For alfalfa and maize silages, the following technological elements were tested between 2018 and 2022: dry matter content, risk of weather changes and cut length. The dry matter content plays a signifi cant role above all in increasing the temperature at the beginning of fermentation. It has been confi rmed that any increase in silage temperature after establishment means a loss of energy and dry matter. The differences can be a few percent or even much higher. A high, but also a low dry matter content of silage represents a major risk of the Maillard reaction. Drought during the growing season had a greater effect on fermentation indicators (lower silage acidity and lactic and acetic acid content), while a period with more rainy weather had a greater effect on nutritional values (lower fi bre content and higher net lactation energy). Losses of dry matter during fermentation were of alfalfa silage with a shorter cut (20 mm) lower than that of silage with a longer cut (40 mm). For alfalfa silages, silage with a shorter cut had a higher aerobic stability compared to a longer cut. The silage with a higher dry matter must be pushed more intensively and for a longer time to the air was forced out of it.