Tama Assist Pit or Bale: Which Silage System Suits Your Farm?
Advantages
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Efficiency at Scale
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Clamps really come into their own when handling big volumes of forage.
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Thousands of tonnes can be stored in one place, ideal for larger dairy herds or high-demand mixed systems.
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Central Feeding
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With all forage in one location, feeding out (especially for TMR systems) becomes straightforward.
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Daily mixing and ration prep can be done quickly when everything’s in a single clamp.
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Lower Material Costs
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Once built, clamps don’t require film or net per bale.
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Ongoing consumable costs are lower compared to individually wrapped bales.
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Disadvantages
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Heavy Investment
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A clamp needs proper construction: concrete walls, flooring, and drainage.
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Ongoing repairs and effluent management add further cost and hassle.
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Spoilage Risk
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Poor sealing or slow feed-out can cause heating and waste at the clamp face.
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The larger the clamp, the greater the chance of losing quality in changing weather.
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Less Flexibility
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Clamps tie forage to one location and make it harder to sell or move in small lots.
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Keeping different cuts or crops separate often requires multiple pits, which isn’t cheap.
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Advantages
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Scales Up or Down
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Works for small beef and sheep units as well as bigger herds.
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You only bale what you need, with no requirement for a large storage site.
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Forage Quality
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Each bale is sealed individually, cutting spoilage risk.
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Forage keeps its feed value and stays fresher once opened.
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Harvest in Stages
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Not all grass is ready at the same time. With bales, you can cut in smaller runs.
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That staggered approach is harder with clamps, which demand machinery, labour, and a full pit of grass at once.
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True Value in the Bale
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While bales carry a per unit cost, high quality smaller cuts can prove cheaper per tonne of usable feed.
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Better animal performance and less waste often offset the packaging spend.
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Easy Storage and Handling
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Bales can be stacked almost anywhere; in the field, by a shed, or ready for sale.
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Moving and selling forage is simple, especially for contractors.
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Crop Separation
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Different cuts, fields, or forage types can be kept apart with ease.
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That makes rationing and feeding more precise.
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Disadvantages
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Unit Cost
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Net and wrap add to the expense, and for very large herds, costs per tonne may be higher than pit silage.
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Space
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Bales take up more ground area than a compact clamp.
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Stacking needs to be done carefully to avoid damage.
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Waste Management
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Used wrap and net traditionally had to be collected and recycled separately.
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New products like EZ Web now make this simpler, as the outer wrap can be recycled alongside stretchfilm, saving time and improving sustainability.
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Herd Size & Demand – Clamps suit bulk feeding dairy units, while bales can be a smarter option for mixed or smaller farms.
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Cashflow – Clamps require big upfront spend but lower running costs. Bales spread the cost harvest by harvest.
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Flexibility – Want to move forage, sell, or store in smaller batches? Bales win. Prefer a one site, one system approach? Clamps fit better.
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Forage Quality – Wrapped bales minimise waste and spoilage. Clamps suit farms where feeding efficiency outweighs quality concerns.
Both systems can deliver excellent results if managed well, and many farms actually run a mix: clamps for bulk, bales for flexibility.
That said, the steady rise of wrapped bales in the UK reflects how they suit modern pressures on time, cost, and quality. They let farmers store forage in manageable units, cut waste, and adapt to unpredictable weather.
So the real question is: for your farm, do bales give you the flexibility, quality, and convenience your system needs?
Still unsure? Get in touch with one of our crop baling experts for advice on the optimum silage storage method for your operation.