Five benefits of film binding for silage bales

Opening a bale, preservation, bale density and waste disposal. Working with silage bales involves more than you might think. If you purely examine the costs for film and net, then binding bales with film is slightly more expensive compared with using net. But you can more than recoup those extra costs thanks to the many benefits of film binding.  

1. Easier and faster to open 

Net-bound bales take an average of 30 seconds longer to open than film-bound bales, because the silage can get stuck in the mesh of the net. A bale that has been bound in film can easily be opened with a knife or special bale cutter. 

2. Less loss of silage 

Silage getting stuck in the net is not only annoying, valuable forage gets lost with each bale you open. In wintry conditions, when a bale is frozen, the losses are even higher as the net can freeze against the silage grass. An additional disadvantage is that pieces of net may become attached to the forage and present a risk to animal health.  

3. Higher feed quality 

Film bound bales have better dimensional stability, are more airtight and have a higher density. Net bound bales , on the other hand, tend to expand slightly and draw air into the bale. This encourages mould formation, among other things. Research has revealed that the loss of dry matter caused by mould is 80% lower in bales bound in film compared with bales bound in net1.  

4. One type of waste 

When disposing of the used binding and wrapping materials for recycling, it is important that the materials are collected separately. For example, the used film must be separated from the bale nets. When bales are bound and wrapped using film, there is only one kind of waste. Save time by saying goodbye to separating the waste! 

5. Better yields 

Binding bales with film costs €0.50 to €1.00 per bale more, depending on the chosen system. However, the benefits in processing speed and convenience, and a guaranteed feed value offset these additional costs. In addition bales bound in film generally lead to better yields in the form of higher milk2 or beef production.

Film bound bale even cheaper than net bound?

We mentioned the price difference between the net and film used to bind and wrap bales above. However, a film bound bale can be even cheaper than a net bound bale. Like to know how? Read: Film bound bale cheaper than net bound with KUHN baler–wrapper combination

In some situations, using net is a better option 

Of course, there are also situations where using net is a better option than film binding. For example, with very dry crops such as hay or straw. It is therefore important to get good advice so that you choose the solution that suits your farm management system best and delivers the highest return on investment.