Silage
Silage is forage preserved by controlled fermentation rather than by drying. Green crop is chopped at high moisture, packed to exclude air and sealed, and lactic acid bacteria acidify it until it is biologically stable. Maize, whole crop cereal, grass, lucerne, sorghum and sugarcane top are the common feedstocks. It is the energy base of intensive dairy and beef rations in most of the world, because it captures a crop at peak yield without waiting on weather to cure it. It moves internationally as wrapped bales, as vacuum packed and bagged product and as compressed export packs, and it is bought where a feedlot or a dairy cannot grow enough of its own.
Listed silage markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Silage is contracted on a fermentation profile as well as a nutritive analysis. The buyer names the dry matter, the acid profile and the aerobic stability, and the lot is settled against a certified analysis of a sample drawn from the sealed pack.
Nutritive value measurement
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Dry matterPercentage by mass | The single most important term. It governs the fermentation pathway, the effluent risk and the freight economics, and it is corrected for volatile losses on a silage sample. |
| Crude proteinPercentage of dry matter | Determined under ISO 5983. |
| Soluble proteinPercentage of crude protein | The fraction broken down during fermentation. It tells the nutritionist how much of the protein is already degraded. |
| Ammonia nitrogenPercentage of total nitrogen | The marker of protein breakdown by undesirable bacteria. A high figure means the fermentation went wrong. |
| Neutral detergent fibrePercentage of dry matter | Amylase treated, determined under ISO 16472. |
| Neutral detergent fibre digestibilityPercentage of neutral detergent fibre, at a stated incubation hour | Measured in vitro at a named time point. |
| StarchPercentage of dry matter | The energy fraction in maize and cereal silage, determined enzymatically. It is the dominant value driver in maize silage. |
| Starch digestibilityPercentage of starch, at a stated incubation hour | Measured in vitro. It rises with storage time as the starch matrix breaks down. |
| Total digestible nutrients or metabolisable energyPercentage of dry matter, or megajoules per kilogram of dry matter, calculated | Derived from the measured fractions by a named published equation. |
| Crude ashPercentage of dry matter | Determined under ISO 5984. Elevated ash means soil taken up at harvest. |
Fermentation and stability measurement
11 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| pHMeasured electrometrically on a water extract | The primary evidence of successful acidification. The target depends on the dry matter, so the contract states both together. |
| Lactic acidPercentage of dry matter | The desired fermentation acid. It should dominate the acid profile. |
| Acetic acidPercentage of dry matter | A secondary acid. Moderate levels improve aerobic stability, high levels indicate an inefficient fermentation. |
| Butyric acidPercentage of dry matter, maximum | The marker of clostridial fermentation. Its presence is a defect and it is contracted as a ceiling. |
| Propionic acidPercentage of dry matter | Measured, and declared separately where it has been added as a preservative. |
| EthanolPercentage of dry matter | Yeast activity. It represents lost energy and it predicts heating at feedout. |
| Total acid and buffering capacityPercentage of dry matter, and milliequivalents per kilogram of dry matter | Together they describe how hard the crop was to acidify and how stable the result is. |
| Aerobic stabilityHours to a stated temperature rise above ambient | Measured in a controlled trial. It is the practical test of how long the pack survives once it is opened. |
| Yeast and mould countColony forming units per gram | Determined by plate count. It predicts spoilage at feedout. |
| Clostridial spore countColony forming units per gram | Contracted on silage destined for dairies making hard cheese, where spores survive into the milk. |
| Inoculant or additiveDeclared, with the product and the application rate | Bacterial inoculant, enzyme, acid preservative or salt, named on the contract. |
Physical form and bale specification
6 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pack formatDeclared | Wrapped round or square bales, vacuum packed bags, compressed export packs or bulk. |
| Wrap layers and filmDeclared, with the number of layers and the film specification | Oxygen ingress is what destroys a wrapped bale. Layer count and film grade are contract terms. |
| Pack weightKilograms per pack, with the tolerance | Weighed at wrapping and on the weighbridge. |
| Bale densityKilograms of dry matter per cubic metre | Density governs both exclusion of air and the freight cost per tonne of dry matter. |
| Chop lengthMillimetres, with the theoretical length of cut | Governs packing density and effective fibre in the ration. |
| Kernel or grain processingDeclared, with the processing score where measured | For maize and cereal silage, whether the grain has been cracked and how thoroughly, which determines whether the starch is available to the animal. |
Cleanliness, contamination and feed safety
8 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Foreign materialPercentage by mass, maximum | Soil, stone, wire, twine, plastic and any material that is not the named crop, separated by hand from a drawn sample and weighed. |
| Weed contentPercentage by mass, and declared by species where restricted | Undesirable plant material in the lot. Some destination markets prohibit named noxious species outright and the contract names them. |
| Mould and spoilagePercentage by mass, maximum | Visibly mouldy, heat damaged or spoiled material, weighed after separation. It is the defect that most often causes rejection at discharge. |
| MycotoxinsMicrograms per kilogram, maximum, by named toxin | Aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisin and ochratoxin A, determined by chromatography where the destination or the buyer specifies a limit. |
| Heat damage and caramelisationDeclared, with the acid detergent insoluble protein measurement | Heating in the stack binds protein and makes it unavailable to the animal. It is measured, not judged by smell. |
| Insects and live pestsZero tolerance where specified | Inspected before stuffing. A live find at discharge is a rejection, not a discount. |
| Pack integrityInspected, with a zero tolerance on punctures | A holed wrap admits air and the pack spoils. Every pack is inspected before stuffing and again at discharge. |
| EffluentDeclared | Low dry matter silage produces effluent in transit. The contract states the dry matter floor that avoids it. |
Delivery, packing and certification
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| PackingDeclared, with the bale or package format and the wrap | Field bales, double compressed bales, pressed and re-pressed bales, wrapped bales, bulk or pelleted, with the wrapping material named. |
| Container or vessel stowDeclared, with the loading method | Container stuffed weight, breakbulk stow or bulk vessel, with the target payload written into the contract. |
| Phytosanitary certificateCertificate, issued by the national plant protection organisation | Required by most destinations for plant origin feed. The certificate names the treatment applied and the pest freedom declared. |
| Fumigation or heat treatmentDeclared, with the certificate | Methyl bromide, phosphine, heat treatment or irradiation, named where the destination requires it. |
| Weight and sampling basisDeclared | Landed weight or shipped weight, with the survey house and the sampling protocol named in the contract. |
| CertificationCertificate, with the scheme and the certificate number | GMP+, organic, non genetically modified, or a private buyer feed safety standard, named on the contract when it is contracted. |
| Crop year and cutDeclared | The harvest year, and the cut number where the crop is taken more than once in a season. |
| Temperature on loadingDegrees Celsius | Recorded at stuffing. A pack loading warm is already fermenting aerobically. |
| Sealed date and storage periodDeclared | The date of ensiling and the minimum fermentation period before shipment. |
| Animal health import permitCertificate, issued by the destination veterinary authority | Fermented plant feed crosses borders under animal health control and the permit conditions are contract terms. |
Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Pacific Northwest, California, Arizona, the Intermountain West and the Great Plains | Origin and destination |
| Spain | Aragon, Catalonia, Navarre and Castile and Leon | Origin and destination |
| Canada | Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ontario | Origin and destination |
| Australia | New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia | Origin and destination |
| Italy | the Po valley, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto | Origin and destination |
| France | Champagne, Burgundy, Normandy and the southwest | Origin and destination |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe and La Pampa | Origin and destination |
| South Africa | the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Free State | Origin and destination |
| Sudan | the Nile valley and Gezira | Origin and destination |
| Egypt | the Nile delta and the reclaimed desert schemes | Origin and destination |
| Ukraine | the central and southern oblasts | Origin and destination |
| Kazakhstan | the northern grain belt and the southern irrigated zone | Origin and destination |
| Turkey | Konya, Anatolia and the Aegean | Origin and destination |
| Romania | the Danube plain and Transylvania | Origin and destination |
| Poland | the central and eastern voivodeships | Origin and destination |
| Germany | Lower Saxony, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia | Destination |
| Netherlands | Rotterdam, Vlissingen and the intensive dairy provinces | Destination |
| Ireland | the southern and midland dairy counties | Destination |
| United Kingdom | England, Wales and Scotland | Destination |
| Portugal | Alentejo, Ribatejo and the Azores | Destination |
| China | Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shandong, Ningxia and the coastal feed ports | Destination |
| Japan | Hokkaido, Tohoku and the Kanto and Kansai feed terminals | Destination |
| South Korea | Gyeonggi, Chungcheong and the Busan and Incheon feed terminals | Destination |
| Taiwan | the western dairy belt and Kaohsiung | Destination |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh, Al Kharj, Qassim and the Jeddah and Dammam feed terminals | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain | Destination |
| Qatar | Doha and the Al Khor dairy zone | Destination |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City and the Sulaibiya farms | Destination |
| Oman | the Batinah coast and Salalah | Destination |
| Jordan | Amman and the Jordan valley | Destination |
| Israel | the coastal plain and the Negev | Destination |
| Vietnam | the Mekong delta, the central highlands and the northern dairy provinces | Destination |
| Indonesia | Java, Sumatra and the Lampung feed corridor | Destination |
| India | Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka | Origin and destination |
| Pakistan | Punjab and Sindh | Origin and destination |
| Mexico | Chihuahua, Sonora, La Laguna and Jalisco | Origin and destination |
| Chile | the central valley and Los Lagos | Destination |
| Brazil | Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Parana and Rio Grande do Sul | Origin and destination |
| Thailand | the central plain and the northeast | Destination |
| Morocco | the Gharb, Doukkala and Souss | Destination |
| Singapore | the trading and structuring desks that finance the feed trade | Trading and finance |
| Switzerland | the agricultural commodity trading houses in Geneva and Zug | Trading and finance |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the crop is cut and ensiled at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is the sealed fermentation period, testing, veterinary clearance and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Aug to Oct, arrival Jan to DecMaize silage harvested at the end of summer, shipped from sealed inventory across the year. |
| Netherlands | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Sep, arrival Jan to DecGrass silage from multiple cuts, wrapped and exported into the regional dairy trade. |
| Vietnam | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecMaize and sugarcane top silage harvested year round in a tropical climate. |
| Thailand | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecMaize and napier grass silage from the central plain and the northeast. |
| Spain | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Sep, arrival Jan to DecMaize and ryegrass silage from the northern provinces. |
| Australia | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Oct to Feb, arrival Jan to DecCereal and pasture silage from the southern states. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.
Customs, packing and contract terms
Indicative terms for silage. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.
- HS heading1214.90 Forage products, other, including silage
- PackingDouble compressed bales loaded into containers, or 1 t big bales for bulk trades. Moisture at bale is the clause that decides both mould claims and freight economics.
- Container loading20ft: 22 t to 26 t double compressed. 40ft high cube around 26 t. Uncompressed forage is volume limited long before weight and rarely pays the freight.
- Contract and arbitrationSale on analysis for crude protein, relative feed value, moisture and foreign material with a certificate at load port. GAFTA feed contracts where the trade is bulk, arbitration under GAFTA rules or at the contract seat.
- Destination limitsPhytosanitary certification under Regulation 2016/2031 with weed seed and soil free declarations, fumigation or heat treatment for several destinations, EU feed hygiene under Regulation 183/2005 with undesirable substance limits under Directive 2002/32, and GMO controls where the crop has genetically modified varieties.
Common questions
What grades of silage does SIP Global trade?
We quote 45 published grades of silage, including Dry matter - Percentage by mass, Crude protein - Percentage of dry matter, Soluble protein - Percentage of crude protein, Ammonia nitrogen - Percentage of total nitrogen, Neutral detergent fibre - Percentage of dry matter and Neutral detergent fibre digestibility - Percentage of neutral detergent fibre, at a stated incubation hour. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is silage graded?
Silage is contracted on a fermentation profile as well as a nutritive analysis. The buyer names the dry matter, the acid profile and the aerobic stability, and the lot is settled against a certified analysis of a sample drawn from the sealed pack. Grading runs on 5 systems: Nutritive value measurement, Fermentation and stability measurement, Physical form and bale specification, Cleanliness, contamination and feed safety and Delivery, packing and certification.
Where does SIP Global trade silage?
We trade silage in United States, Spain, Canada, Australia, Italy, France, Argentina and South Africa and 34 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is silage harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are United States: harvest aug to oct, arrival jan to dec; Netherlands: harvest may to sep, arrival jan to dec; Vietnam: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Thailand: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Spain: harvest may to sep, arrival jan to dec. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
What is the HS code for silage?
Silage is normally classified under HS 1214.90 (forage products, other, including silage). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.
How do I get a price for silage?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 1 listed silage market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
- IPPCInternational Plant Protection Convention phytosanitary measures
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.