Maize Leftovers As Silage ?

[RamdomChances]

Around here they sell the maize when it's dried, this leaves a dried and withered stalk. Can this be somehow utilised as cow food ?

I've often thought about this, I assume the dried stalk has little nutritional value, but it's avalible in huge qantities and basicaly free. It's probably too dry to make silage out of but I was thinking about putting additives in it, mabye molasis to increase the moisture, and something to increace the nutritional value like cassava (man), lamb, or even soy, peanuts or something.

I relise its not going to be as good as "grass" silage but it's compitition is rice straw(fang) about 2-4% protien and around 1 bhat/kg, or treated rice straw (fang mak) around 6-8% protien and 1.5 bhat/kg.

Just and idea anyone with any thoughts ?

RC

[chownah]

http://cropwatch.unl.edu/archives/2006/Crop20/silage.htm

Making silage from dry corn

Hot weather this summer moved corn along faster than usual. Last week a couple farmers called, concerned that the corn they were chopping for silage was too dry. They knew that dry silage often heats and molds, lowering its energy and protein digestibility. Dry silage is difficult to pack, which allows more oxygen to remain imbedded inside the silage.

Many corn fields currently are too dry for making the best silage. Adding water to increase moisture content is next to impossible. It takes about seven gallons of water for each ton of silage to raise moisture content just one point. Even if you have enough water the chopped corn can't absorb it fast enough to do any good. Another solution may be to blend a wetter feed, like fresh alfalfa, forage sorghum, or green soybeans with dry corn. It can be tricky to get the right combination, but it can produce excellent silage.

Your main goal should be to minimize oxygen in your silage. Another way to help accomplish this is to adjust knives to cut finer. Also, do some extra packing even if the chopped corn seems to spring right back up at you.

Save your wettest forage for the top layer. This helps add extra packing weight and gets better sealing. If you do have water handy, apply it to this top layer for even more packing weight. Plus, always cover dry silage with plastic to prevent outside air from seeping in.

To get the best silage, the corn needs to be at optimal moisture, but if it's too dry, chop fine, pack well, and cover with plastic for good results.

Bruce Anderson

Extension Forage Specialist

Note: This link is about farming in Nebraska, USA.

[RamdomChances]

Cheers Chownah, I think they are talking about the whole plant, but it's just dried out a bit. I'm talking about the leftover stalk and leaves.

[Maizefarmer]

As a base for silage - nope, little mileage I would think - as it is.

What is left out from the "question" is just how long this maize been leftover, before you get hold of it? Lets assume its more than 1 day, and also, that it has not been "chipped" (chopped up).

The problem then is a) its dried out so much that it is going to burn off within a couple weeks of been clamped - you'll wake up one morning and find smoke coming from the silage clamp, and , its not chipped - which means you can't add water - it will run off and accumulate at the base of the clamp.

As you know, and do not need to be told in this case RDC, this is not about an optimiun silage - this is about a comprise i.e. finding a way to utilise what is avalible - so the benefit is going to lie in been able to offset the cost of cassava as an additive in the free avaliability of the maize waste.

I can see a possible solution - subject to the following:

a) Possible to get this maize leftover as soon as it is harvested i.e. find out where it comes from and go and have a word with farmer. Get it the same day it is cut down, and chip it the same day - a chipper is easy to make (can be made for Bht 5k - 10K - and I can send you plans on how to make one) - portable and capable of processing about 1.5ton and hour.

Even if you can't get the maize waste in sufficent quantity untill say the next day, you're still fine I think - as, if you have invested in a chipper, the option of adding a water/molasses/acid mix is now possible and will address the lost moisture.

So the problem now is not one of feed/silage avaibility, but one of logistics and a bit off added work in preparing the stuff to be stored.

If you can get into this position so to speak, you will have a viable silage base crop - and may well find the added labour at the time, is recovered by way of reduced feedcosts during the dry season.

Tim

Cheers Chownah, I think they are talking about the whole plant, but it's just dried out a bit. I'm talking about the leftover stalk and leaves.

[Nignoy]

Cheers Chownah, I think they are talking about the whole plant, but it's just dried out a bit. I'm talking about the leftover stalk and leaves.

Hi we used to use fresh stalks and leaves for silage in a game park I used to manage,we used to chip them into a concrete silo and stamp them down tight, no additives, no problems with mould or lack of moisture as long as it is tightly stamped and protected from the elements, it makes a good food for deer and cattle and goats Nignoy

[RamdomChances]

As you know, and do not need to be told in this case RDC, this is not about an optimiun silage - this is about a comprise i.e. finding a way to utilise what is avalible - so the benefit is going to lie in been able to offset the cost of cassava as an additive in the free avaliability of the maize waste.

Yep, I'm just looking for a cheap/better alternative to rice straw or treated rice straw so we are looking for something about 6-8% protien (more is better) and less then 1-1.5 bhat/kg. If the base mix (dried maize stalks) is free it gives me a lot of scope for additives.

a) Possible to get this maize leftover as soon as it is harvested i.e. find out where it comes from and go and have a word with farmer. Get it the same day it is cut down, and chip it the same day - a chipper is easy to make (can be made for Bht 5k - 10K - and I can send you plans on how to make one) - portable and capable of processing about 1.5ton and hour.

I can get it the same day it's picked although its pretty much dryed and withered by then anyway. I'm looking at where they still pick the mazie by hand so the rest of the plant is still standing, I'd harvest then with a mechanical "chop" which would give me a course chip. (we used to have a chop but sold it cos we were'nt using it I'm now looking for a second hand one again).

I've got 3 concrete troughs I used to use for doing "fang mak" about 10m x 3m x 2m, they have drainage as well so was thinking about using one of those as a test. I estimate they hold about 7-8 ton of straw (dry) 10-12 ton wet (each). So we are probably looking at about 10 ton of silage. for making fang mak, they hold about 360 bails@20bhat (approx 20kg), I can buy cheaper than this depending on the time of year but we'll talk ball park fig's so that's 7200 bhat for the straw and about 800 for the urea. So we are looking at producing a viable silage for less than 8,000 bhat that gives around 8% protien. I'd have to hire a "chop" (not much) and probaly get in some casual labour (still not much) plus any additives

Lets get to specifics, what do you think would be good additives and quantities, I was thinking cassava chips and molasis, what was the acid you mentioned how a bout water. The sort of thing I had in mind was mabye layering it. A bed of choped maize, sprinkle some cassava, molasis, water, then onto the next layer. How long should it be cooked for ?

Yea if you have plans for a chipper i'd be interested, please send (I'll PM you my e-mail adress).

Oh there was'nt a "b"

Nignoy, yes fresh maize is good for silage, I'm sure I've seen forage maize. I'm not sure on the economics of maize as a silage, I know MF makes it, but i've always though it a bit expencive to plant with regaurdes other crops.

[Maizefarmer]

Hang on - I know this sounds stupid after all you have written, but I want to make sure I am on the right track here......

Is this sweet corn/normal - as in picked when the maize stalk is still green, or are we talking about a dried and withered out maize plant from which the dried cobs are picked? - if its a dried out (brown and brittle) maize stalk, then this is not going to work - must have greeness to it and the stalk must still have mositure (some) in it.

I'll get down to the nitty gritty detail (chop size, water, additive ratio and so on.... ) as soon as you have cleared this up.

Personally I would not add the cassava chips at this stage - I'd mix them in just before feeding, but I'll get back to the whys & wherefor's next posting.

Sounds like you have perfect storage facilities.

[RamdomChances]

Is this sweet corn/normal - as in picked when the maize stalk is still green, or are we talking about a dried and withered out maize plant from which the dried cobs are picked? - if its a dried out (brown and brittle) maize stalk, then this is not going to work - must have greeness to it and the stalk must still have mositure (some) in it.

The dried brittle stuff, this opening line I thought was something of a give away

Around here they sell the maize when it's dried, this leaves a dried and withered stalk. Can this be somehow utilised as cow food ?

the idea was that although it might not be very good there is loads of the stuff around for free and was there any way to improve it into a viable feed.

Yea the fang mak silos could be used for silage not prob, just have to take most of the front wall out (about 70 cm high)to get tractor accsess. If I can grow enough next year the three of them full will go a long way to aliviating my dry season deficite

[chownah]

I found a link that talks about making silage and it describes different types of forages you can add: 1. high energy and low protein, 2. high protein and low energy, 3. high energy and high protein, and 4. high fibre with low energy and low protein. I think that the dried corn stalks are type #4. In this link they show two "recipes" for silage where they added different crop residues from the four groups together to make a balanced mix. It is notable that they #4 item was only 10% of the mix which was described as high quality silage and it was only 20% of the mix which was described as medium quality silage. The item they used in their mix as item #4 was banana pseudo stems so this does not exactly apply to your situation but I think that the dried corn stalks would fit into this same category of high fibre and low energy and protein.......so......it doesn't look like it is a very valuable additive.

Here's the link anyway as it has some good blab about making silage from mixed crop residues:

http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/publicat/PUB6/P622.htm

Chownah

[Maizefarmer]

I was not sure just how dry it was - you said nothing about it been brittle, which says a lot about how just how dry it is...... which was what I was trying to establish before I offered any advise.

I'll let others carry on with this one.....

back to what I said first time round - nope, not much mileage in that

Is this sweet corn/normal - as in picked when the maize stalk is still green, or are we talking about a dried and withered out maize plant from which the dried cobs are picked? - if its a dried out (brown and brittle) maize stalk, then this is not going to work - must have greeness to it and the stalk must still have mositure (some) in it.

The dried brittle stuff, this opening line I thought was something of a give away

Around here they sell the maize when it's dried, this leaves a dried and withered stalk. Can this be somehow utilised as cow food ?

the idea was that although it might not be very good there is loads of the stuff around for free and was there any way to improve it into a viable feed.

Yea the fang mak silos could be used for silage not prob, just have to take most of the front wall out (about 70 cm high)to get tractor accsess. If I can grow enough next year the three of them full will go a long way to aliviating my dry season deficite

[RamdomChances]

back to what I said first time round - nope, not much mileage in that

Oh well, thanks anyway....just a thought, I more or less thought as much.

Oh good link Chownah, I came up with the index for that whole publication, might stick it in the links tomorrow