High-quality silage making is the main foundation for modern husbandry to uphold feed stability, livestock health and cost efficiency in the midst of climate extreme change. This term refers to the whole ensilage production that includes optimum fermentation, the storage endurance and uniformity of nutrition value.
In this era, the biggest challenge in the production is ensuring the sugar content or ideal pH level, safeguarding the aerobic stability in the extreme climate and has a direct impact on the livestock performance.
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Climate Variability Impact on Plant Quality
Climate change affects the plants’ availability and quality. In the dry condition, the soluble sugar level of the forage crops like corn and grass often decreases and raw fiber increases. Otherwise, in the long rainy season, the water content is high in the plant. The drying process or wilting becomes harder to execute. Both extreme conditions ruin the ideal balance of the dry matter for the ensilage process. The ideal one is about 30 to 35%.
For the farmers, this condition is a dilemma. If the harvest is done faster, the forage is too wet and possesses the potential to undergo clostridial fermentation that produces a putrid smell and loss of energy. However, if the harvest is late, the material is too dry and will be hard to compact, which causes trapped oxygen in the bales. The adjustment of the harvest time with the climate monitor in real-time is an important step to keep the nutritional content optimum.
Besides, the high temperature and high moisture accelerate the wild microorganisms like Enterobacteriaceae and Aspergillus mold that degrade the nutritional value. Therefore, comprehending the local climate pattern and renewing the harvest strategy becomes an absolute requirement to maintain the forage quality.
Aerobic Stability is a Big Challenge Inside the Bale
One of the biggest causes of the quality degradation after the fermentation process is the poor aerobic stability. In simple words, aerobic stability refers to the ability to remain stable when contact directly to oxygen. When the oxygen penetrates, aerobic microorganisms like mold and khamir start to grow.
This process causes heating, an increase in the temperature of the feed. The impact of the heating is the increased pH level and the decrease in the lactic acid content. This means the preservation process stops. The overheating also causes the Maillard reaction, where the protein reacts with the sugar, so the nutritional value drastically decreases. The feed that has be sour aroma turns to be rancid odor. The palatability is very low, the livestock don’t have appetite to eat that.
The high temperature accelerates the oxidation reaction. To maintain the high-quality silage making, the farmers should focus on the four main steps: maximum compaction, tightly wrapping with oxygen barrier film, the feed intake throughout the entire feed without leaving the surface open, and lastly, the use of Lactobacillus buchneri-based silage additives to lengthen the aerobic stability.
The Connection Between Feed Quality and Livestock Performance
Bad quality feed affects the feed efficiency, livestock health and productivity. The aerobic spoiled feed usually possesses low energy content and protein content that has been broken down to ammonia. Besides degrading the palatability, that condition also triggers the daily intake.
When the livestock consume feed that has been contaminated with mold or mycotoxin, the long-term effect can be very serious. Mycotoxins can cause metabolic disorders, a decline in immune function, reproduction problems, and even a drop in milk production up to 15%.
Some cases show that a little change in the temperature and water content during the ensilage process can have a direct impact on the livestock performance in several months. To preserve the stability of the ensilage process until the feed intake has to be the priority.
The Strategy to Increase Feed Security in the Middle of Extreme Weather
To keep high-quality silage making even in extreme weather, the following strategies can be applied.
- Adjusting the harvest time: use the weather forecast and monitor the plant moisture. Harvest the plant when the dry matter content reaches 30 to 35%. Use a simple forage tester to control the water content.
- Inoculant and additive usage: apply homo homofermentative inoculant like Lactobacillus plantarum to accelerate lactic acid formation and lowering of pH. Add a heterofermentative inoculant like L.buchneri to increase oxidative stability.
- Optimum compaction and wrap: fill the silo in the thin layer (15 centimeters maximum) at once, is compacted strongly so there is no air pocket. Use two layers of plastic or vacuum film with additional weight in the edges.
- Feed management when feeding out: take a thin layer every day (30 centimeters maximum) and avoid opening the surface all night long.
- Routine monitoring and testing: inspect periodically the pH, temperature and the visual appearance for Early heating and mold growth detection.
Maintaining the quality in extreme weather requires a good understanding of the connection among weather, climate, fermentation and storage management. High-quality silage making is a strong commitment to increase efficiency, livestock health and sustainability.