After a dry start early on in the growing period the barley crop has finally been cut and baled for silage. One of the trends you would expect to see when a crop has been ensiled is an increase in sugars and a decrease in fibre content which can be seen when looking at the feed tests for this crop from cutting to ensiling. This is due to the fermentation process that starts to occur once the product has been baled. An efficient fermentation process ensures that there is an increase in the palatability and digestibility of the feed for livestock or in other words the crop becomes sweeter.
Once the crop has been baled in an air tight structure the plant undergoes respiration until all the oxygen is used up. This process converts carbohydrates or sugars into energy and heat and it is preferable that this process is as short as possible so that the fermentation process is not jeopardised and mould growth is minimised.
When there is no oxygen left, lactobacillus bacteria which is found on the plants start of rapidly multiply and begin the fermentation process. They use plant carbohydrates as an energy source to produce lactic acid which lowers the pH. Eventually the pH will get too low for the bacteria to function which signals the end of the fermentation process. As long as the silage is not exposed to oxygen, it can remain unchanged for several years.
Nutritionally this barley crop has:
- Excellent levels of Metabolic Energy with a value of 10.50 MJ/Kg
- Excellent crude protein levels with a value of 13.7%
- Good Relative Feed Value with an RFV of 101
- Average Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) with a value of 56.5%
- Excellent Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) with a value of 35.5
- Average Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC) with a value of 16.7%
