Talk:Silage
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I should like to know why and when silage replaced haymaking (eg is it to do with the development of plastics?).
[edit] Why Silage?
This page is badly in need of a brief introduction on why silage is used. Is it merely a storage issue (i.e. "pickled corn", or "hay-kraut")? Or does it actually improve the digestibility of the forage? (Would cows even eat whole corn plants?) Obviously, as User:GypsyJon mentions, the microbial activity in the ensiling process will use up some part of the energy contained in the feedstock. That does not necessarily mean that it therefore has to reduce the quality of the forage... Patrikd 22:48, 5 September 2006 (UTC)
The ensiling process is pure and simple a way to preserve forages. Corn silage was introduced in the US in the very early 1900's in Wisconsin. Yes, it is viturally a way to pickle forages, without the use of salt, however. Cows will eat whole corn plants, but since the dry matter in corn plants when they are cut to make silage is around 30 to 35%, if not packed tighly into a storage system that prevents 02 from entering, the silage will rot (aerobic) rather than ferment (anaerobic) and not be preserved.
Cows do love corn silage and in the southeast, may dairies feed up to about 60 pounds of corn silage per cow per day. This is a rather high level and can lead to health problems (cronic acidosis) in dairy cows, it is fed this way because other available forages, ie. bermuda grass etc, are very low in energy. That is they are not as digestible as corn silage. In other areas, such as the midwest, northeast, California, etc, various amounts of grass hay, alfalfa hay and haylages are fed. This mitigages the damaging effects of the very high corn silage diets fed in the southeast (Florida, Ga, S.Carolina, Alabama, N.Carolina)
