Corn stalk silage method

Corn stalks are the branches of corn. Generally speaking, when we grow corn, we only harvest corn. However, corn stalks also have certain uses. The food for pigs, cattle, and sheep in our homes can be made from corn stalks. However, if the corn stalks are green, some methods should be taken to age them. So what is the method of storing corn stalks in silage?

Silage is the process of preserving and utilizing the straw of harvested crops that has not yet truly aged (to feed cattle, sheep and other livestock after winter); corn straw silage technology is a type of silage technology; it can preserve the quality and nutritional content of the feed almost intact, allowing livestock to enjoy the greenery of summer and the fragrance of grass in autumn even in winter; this technology is specifically applied to plants in the Poaceae and Leguminosae families.

Clean up and prepare. Choose appropriate silage equipment according to the size of the silage, and clean it before use to remove dirty soil, remaining raw materials, etc. Places where soil has fallen off should be repaired.

Raw material processing. The raw materials should be crushed and cut short before ensiling. The purpose is: 1. To facilitate compaction and expel the air in the middle of the material; 2. To increase the contact area between the inoculant and the material, which is conducive to the rapid reproduction of the bacteria; 3. To allow the juice in the raw material to fully seep out and moisten the surface of the raw material, which is conducive to the rapid growth of microorganisms in the fermentation agent and improve the quality of silage. The degree of raw material chopping should be determined according to the type of livestock fed and the quality of the raw materials. Generally, green raw materials with high water content can be cut longer, and grass for feeding large livestock can be cut longer. Raw materials with low water content and relatively hard texture can be cut finer or ground into fine powder. The length of the storage material is generally 2 to 5 cm.

Raw material filling. The principle of silage loading is to be quick. The silo should be filled on the same day. The cellar should be sealed on the same day to prevent the silage from spoiling before it is filled and sealed. Even large-scale silage must be filled within 2 days. Currently, many farmers have built large ponds, which cannot be filled and sealed on the same day. Some ponds are even exposed to the air for several days, allowing putrefactive bacteria to quickly decompose the nutrients in the raw materials under aerobic conditions, causing the raw materials to mold and deteriorate, reducing the quality of silage. Second, the silage must be compacted. The more compact the silage is, the better. Large cellars should be compacted mechanically. Places that cannot be pressed down need to be compacted manually. When using plastic bags to pack silage, avoid damaging the bags.

The container is sealed. After the silage is filled, it should be sealed immediately. For small bags of silage, the bag can be tied tightly with a rope. For silage in small containers such as sand tanks, the top cover can be tightly sealed with plastic film to prevent air leakage. For silage in large silage pits, cover it with plastic film, seal it, and then cover it with a layer of reed mats, straw mats, etc., and then cover it with soil.

Silage mature. Different raw materials, different environmental conditions, and different nutritional composition ratios will result in different silage maturity times. Generally speaking. The ensiling time of raw materials with high sugar content and easy to ensilage is shorter, generally around 30 days; the ensiling time of raw materials with hard texture and not easy to ensilage is longer, generally ranging from 30 days to 3 months.

<<: The efficacy of Gardenia jasminoides

>>: Uses of alkali