Ever wonder what that sickening sweet smell is when you drive by a farm? That's the smell of silage - fermenting forage (aka grass) used as a feed additive in the winter. Hay apparently gets a bit boring and dry so silage is added into their diet for a bit of variety. OK, and important milk-producing nutrients too.
Or...as some farmers will tell you...it is the smell of money.
Honestly, I wish money smelled better, as it is probably my least favorite smell on the farm. The Farmer is well aware of this, and I cringe at the thought of being caught downwind from the silo on certain days. But it is the smell of money, so says The Farmer, so I live with it. I only whine a little bit.
After my last post two friends wanted to know what was silage. With the help of The Farmer (everyone say "hi" to The Farmer!), here's the scoop...
Silage is the fermentation of forages in an oxygen-free environment. Common forages are your basic pasture grasses, corn, and barley. The forages are processed with a forage chopper, which reduces the crop to small pieces and then is compacted in a bunker silo.
This is the silo on day one.
Once the silo is full, the silage is covered with a plastic tarp (oxygen barrier). The compaction and tarp create an oxygen-free environment. With the aid of bacteria which is infused into the crop during harvest (Brunette Comment #1: note the yellow/green tank, which holds the bacteria and water mixture, attached to the chopper in the first photo), the forages are allowed to ferment over several months. Since silage is harvested at a higher moisture level than hay, the oxygen-free environment also keeps the crop from molding.
Brunette Comment #2: see this previous post on tarping silage
Silage is normally fed to the cows during the winter months along with alfalfa hay as part of their total nutrient ration.
Brunette Comment #3: in short, silage is sauerkraut candy for cows...and cows love sauerkraut candy
No comments:
Post a Comment