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A forage harvester – also known as a silage harvester, forager or chopper – is a farm implement that harvests forage plants to make silage. [1] Silage is grass , corn or hay , which has been chopped into small pieces, and compacted together in a storage silo , silage bunker, or in silage bags. [ 2 ]
Forage analysis is necessary and should include dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, calcium and phosphorus. TMR can be used effectively by many dairy farmers, but it is not a substitute for good management. In fact, the intensity of management may be increased.
Once silage has entered the conveyor system, it can be handled by either manual or automatic distribution systems. The simplest manual distribution system uses a sliding metal platform under the pickup channel. When slid open, the forage drops through the open hole and down a chute into a wagon, wheelbarrow, or open pile.
Silage must be firmly packed to minimize the oxygen content, lest it spoil. Silage goes through four major stages in a silo: [14] Presealing, which, after the first few days after filling a silo, enables some respiration and some dry matter (DM) loss, but stops. Fermentation, which occurs over a few weeks.
The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants). Pasture is typically grazed throughout the summer, in contrast to meadow which is ungrazed or used for grazing only after being mown to make hay for animal fodder. [2]
Sorghum grown as forage crop.. Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. [1] Historically, the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially as hay or silage.
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Forage analysis is an integral part of modern animal production. Livestock managers require detailed information about the feedstuffs of their herds in order to best achieve production goals, whether they are concerned with economic efficiency, nutrient efficiency or maximum yields. [ 1 ]