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Ensiling Process
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Corn is the most commonly ensiled crop but silage can
be made from grain sorghum, legumes, and grass-legume mixtures.
The ensiling process requires a high level of management.
Advantages
- a wide variety of crops can be used
- harvesting and feeding can be mechanized to reduce labor
- less field and harvest losses than hay
- less possibility of weather damage
- can be stored for long periods of time
- decreased selectivity by animals
- highly palatable
Disadvantages
- requires specific equipment and storage facilities
- bulky
- requires skilled management
- no market off farm
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During silage production, the above ground
portion
of the forage crop is cut from the field and chopped to a length
of 3/8 to 1/2 inch.
Chopped plants are then blown into relatively
air tight or sealable containers. Some examples
are:
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Left:
vertical silo
Above: bunker
silo
Right: reusable
plastic bags |
After filling silo, plant material undergoes these steps which
take approximately 2 - 3 weeks:
- Packed tightly to create anaerobic conditions
- Container sealed (e.g. closing silo, covering tightly with
black plastic, etc.), also to generate anaerobic conditions
- Enzymes of plants and microbes present on plants continue
to be active for several days, causing the temperature to rise
and some carbohydrate losses
- Microbes consume available carbohydrates and generate lactic
acid as waste product
- Increase in lactic acid drops pH to 4.5-4, which kills microorganisms
and preserves the silage, protecting it from spoiling
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| Several things can be added while filling a silo
to improve silage quality:
- Soluble carbohydrates - provides adequate energy for lactic
acid producing bacteria (examples: cereal grains, molasses)
- Dry matter sources - added to plant material that is too wet
to reduce moisture (examples: straw, ground corn cobs)
- Microbial inoculants - aids in fermentation
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