FY21_SOW_CornSilageHarvest (1).doc

Statement of Work (SOW) Project: Corn Silage Chopping and Harvesting Services

GENERAL INFORMATION

1.0 Scope of Work:

The USDA-Dairy Forage Research Farm at Prairie du Sac, WI has a requirement for corn silage chopping and storage services on 200 acres.

2.0 Background:

Brown midrib (BMR) and conventional corn are grown at the farm for silage. The cutting, chopping and storing of the corn silage is labor intensive, must be completed within short optimum harvest windows, and requires specific farm equipment. The vendor needs to have experience with previous corn silage harvesting to ensure appropriate kernel processing and that the fields and crops are not damaged. The Contractor will need to coordinate specific days for the work with location staff, who will be identified at the time of contract award.

CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS

3.0 Technical Requirements/Tasks:

Corn silage chopping services for the cutting of 160 acres of brown midrib corn silage and 40 acres of conventional corn silage. The Contractor must have prior experience chopping, hauling, packing and bagging corn silage. Contractor equipment needed for harvest includes 3 forage trucks or forage wagons, packing tractor, 12 ft Self-propelled bagger and a self-propelled chopper with kernel processor. The Contractor must also apply supplied forage inoculant to each ton of forage. The Contractor must supply their own diesel fuel for their equipment. The Contractor quote should contain the cost per foot of putting forage in a 12 ft. diameter bag.

The following is the approximate scope of work. Silage acres and storage may change based on farms needs at the time of chopping.

· Need Item(s) –160 acres of brown midrib (BMR) corn silage will be stored in three 12’ wide x 500’ long silage bags and one upright forage bunk, and 40 acres of conventional corn silage will be stored in a 12’ wide x 500’ long silage bag and a 24x70 stave silo. Self-propelled chopper, one large packing tractor, one 12 ft. self-propelled ag bagger and 3 forage trucks or wagons will be needed. Estimated date to cut will be September 10th-20th 2021.

4.0 Government Furnished:

The work will take place on 200 acres of USDA-ARS land within the Badger property in Prairie du Sac. The US Dairy Forage Farm will provide and install oxygen-limiting plastics used to line the concrete forage bunker prior to feed storage, provide and install bunker covers, provide all silage bags, and provide an additional 3 forage trucks.

5.0 Deliverables / Schedule:

The specific schedule will be contingent on the weather and crop and field conditions. All loads of chopped corn silage must be weighed on the farm weigh scale to determine the total amount of forage harvested. Weight recording sheets will be provided. Automatic digital weigh wagons can be used by the Contractor to record weights.

Key Deliverables

Item Title

6.0 Travel:

The Contractor will need to travel to the USDA Dairy Forage Research Farm for the days it will take to harvest the corn silage. The Contractor must provide own diesel fuel to power their equipment.

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel:

The Contractor’s personnel who perform the harvesting must have previous experience harvesting corn silage and must be trained and certified to use the farm equipment.

8.0 Security Requirements:

The Contractor does not require a security clearance to complete the work. The Contractor must check in and out each day with designated location staff.

9.0 Data Rights:

N/A 10.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards:

N/A