Livestock, especially cows or buffaloes, will grow and develop faster if their food intake is met. Farmers looking for animal feed will be easy when the rainy season arrives. However, when the dry season comes, many of them have difficulty getting food. Making grass silage is one solution. Several things must be considered if you are going to make animal feed reserves, one of which is the grass silage moisture.
Moisture is the main factor of success in making animal feed. This is because the final product of silage contains nutrients for livestock. In making silage, there are several things related to humidity that must be considered. Thus, food reserves will not rot and still contain nutrients for animals.
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The Importance Of Keeping Grass Silage Moisture
Quality grass silage will have an impact on the growth and development of livestock. The humidity of grass silage is the main factor in making quality silage. Then what is the ideal humidity needed to make grass silage?
The ideal humidity for making quality grass silage ranges from 32-38% dry matter. That is, when chopping grass, the dryness ranges between these numbers. Grass that is still very wet cannot be made into quality silage. For this reason, producers usually dry the grass first until it reaches the ideal humidity level.
Grass silage with humidity over 40% will cause some problems in livestock. Among other things, it can reduce the digestive process of fiber and starch in livestock. In addition, problems in packaging will also arise if the humidity is at 40% or more. For this reason, it is very important to pay attention to the humidity of grass silage for good quality.
The Right Humidity for Making Grass Silage
As already mentioned, too wet silage will cause several problems, both for livestock and in the manufacturing process. Loss of nutrients in grass silage will cause problems in the digestion of livestock. So, it will reduce the intake that should be used as a source of energy for livestock.
On the other hand, too dry grass silage moisture also has problems, especially in the packaging process. The oxygen contained in the grass silage package will be used by the plant, so it is easily consumed by livestock. When silage is in the packaging, the product is often subjected to heat.
This is caused by the growth of fungi and yeast that harm livestock. This causes a decrease in silage quality and reduces digestibility in livestock. However, silage is also easily damaged when exposed to air.
The ideal humidity depends on the packaging structure, such as a horizontal bunker which has a figure of 65-70%. For bag structures, the ideal humidity is 60-70%. It depends on the structure of each packaging.
To get the best grass silage moisture, it’s not just about knowing the water content in the field during the manufacturing process. However, producers need to dry the grass in the laboratory. This process takes some time. This process is also not practically practicable.
One practical way to be able to dry a sample of chopped grass is to use a tool. For example, using ovens, microwaves, and heat-based dryers. Using an oven will give you a near-accurate humidity result. It only takes about 10-20 minutes.
Currently, steps for drying grass silage are also available. You can see it online on the available platforms. By following these materials, you will be able to make feed reserves by paying attention to the proper humidity of the grass silage.
Steps to Pay Attention to The Humidity of Grass Silage
In general, the process of making grass silage moisture by producers is almost the same. In the first step, producers must collect grass clippings and weigh them when in wet conditions. The chopped grass is then dried can use a microwave oven.
The process is repeated until there is no change in the weight of the grass. This indicates that the humidity of the grass silage has been reached. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the heat provided because the grass could be scorched or burned due to uncontrolled heat.
Do you want the highest quality grass silage? Can’t you produce your feed reserves for livestock? Or do you need silage in large quantities? Providing grass silage with good quality is necessary. But you don’t need to be confused about getting feed for your livestock. You can make your own, or if you feel you can’t afford it, you can find a grass silage manufacturer to order according to your needs.
If you need grass silage that has perfect moisture but don’t need to make one, choose us. Silopak is an experienced producer of silage film. We support grass silage moisture to the highest quality. We also have experience sending silage film products to various countries since 2011.