkers of silage
Strip top soil, Excavation, road access (280’X135’) $ ,900
Flat concrete 200’+ (40’X2)+(2X66.2’)=37,072 ft² ,802 ( $2.80/ft²)
600’ $145/ft ,000 ($145/ft²)
Total estimate $ 209,702

22. Bag Portion of the Study
Macadam system 180’X300’ for $23,000
Capacity for ten 12’X250’ bags or 5000 tons as fed forage
400 cows and part of the heifers are fed from the
feed storage pad.
Maintenance of the pad over the last 5 years has averaged about $ per year.
Density used in the study for 12’ diameter bags was 15# per ft³.
(Recent work at UW, Dr. Randy Shaver indicated new machines up to 17#/ft³)
10’ non-usable plastic on each end for tying off ends.
12’X250’ bag rental and plastic cost of $2500 each.
Silage bag fill rate of 13.3 TDM/hr. (per Versa Corporation)

23. Investment Cost Components
Study is based on the needs of a 400 cow dairy
Calculations made for corn silage at approximately 35% DM
2175 TDM (6200 tons corn silage at 35%DM)
Removal Rates are greater than minimum requirement
Value used for corn silage is $86/TDM or 35% moisture.
Corn silage value is the cost of silage production, chopping/processing, hauling to the storage structure.

24. Annual Cost per Ton of Delivered Feed ($/TDM Feed) & Annual storage cost and cost above lowest cost system
2175 tons dry matter
Storage System
Storage Cost including DM Loss $/TDM
System Total Annual
Cost ($/Yr.)
Increased cost of system over the lowest cost system
($/Yr.)
Patz hybrid top unloader
39.03
77,241
$16,548
Valmetal center drop unloader
42.67
84,457
$23,764
Pile on concrete no walls
44.77
79,841
$19,148
2-bunkers w/ 3 walls
38.00
71,898
$11,205
Rented bagger Twelve – 12’X250’ bags
30.77
60,693
Lowest cost system
Own bagger
Twelve-12’X250’ bags
43.01
85,128
$24,435
36 – 8’X200’ bags
52.56
104,032
$43,339
Note:the 2 bunker piles with 3 walls is less cost per ton of dry matter storage after losses because the total loss for the pile is in the study at 18% while the 2 piles bunker with 3 walls is in study at 13% DM loss.

25. Compare 12’X250’ system rented machine to owned machine
In study, 4365 TDM (approximately 600 acres of corn silage) of silage would need to be ensiled to justify owning a 12’ bagger went a rented machine is $2,500 per 12’X250’ bag TDM/yr. would be required to match the $30.77/TDM storage cost after dry matter loss and shrink with the 13 TDM/minute., $365,000 machine price is used. Note:study had 2175 TDM.

26. Can you get a bagger when you are ready to fill silo?
X1114 Professional packs 25% more than a 12’ bagger
580 hp CAT C15 Tier III engine for high performance
Longer tunnel with low rotor position for uniform packing
All new cab comfort and control upgrades
Plus improvements in maneuverability, braking systems and much more
Can you get a bagger when you are ready to fill silo?
Can you afford to own a $400,00-550,000 bagger?

28. Speed in feeding cows – how important is it?
How to measure? Animal unit 1000#
Cost to cut plastic, dispose of plastic, pile tires, load, mix and deliver feed are all time factor.

29. 4:00 AM clean mangers (not part of calculation)
Real Life Example Farm
1000 cows - no heifers
Combination of large piles with no walls
Use older uprights to store high moisture corn.
Feeding system
4:00 AM clean mangers (not part of calculation)
4:30 AM feeding technicians start feed mixing
one person running mixer, one running loader
3. While TMR operator is delivering feed, the loader
operator is getting HMSC from silos, facing piles, taking
plastic off silage bales. Plastic is removed from piles
once or twice per week during the afternoon.

30. 4. 4:30-8:30 AM time to mix and deliver feed to 1000 cows.
5. Extra batch is made to top dress groups as needed in the
afternoon.
6. Once a week removal of plastic from piles and piling tires.
Good weather once per week. Twice a week if rain is
predicted or in hot weather.

31. Cost to feed cows on example 1000 cow dairy (no heifers)
total hours including plastic removal once/week = 9 total man hours per day.
1000 cows equals 32 seconds per cow per day. (1400# ave. cow weight).
Other estimates down to 15 seconds. Question on accuracy.

32. Let’s talk dollars 32 sec. per cow per day
Example 1000 cow dairy using $15/hour wage rate.
9 $15/hour
$135/day just labor
$49,275/year feeding labor cost
What if you could cut the time by just 10 seconds/cow/day?
Cost reduction of $15,398/year
Cost reduction at $20/hour
wage rate equals a savings of
$20,531/year.
Cut the time in half (16 $20/hr. wage = $25,000/yr. savings cows equals $75,000 savings per year.

33. Jeff Lyon-Deputy Secretary of Agriculture-WI - Topic: Future of Dairy Producers in WI

34. 2011 - 12,100 licensed dairy farms in Wisconsin, 105 cows per farm
138,000 farms in Wisconsin 1960, ,000 farms in Wisconsin
,100 licensed dairy farms in Wisconsin, 105 cows per farm
2012 – 11,216 licensed dairy farms in Wisconsin, 113 cows per farm

35. How do you link up all these silos cost and feeding time effectively?

36. Silos were planned with expansion in mind.

37. Speed in mixing and delivery is not well researched.

38. Matt and Joel Lavey – Chilton, WI
Two 30’X124’

42. Producer Challenges with Uprights
Dry Matter of ensilage put in uprights
For good fermentation need haylage put up at less
than 45% DM and corn silage at 35% DM
Drier forages cause lower cow DM intake – lower productioin
50% ±TMR DM desired – a little wetter is better
Relationship between DM of forage and unloader operation and life of unloader (drier forage easier to unload)
Speed of filling and unloading
Blower design and center drop unloader tube filling
speed and unloading speed.
Center drop forms better tube with wetter haylage
Gathered this information from discussions with producers

43. regarding upright silos
Producer Perceptions
regarding upright silos
Problems in general with unloaders
Frequently climbing silos
Slow filling and feed out
Trouble in cold weather (back up system with bags or piles in January)
Frozen silage will wear unloader out quicker
Flat feed storage is a faster and more economical way to store and feed cows.
Turn a perceived problem into profit by improving blowers and unloaders. Prove uprights are an economical way to store and feed cows.

44. Potential Advantages of the Upright Silo System
“Selling the System”
1. Find out producer goals.
2. Plan an expandable approach for feed storage
Can old silos be linking up to new uprights?
Is there room to build more uprights at the present site?
How large might the dairy grow at the present site?
Help producer plan the entire forage system
Filling chopper cap→hauling cordination→blower cap→center drop fill cap
Feed Out - unloading speed of upright silos (limiting factor to speed in feeding)
3. Use the available tools to help producer make decisions
regarding their feed storage structure system
Speed of feeding – no data exist
Biggest dairies can feed a cow in less than 30 sec. per day.
Which storage system is the most cost effective for very large dairies?

45. This was not considered in this cost Comparison study!!!!
Most important variable concerning flat feed storage is cost of potential DNR fluid collection system under the cement and surface run-off cow dairy Sheboygan County DNR project cost of $400,000.
This was not considered in this cost
Comparison study!!!!

46. Take Home Message
Turn a perceived problem into profit by improving blowers and unloaders. Prove uprights are an economical way to store and feed cows.

47. Co-authored by U.W. Brian Holmes, Professor and Extension Specialist Biological Systems Engineering Department University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Bruce Johnson, Wisconsin Silo Company
Leroy Shefchik, ISA