The Silage section in IdeasFarm allows detailed control of grass cuts intended for conservation as silage. Each record reflects the amount of forage harvested, associated costs, and the pasture conditions at the time of harvest.

Additionally, the recorded silage is automatically entered into the Supplies module, making it available for later use in animal feeding.

👉 It is recorded with a cost per kilogram of dry matter (kg DM), calculated from the accumulated costs of the pasture up to the time of silage.

Main Silage Screen

This table lists all silage records for a specific pasture. The fields are:

Field	Description
Date	Day the silage was carried out.
Total silage (kg DM)	Forage harvested and stored as silage, expressed in kilograms of dry matter.
Type of silage	Conservation method used: Trench Silage bag Round bales / square bales
Quantity	Number of units (e.g., number of silos, bales, or trenches).
Unit weight (kg DM)	Average weight of each silage unit.
Remnant (kg DM)	Forage left standing in the pasture after harvest.
Days of silaging	Time recorded from the start of the operation to the date of registration.
Work time (hrs)	Hours spent on silage operation.
Labor cost ($)	Monetary value of labor used.
External service cost ($)	Additional costs if machinery or external services were hired (e.g., chopping with a contracted tractor).
Grass height at remnant (cm)	Height in centimeters of forage left standing after cutting.
Grass height at harvesting (cm)	Average height of grass in the pasture at the start of silage harvest.
Observation	Free field to note details (weather, quality of material, pasture conditions).

New Silage Form

Clicking “New” opens the form to register a silage operation:

Date: day of the operation.
Type of silage: select (trench, silage bag, bales, etc.).
Quantity and unit weight: number of units and average weight.
Total amount (kg DM): automatically calculated (quantity × unit weight).
Remnant (kg DM): record what remained standing.
Grass height: at start and at remnant.
Costs:
- Labor (time and value)
- External services
Observations: additional notes.

Once saved, the silage is automatically transferred to the Supplies module, making it available for ration planning and animal consumption.

The system calculates the cost per kg of DM based on the pasture's accumulated cost just before harvest.

Important Notes and Practical Uses

✅ Automation with forage measurements: IdeasFarm automatically records an exit measurement when a pasture is ensiled.
✅ Integration with Supplies: All silage is available in the Supplies module with its technical cost per kg DM.
✅ Forage planning: Using quantity, remnant, and height data, harvesting efficiency is calculated.
💡 Tip: Always update input and labor costs before silaging to ensure that the cost per kg DM is realistic and useful for economic analysis.

User Guide – Silage in Pastures

Main Silage Screen

New Silage Form

Important Notes and Practical Uses