Information management system for quality assurance in forage harvest and conservation
2004
Wagner, A. | Buescher, W.(Universitaet Bonn, Bonn (Germany). Institut fuer Landtechnik)
Silage quality can be evaluated on the basis of its nutrient and energy content, which should be as high as possible in order to preserve the feed value from the silage all the way to the feeder. On the other hand, in addition to fermentation, chemical processes in the opened silo (deterio-ration of silage accompanied by heat release and mould formation) have an increasing impact on quality due to the carry-over of mycotoxins from contaminated feed into the milk. As an increasing number of farms rely on year-round silage feeding, problems with quality loss due to secondary fermentation have become more frequent. These problems most probably arise from a lack of information as how to ensure quality during the labour peak of feed harvest and con-servation. The aim of this investigation is to develop an information-management system for pre-wilted silage. Based on the target of 'long-term-stability', this system is intended to point to quality-assurance measures by considering the composition of the fresh forage and monitoring critical control points in the ensiling process. Studies on the influence of chopping, compaction and feed-out technique on 'long-term-stability' parameters aim to make it possible to deduce what technology should be used from the desired feed quality, and to define the impact on quality of each step in the of forage-harvesting and conservation process. In this way, farmers will in future be able to make decisions with a bearing on quality by means of appropriate mechanization and forage conservation.
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