Care must be taken when purchasing forage as quality can vary widely

A cubic metre of 20% dry matter (DM) silage will weigh 0.77 tonnes and contain about 155kg of DM. If the silage is wetter, it will contain less DM per cubic metre.

A round bale of silage (30%DM) weighing 650kg will contain 190kg of DM. A cubic metre of 30% maize silage will contain 225kg of dry matter.

Small square bales of hay weighing 20 kg and 4x4 round bales of hay weighing 240kg contain 17kg of DM and 204kg of DM respectively, while a 5x4 bale contains 50% more.