![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Again, the pit is covered with plastic sheet and weighed down with tires. This requires considerable effort to compress the stack in the silo to cure it properly. The chopped grass can then be dumped in at the top, to be drawn from the bottom in winter. In New Zealand and Northern Europe, 'clamps' made of concrete or old wooden railway ties (sleepers) and built into the side of a bank are sometimes used. In North America, Australia, northwestern Europe, and New Zealand it is common for silage to be placed in large heaps on the ground, rolled by tractor to push out the air, then covered with plastic sheets that are held down by used tires or tire ring walls. Chaff may also be emptied into a bagger, which puts the silage into a large plastic bag that is laid out on the ground. Harvesters blow the chaff into the wagon through a chute at the rear or side of the machine. These forage harvesters can be either tractor-drawn or self-propelled. Equipment įorage harvesters collect and chop the plant material, and deposit it in trucks or wagons. In the silo, the pressure of the material, when chaffed, excludes air from all but the top layer in the case of the stack, extra pressure is applied by weights to prevent excessive heating. When the silo is filled or the stack built, a layer of straw or some other dry porous substance may be spread over the surface. The material is spread in uniform layers over the floor of the silo, and closely packed. Īfter harvesting, crops are shredded to pieces about 15 mm ( 1⁄ 2 in) long. Ideally the crop is mowed when in full flower, and deposited in the silo on the day of its cutting. For pasture-type crops, the grass is mown and allowed to wilt for a day or so until the moisture content drops to a suitable level. For corn, harvest begins when the whole-plant moisture is at a suitable level, ideally a few days before it is ripe. Weather during harvest need not be as fair and dry as when harvesting for drying. Silage must be made from plant material with a suitable moisture content: about 50% to 60% depending on the means of storage, the degree of compression, and the amount of water that will be lost in storage, but not exceeding 75%. Many crops have ensilaging potential, including potatoes and various weeds, notably spurrey such as Spergula arvensis. The crops most often used for ensilage are the ordinary grasses, clovers, alfalfa, vetches, oats, rye and maize. Production MB Trac rolling a silage heap or "clamp" in Victoria, Australia It can be made using several methods, largely dependent on available technology, local tradition, or prevailing climate. Silage can be made from many field crops, and special terms may be used depending on type: oatlage for oats, haylage for alfalfa ( haylage may also refer to high dry matter silage made from hay). ![]() Silage is usually made from grass crops, including maize, sorghum, or other cereals, using the entire green plant (not just the grain). The fermentation and storage process is called ensilage, ensiling, or silaging. It can be fed to cattle, sheep, and other such ruminants ( cud-chewing animals). Silage ( / ˈ s aɪ l ɪ dʒ/) is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. JSTOR ( August 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |