Silage is fermented, high-moisture stored fodder which can be fed to farm animals, such as cattle, sheep and other ruminants. It is usually made from grass crops, including maize, sorghum or other cereals, using the entire green plant (not just the grain). Silage can also be made from many field crops, such as oats, hay or alfalfa. The fermentation typically, takes place in standard silos known to the art. Alternatively, the crops can be placed on the ground, rolled by tractors to push out air, and then wrapped in plastic cover sheets. The crops can also be placed into large plastic agricultural silage bags which are laid on the ground, wrapped with bale covering, or placed in bale tubes. The purpose of placing the crops in silos or silage covers is to minimize oxygen content to prevent spoilage. When filled and sealed, the contents are allowed to ferment thereby creating silage.
Silage bags are typically made of plastic with an oxygen barrier film and have a thickness between approximately 2-9 or more millimeters, typically between 6-9 millimeters. The size of the bags can range from 7.3-36.6 meters (24-120 feet) wide with lengths up to 30.48-152.4 meters (100-500 feet) or more. Silage bags usually come in sizes of 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14 feet diameter.
Silage bags are typically made from a high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Silage covers are filled by a machine called a bagger. The silage cover typically comes from the factory in a box and is set up on the bagger so that as it is filling, folds are pulled off of the folded bag on the bagger. The end of the bag is tied before the filling process starts. The bagger either has a cable tension system, or pressure brakes to allow the forage or grain to be packed into the bag. When the bag is full, the other end of the bag is pulled off the bagger and rolled up. The rolled edge is then covered with dirt or gravel to make an airtight seal.
Bale wrap and bales tubes are also made from HDPE. Round bales and square bales can be wrapped individually or in a line to either protect dry hay from the elements, or to create high moisture hay, called baleage bales. A bale tube operates similar to the bagger system discussed above. High moisture bales are slid into an open tube that will shrink down tight onto the bales. For ease of reference, the term “silage cover” is used throughout the application to refer to silage bags, bale covers and all of the above-mentioned coverings for silage and other similar means for covering silage, grains, and other agricultural forage.
Once the forage is in the silage cover and sealed, the fermentation process can begin. Of note, grain that is not being used as high moisture feed, such as corn, must be dried down to 14% moisture to prevent fermentation.
Silage covers are durable, but do not stand up to certain damage. For example, pests can chew through covers, crawl on covers and punch holes with their claws. Birds can peck through covers. Hail can penetrate covers, as can debris from wind storms and tornados. Covers near power lines or trees are prone to ice falling on them during freezing rain events. If the covers are opened with holes allowing air to infiltrate the cover, the entire contents in the cover can mold and become unusable.
The typical manner of dealing with a damaged silage cover is to replace the cover with a new one, which is die intensive, costly, and exposes the contents to more oxygen. Due to the expense of replacing, sometimes damaged covers are left unrepaired and some or all of the silage is lost. Another method of repair includes the use of conventional tapes, which is time consuming, does not necessarily adhere in an air-tight or moisture-proof way, and can come loose thereby allowing air and moisture in again and the silage to spoil.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved system for repairing and/or reinforcing silage covers.