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Silage Leachate Mitigation and Control

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Silage leachate is a liquid produced when plant material is fermented to produce silage. It contains high quantities of nitrogen and phosphorous, a very low pH, and an extremely high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)—about 200 times greater than raw sewage. Therefore, silage leachate needs to be minimized, controlled, and treated to prevent contamination of both surface water and groundwater. 


To mitigate the environmental risks posed by silage leachate, farmers can implement the following strategies:


  • Manage crop moisture content prior to ensiling: Harvesting crops at the correct moisture content is crucial for reducing the amount of leachate produced. Silage that is harvested with moisture levels exceeding recommended thresholds generates significantly more leachate. 

  • Prevent precipitation from interacting with silage: Proper and immediate covering of the silage, as well as directing precipitation away from the storage area, will help to reduce leachate. 

  • Establish infrastructure for effluent collection, treatment, and disposal: Installing a leachate and stormwater collection system alongside a bunk or other silage storage can effectively manage silage effluent. Ideally, these systems include components for both low- and high-flow scenarios.

  • Prevent leachate from infiltrating soil: Placing the silage pile on a concrete or otherwise impermeable surface prevents leachate from seeping into groundwater.

When used, in what regions in the U.S. is the practice found: 

Northwest, West, Upper Midwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast

FARM SIZE 

When used, typically found on farms of the following sizes:

All Sizes

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Practice Benefits 

Forage quality: Harvesting forage at the wrong moisture level, especially when it is too wet, can lead to increased leachate production. Leachate contributes to the loss of dry matter, nutrients, and carbohydrates, resulting in lowered overall feed quality. Conversely, harvesting forage at the optimal moisture level helps support rapid and efficient fermentation, preserving forage quality by minimizing spoilage and nutrient loss.


Essential nutrient preservation: Minimizing leachate production during ensiling helps to retain nutrients, such as soluble nitrogen and carbohydrates, in the forage.


Control of harmful bacteria: Putting up wet feed can result in clostridial fermentation; harvesting at the right moisture content will reduce the risk of harmful bacteria that are predominant in wet feed.


Silage storage integrity: Reducing leachate production prevents the corrosive, highly acidic leachate from damaging the silo structure, extending its lifespan.

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Implementation Insights

Site-specific or Farm-specific requirements 

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  • Ensiled feed storage: This practice applies to farms that ensile feed.

Required Capital Expenditures (CapEx)

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  • Impermeable surface: Installing impermeable surfaces, such as concrete pads, under silage storage areas prevents leachate from infiltrating the ground and ensures it is directed toward a collection system. When constructing a new feed bunk pad, installing perforated drain tiles in the stone foundation beneath the concrete pad offers two key benefits: improved drainage of subsurface water, which extends the life of the concrete, and the ability to capture any leachate that may seep through cracks. Additionally, the silage leachate collection system should be designed for easy cleanout, ideally accommodating a skid loader.

  • Silage leachate collection systems: To capture and manage leachate, the construction of leachate collection systems, including channels, drains, and storage tanks, may be necessary. These systems direct leachate to designated treatment or storage areas.

  • Leachate treatment facilities: Leachate is generally directed to manure storage during low-flow events and a vegetated treatment area (VTA) during high-flow events. Farms may need to invest in infrastructure to meet silage leachate treatment needs.  

Required Operational Expenditures (OpEx)

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  • Silage cover management: Purchasing and replacing plastic covers is a recurring operational expense. Additionally, labor is required to apply and secure the covers correctly and to remove and dispose of them once they are no longer effective.

  • Leachate collection system operations: The operational costs of running and maintaining leachate collection systems include routine cleaning of drains and channels, monitoring leachate flow, and ensuring the integrity of storage tanks. Pumps and other mechanical components may require periodic servicing and electricity to operate. 

  • Vegetated treatment area maintenance: VTAs require regular upkeep, including inspections, weed removal, prevention of concentrated flows, and the mowing or removal of vegetation as needed.

Implementation Considerations

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  • Moisture levels: Ensuring the correct moisture content in silage is crucial. However, farmers may struggle to harvest silage at the proper moisture level due to unpredictable weather, equipment availability, labor constraints, challenging field conditions, crop variability, and economic pressures.

  • Proper silage leachate storage design: Silage design significantly influences a farm's ability to collect and manage silage leachate by determining how effectively leachate is controlled, directed, and stored. 

Financial Considerations and Revenue Streams

There are no federal cost-share programs or conservation funding opportunities for this practice.

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Alignment with FARM Program

This practice is not included in the FARM program.

Contents

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We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

We're always eager to update the website with the latest research, implementation insights, financial case studies, and emerging practices. Use the link above to share your insights. 

Contents

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Practice Overview

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Silage leachate is a liquid produced when plant material is fermented to produce silage. It contains high quantities of nitrogen and phosphorous, a very low pH, and an extremely high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)—about 200 times greater than raw sewage. Therefore, silage leachate needs to be minimized, controlled, and treated to prevent contamination of both surface water and groundwater. 


To mitigate the environmental risks posed by silage leachate, farmers can implement the following strategies:


  • Manage crop moisture content prior to ensiling: Harvesting crops at the correct moisture content is crucial for reducing the amount of leachate produced. Silage that is harvested with moisture levels exceeding recommended thresholds generates significantly more leachate. 

  • Prevent precipitation from interacting with silage: Proper and immediate covering of the silage, as well as directing precipitation away from the storage area, will help to reduce leachate. 

  • Establish infrastructure for effluent collection, treatment, and disposal: Installing a leachate and stormwater collection system alongside a bunk or other silage storage can effectively manage silage effluent. Ideally, these systems include components for both low- and high-flow scenarios.

  • Prevent leachate from infiltrating soil: Placing the silage pile on a concrete or otherwise impermeable surface prevents leachate from seeping into groundwater.

Practices and technologies

Silage Leachate Mitigation and Control

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