Report from the Union Ministry of Agriculture projects a 36% dearth in the production of green fodder, given the number of cattle in the country. The months of May-August exemplify the mindless burning of wheat stubble/residue and the sheer wastage of green fodder, bringing to light the issue of fodder mismanagement. Moreover, small-sized land holdings, unpredictable monsoons, and an irregular supply of irrigation water discourage many farmers from sowing green fodder in the first place. This highlights the bare availability of normal fodder for cattle, not to mention its quality. Thus, nutrient-deficient low-quantity milk, troublesome pregnancy journey, and inadequate reproductive health among others become some of the unavoidable consequences for cattle and eventually, they tend to affect the farmer’s income.
Although most of the above-mentioned problems demand high-authority intervention, yet certain simple, easy, and feasible steps can be taken to increase the nutrient percentage, digestive strength, and taste of the fodder.
One such method discussed in this article is converting green fodder into silage to fulfill the year-long fodder needs of cattle. Despite requiring green fodder throughout the year, milking cattle is sufficiently fed only in the rainy season, living on grass, weed, and crop residue in other months. The cultivation of fodder crops like bajra, corn, etc., also survives only for a few months, changing into dry tasteless fodder for the rest of the year. Thus, adequate treatment of green fodder to convert it into long-lasting, storable silage can be a feasible option.
What is “Silage”? Silage is pickled and fermented green fodder. This process increases fodder durability without bearing any impact on its nutrient composition.
Benefits of Silage: 1. As mentioned earlier, it minimizes fodder wastage and increases its storage capacity to increase food availability for cattle and enrich its diet, especially in winter months when fodder supply is short. 2. Silage speeds up the process of emptying agricultural land from green fodder for the cultivation of other commercial crops to raise farmers’ income. 3. The space occupied by silage is comparatively less than dry fodder which ends up making the shed more spacious. 4. Silage makes no compromise with the overall nutrient content of the fodder so that the farmer stands to only gain from the process. 5. Ultimately, cattle’s improving health will flourish its milking capacity and productivity with long-term better reproductive health.
Process of Silage-making Succulent, moist, and carbohydrate-rich crops like corn, jowar, Chari, etc., are primarily considered good choices for making silage along with the ideal timeline being the months of September and October. Harvesting the crop as soon as its flower blossom, spreading it out in the open field till the time its moisture evaporates, cutting the resultant into 1-inch-long pieces through a fodder cutter, and finally storing the crop in a pit or silos, governs the major part of the process.
Types of Silos/pits 1. Underground Pits A one-meter-deep and one-meter-wide pit shielded with marble flooring can be used for storing 500 kilograms of silage. 2. Above-ground bunker/tower Building a bunker/tower on the ground is a more suitable option in areas where water levels are high. 3. Silo Bags At the initial stages of the silage-making process, silo plastic bags of various capacities from 250 kilograms to 1000 kilograms can be availed as they tend to occupy less space and can be conveniently put at any location in the shed.
Certain Precautions while Silage-Making
It takes a span of 45 days to prepare a silage with an ideal pH score of 3.5 to 4.1, levels of ammonia nitrogen restricted to 10 percent, endowed with butyric acid, nice fragrance, and possessing a mixture of light greenish and brownish color.
The silage should be packed tightly with no air between it, along with leaving an empty space of about 30 centimeters at the top in the silo bag or pit.
The process of filling the silage into the pit or the silo bag should neither be too fast nor too slow. Filling it fast leaves the scope for air entering the silage whereas fodder can become dry if the process becomes too slow. The ideal moisture content in silage should stay around 35 to 40 percent.
Silage pit should be evenly layered with mud after having been covered with dry fodder and this process should be repeated when the mud dries and starts withering away.
Conclusion Thus, silage prepared as per the above-mentioned method, keeping in mind the given precautions can play a determinant role in enriching the cattle’s diet with nutrient-rich wholesome fodder. It is an effective solution to the problem of fodder unavailability during certain months, inadequate utilization of green fodder crops, and the bland taste of dry fodder, and becomes an affordable, and simple measure to make one’s cattle more productive.
Reference 1. Jaryal, Gurpal & Shyam Londhe. “किसानों के लिए अतिरिक्त आय का सर्वश्रेष्ठ माध्यम है – पशुपालन.” उन्नत पशुपालन की विधियां,
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