Why do farmers make silage and hay?

Why do farmers make silage and hay?

Silage is preserved pasture. Making silage is an important way for farmers to feed cows and sheep during times when pasture isn’t good, such as the dry season.

Why do farmers ferment hay?

Good old fermentation. It’s the process that converts grass sugars to acids. These acids preserve the nutritional value of your silage by preventing spoilage micro-organisms from utilizing the nutrients.

What are the advantages of silage over hay?

Silage has several advantages over hay as a mechanically harvested product. Silage has more nutrients preserved per acre because there is less field loss. Silage is also less affected by weather damage because the forage does not lie in the field drying.

Why is silage made?

Both silage and hay are popular ways for farmers to feed their livestock when they’re unable to graze during the winter. They’re both comprised of grass and considered a preservation method of forage. Silage is fermented and stored in a silo before used as food.

Is silage cheaper than hay?

Today, silage is much more economical than most hay, and it may be possible to feed more silage. “Most large feedyards will feed 10% to 15% silage which works well. It’s an excellent roughage source and is still more economical than using alfalfa hay or other hays.

Is silage more nutritious than hay?

Good hay is more palatable than silage due to the high sugar content and the reduced protein breakdown. The breakdown of hay in the rumen also results in a more synchronised release of energy and protein. Silage is made from more digestible material and is not so reliant on the weather.

What is difference between silage and hay?

Haylage and silage are both ensiled forages, but the difference between them is moisture content. In general, haylage has a moisture content of between 15 percent to a maximum of 40 percent (60 to 85 percent DM). Silage has a moisture content of more than 40 percent (DM less than 60 percent).

How can you tell if silage is good?

Physical Characteristics of Silage. pH is a measure of acidity. High moisture silages are unstable with respect to pH and a wide range is found; good quality silages are associated with low pH. Corn silage should have a pH of 3.8 to 4.2, while hay crop silages have a slightly higher pH at 4.0 to 4.8.

How can you tell if silage is bad?

Silage with a rancid, fishy, or putrid odor, a yellow-green or brown color, and a slimy texture results from clostridial fermentation. There are a number of clostridial species that can affect silage. Some convert lactic acid and excess plant sugars into butyric and acetic acid.

How many acres of silage does a cow need?

A cow can eat about 55-60 lbs of corn silage per day (33% moisture. To grow cattle from 300 to 1000 pounds on only corn silage would require about 7 tons of silage. Generally you could expect between 20 and 24 tons of corn silage per acre.

What are the disadvantages of silage?

Disadvantages of silage

• It requires a silo (a permanent structure) in comparison with the simpler methods of field curing and storing hay, this is likely to mean higher costs for small farmers.
• Wastage my be more, if silage is not properly made.
• Poorly prepared silages are not accepted by animals.

Is haylage better than hay?

Haylage is, however, higher in protein, and more digestible than hay giving it a higher DE content. As a result, horses generally tend to do better on haylage, so it’s often not ideal for overweight horses and those prone to weight gain, metabolic and laminitic horses, unless it is a high-fibre, lower DE variety.

Why do we need to make silage instead of hay?

Techniques for making silage have improved greatly over the last few years, making it possible now to produce high quality silage routinely. All in all, silage making makes more efficient use of the grass, reducing the need for bought-in feeds and increasing profitability.

How is the nutritional value of silage determined?

This measure is also known as metabolisable energy. The net energy of silage is highly variable. The nutritional content depends on the quality of the original pasture as well as the quality of the fermentation process and storage. However research shows that in dry matter grass silage provides 9-12 MJ/kg.

How are additives used to improve the quality of silage?

The use of silage additives has also been shown to increase silage quality. Various trials show that using the MTD/1 strain of Lactobacillus Plantarum in Ecosyl improves digestibility, energy content and Dry Matter intakes of silage.

What kind of fodder is used to make silage?

Silage is essentially “pickled pasture,” or fodder that’s been fermented to feed cattle or sheep during dry seasons. Grasses or other crops, such as rye or maize, are cut, fermented and compressed until they’re ready to be fed to the livestock. Why Do Farmers Make Silage?