Technical Information On Silage
- Silage means ‘Conserved green grass/fodder’.
- Silage is produced by controlled ‘anaerobic fermentation, of a crop high in moisture content’.
- Ensilage is the name given to the process.
- Container used to store silage is called as - ‘Silo’.
- Please note - in this document ‘maize silage’ means - whole crop maize silage with cobs/ears at 2nd milk line / early dent stage.
- Silage crops – ideal for our business module are - Maize, Sorghum, Lucerne etc.,
- Silage shelf life - Minimum 2 years - under anaerobic conditions.
- Silage yield (under drip irrigation) – 20 tons/1 acre / 1 crop of 80 days.
- Three crops of -maize for silage / 1 acre / annum under drip irrigation is possible – with a holiday crop after every 2 crops of maize – to maintain fertility and to get better yields.
- Silage yield of 60 metric tons (from 3 crops) / 1 acre / annum under drip irrigation.
- Silage yield- under rain fed conditions - average 10 tons / 1 acre / 1 crop.
- Silage requirement /1 breeder unit /1 breeding cycle of 8 months = 63 tons.
- 1 breeder unit means – 100 females + 4 males.
- Silage requirement / 1 fattening cycle of 4 months –after 2 months on milk from their mothers = 32 tons.
- 1 fattening unit means – 108 lambs.
- Stocking rate - from 1.5 acres of Maize + 0.5 acres Lucerne cultivation is – one breeder unit + one fattening unit / per 1 cycle.