{"id":3759,"date":"2024-06-16T15:00:43","date_gmt":"2024-06-16T12:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/?p=3759"},"modified":"2024-06-16T16:27:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-16T13:27:02","slug":"good-silage-from-good-forage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/2024\/06\/16\/good-silage-from-good-forage\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Silage from Good Forage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>BSc Range Management and Animal Science students demonstrating their competence in quality silage making.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Silage is a moist, succulent feed produced through controlled fermentation of fresh forage stored under anaerobic conditions. <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3760\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Silage-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Silage-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Silage-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Silage.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>The students used <em>Tripsacum laxum<\/em> (Guatemala grass) and maize bran to make quality silage. They employed plastic sheet techniques, recommended for small dairy farms due to their convenience in filling, packing, sealing, handling, and feeding out.<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3529\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PXL_20240502_064306722-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PXL_20240502_064306722-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PXL_20240502_064306722-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PXL_20240502_064306722-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PXL_20240502_064306722-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/PXL_20240502_064306722-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3755\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0042-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/>This method requires a small quantity of forage and demands less labor, making it ideal for small-scale farmers. Silage making using plastic sheets is also cost-effective.<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3756\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0044-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/>To maintain anaerobic conditions, the students chopped Guatemala grass during harvesting, rapidly filled the plastic bags, adequately consolidated the forage, and sealed the sheets to prevent air re-entry. Exposure to oxygen leads to aerobic microbial activity, causing the material to decay into an inedible and toxic product.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3754\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0032-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0032-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0032-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0032-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0032-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0032-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>Harvested Guatemala grass<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3753\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0026-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/>Chopped Guatemala grass<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3752\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0024-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"262\" \/>Silage is uniformly distributed and consolidated<\/p>\n<p>Properly sealed silage can be stored for years without significant change in composition, though most silage is used within a year. <img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3758\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0050-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0050-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0050-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0050-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0050-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0050-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3757\" src=\"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/IMG-20240606-WA0048-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"352\" height=\"264\" \/>Silage, with its higher moisture content compared to hay, is more palatable and easier to digest for livestock. Economically and practically, silage is more labor-efficient than haymaking, poses a lower risk of spontaneous combustion, and produces less dust during feeding, benefiting both livestock and workers.<\/p>\n<p>Farmers are encouraged to visit the Model Training Farm at the Dairy and Pasture Management unit for training on silage making or contact us for personalized training on the farm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For inquiries, please contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Section Manager:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Name: Faridi Chamkatwa<\/p>\n<p>Email: <a href=\"mailto:faridi.chamkatwa@sua.ac.tz\">faridi.chamkatwa@sua.ac.tz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mobile phone: +255-712-500-840<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Veterinary Clinician: <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Name: Winfred Ngilangwah<\/p>\n<p>Email: <a href=\"mailto:winfred.ngilangwah@sua.ac.tz\">winfred.ngilangwah@sua.ac.tz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mobile phone: +255-764-505-418<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>For official communication, please contact:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Head of Department, Model Training Farm,<\/p>\n<p>Sokoine University of Agriculture,<\/p>\n<p>P.O. Box 3001, Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro,<\/p>\n<p>Mobile phone: +255753937587<\/p>\n<p>Email: <a href=\"mailto:newtonk78@sua.ac.tz\">newtonk78@sua.ac.tz\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>CC: <a href=\"mailto:dmtf@sua.ac.tz\"><strong>dmtf@sua.ac.tz<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BSc Range Management and Animal Science students demonstrating their competence in quality silage making. Silage is a moist, succulent feed produced through controlled fermentation of fresh forage stored under anaerobic conditions. The students used Tripsacum laxum (Guatemala grass) and maize bran to make quality silage. They employed plastic sheet techniques, recommended for small dairy farms [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3759"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3759"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3767,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3759\/revisions\/3767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coa.sua.ac.tz\/farm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}