Silage is a form of conserved grass (or other crop) that is made by farmers during the summer months when the grass supply is plentiful and not required for grazing. Silage is fed to cattle and sheep during winter months and is made by preserving the grass under naturally produced acidic conditions which effectively pickle the crop. Most silage that is made is stored in large clamps from the first cut of grass in May. However, as the season progresses and grass growth reduces the farmer is only able to allocate smaller areas for silage production and these are more efficiently conserved in big bales.

Mown grass awaits baling. Big bale silage is typically produced from drier and slightly more mature grass than clamp silage. Big bale silage can also be produced in less favourable conditions and may be carried out as late as October.

Big bales under production. Grass is collected and rolled up in the baler chamber before the back lifts and the bale is dropped off.

A big bale of a grass and barley mix that have been cut for winter fodder. Note how the material is much greener and fresher than a bale of hay and typically will have a moisture content of 30% compared with 14% for hay.

Big bales being collected for transport to the wrapper in the farm yard. All aspects of the big bale silage operation are mechanised and this has encouraged its widespread adoption in preference to hay making.

Wrapping a big bale; the bale is lifted onto a spinning plate and plastic sheeting layered around it. The whole process takes barely a minute and after wrapping the bale is pushed off to rolls down the ramp at the back of the machine.

Bales are wrapped very tightly and very little air is trapped inside. This ensures that the fermentation of the grass (the process by which it becomes silage) is carried out in the correct conditions. If air gets into the wrapped silage it can spoil and become unpalatable to livestock.

Big bales are moved by tractors with a clamp attachment that does not puncture the plastic and can be stored in any convenient location where there is hard standing. Often this is adjoining a small barn where stock will be overwintered.

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