I received a call recently from a local dairy producer who wanted to talk about the recent death of a dairyman caused by silo gas. This was a very sincere phone call. He started out the conversation with, "I don't want to sound like a know-it-all, but I have been meaning to call you about something . . ."

He went on to describe how about 10 years ago he had partially filled his 20-foot by 88-foot concrete silo with haylage but did not level the silo right away. The next morning he started up the tractor and ran the blower for at least 15 minutes prior to entering the silo. He then climbed the chute and opened the silo door at the level of the haylage. Once the door was opened, he immediately knew something was wrong. "I held my breath and started scrambling down the ladder," he said. He never made it to the bottom conscious. Fortunately, his employee was at the bottom of the silo and pulled him away from the chute and the toxic gas. The employee also called 911.

A number of things went right for him that fateful day: First, the silo was filled to only about 25 to 30 feet. "I would never have made it out of the chute if it had been plumb full," he said. Second, he held his breath right after opening the silo door and noticing something was wrong. Third, he utilized the buddy system - his employee was with him at the bottom of the chute in the event he needed help.

Many times the silo is filled to the top; and many times the buddy system is not utilized. This is why prevention is the key when dealing with silo gas.

The fermentation process can result in the formation of potentially deadly silo gas. "Running the blower prior to entering the silo is important. But it is not enough," he went on to say. "Immediately after you finish filling the silo, open the silo door at the level of the forage. Since silo gas is heavier than air, opening the silo door at the level of the feed will allow the gas to escape down the chute as it forms. Be sure to open the silo door right away after you quit filling the silo, even at night or in the event you had to stop chopping because of rain or a breakdown," he emphasized. Leaving the door open provides an outlet for the heavier-then-air silo gasses. If silo gas forms, it has a way out of the silo. Plus, running the blower, if a door is open at the level of the silage, helps to ensure that the gas is pushed down the chute.

And when it comes to silo gas, don't underestimate haylage. "I always thought silo gas resulted from corn silage. I didn't think it was a problem with haylage until I fell down the chute," he said.

Clearly, running the blower is important and should always be done prior to entering the silo. However, in this dairyman's experience, opening the silo door at the level of the forage is critically important. Be sure to do this right away - don't wait for toxic silo gases to form. Opening the door provides an outlet for the toxic gasses that can result from the fermentation process. "The key is getting the door open the night before," he reemphasized.