Sweet Haylage

Green forage is the most preferred feed for dairy cows by the farmers. They feel happy while feeding their cows with green succulent fodder. In advanced countries the cows are let loose on pasture land to graze and forage at their free will. When the above facilities are unavailable farmers have to depend on dry fodder.

Fiber is the slowly digested or indigestible material in feeds. Typically, fiber measures the plant cell wall: the structural portions of the plant that give it support. Fiber components of the cell wall, including cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin, as well as pectin, are digested only by the process of microbial fermentation. In the rumen of dairy cows a thriving population of bacteria, protozoa, and fungi produce enzymes that break the very complex components of the cell wall into smaller molecules such as glucose. Nutritionally, fiber is the portion of feed that: 1) limits digestion; 2) requires chewing for particle size reduction; and 3) occupies space in the rumen because of bulkiness, thus limiting intake.

The three methods used for measuring fiber in feeds include:

1.    Crude Fiber (CF),

2.    Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF),

3.    Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF).

Each of these measurements is found on various feed tags and forage analysis reports. Although they all measure fiber, each method gives different fiber values for one feedstuff. Much confusion can be avoided by realizing exactly which chemical component of the plant cell wall is being measured by each method.

Source : NRC 1994.

Several methods to treat fiber to increase digestibility are available. The methods use chemicals such as sodium hydroxide, ammonia and calcium oxide. The present time the only method recommended for practical application involves ammoniation either using gaseous ammonia or through wet ensiling of the material with urea. The effect of this treatment is to increase digestibility (often by 5-10% units, to approximately 1% of the dry matter) and to increase acceptability and voluntary intake of the treated fibre/straw as compared to untreated straw (usually by 25-50%) when this is made available on a free choice basis. (Sundstol and Coxworth 1984).

To increase the nitrogen content of the straw Ammonia as gas or generated from urea (by bacterial and/or plant ureases in the ensiling process) hydrolyzes the chemical/physical bonds between lignin and the cellulose and hemicelluloses in the plant cell walls. The hydrolysis of these bonds makes the cellulose and hemicelluloses more accessible to microorganisms in the rumen and increases total fermentation and usually the rate of fermentation. Some chemical hydrolysis of hemicelluloses also takes place resulting in an increase in the portion of soluble.

In Kerala, India the dairy farmers are depending of paddy straw and poor quality compounded feed to produce milk. It is noticed that the milk is produced at the rate of 1.5kg feed for 1 litre milk. The above phenomenon increases the milk production cost the highest in the world. Recently it was declared as Rs 24 for 1 litre milk produced. Since all cattle feed raw materials are imported the feed price would go up beyond control. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a substitute feed with locally available feed recourses in Kerala. In reality many comments that no feed is available in Kerala except waste vegetable fibre like banana stem and leaves, coconut leaves, African payal, tree leaves and waste grasses. In order to convert t those items to good quality feed the only recourse is technology. Synery Group of Companies, UAE has successfully innovated a technology and plant to manufacture 'sweet haylage'ood substitute for green forage.  The above feed is more digestible, energy rich and palatable. Since the waste fibres are used the cost of the new feed will be indeed half of other poor quality compounded feeds.

Silage and haylage making are process involved to preserve the green forages. Silage making is done by pressing chopped green forage into deep silo pits and cover it with soil to preserve it by the production of propionic acid. The treated silage is taken out for feeding during winter days when green forages are scarce. The above treatment causes loose of sugar and starch and protein by fermentation. However fibre is available to cow. The production of propionic acid lowers the pH below 5. Haylage making is done by withering the green forage by drying under the sun light to remove moisture to 50%. This semi dried forage is chopped and packed with high pressure. The air tight packing stops the loss of nutrients to some extend. All the above process is for good quality forages. Utilizing the advantages of the above processes sweet hay lage was developed to process waste vegetable fibre. Moreover there is no effective treatment available for crop residues. Straw treatment with various agents like ammonia, urea, micro flora etc were tried but never was successful in the field. The feasible industrial model was not developed so such treatment. Later UMMB was developed to manipulate rumen fermentation. Commercial plants were developed for the production of UMMB in India However owing to various reasons it was found less acceptable particularly because of higher cost for molasses. In sweet haylage technology all those technologies were combined to make the vegetable fibre more digestible and energy rich and palatable. These fibres are chopped to 15mm particle size and mixed with additives like nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur, sugar, probiotics and enzymes and pressed at 4500 psi pressure to form hard blocks and packed air tight to remove oxygen. The packed block will have carbon dioxide to encourage the growth of fibre degrading bacteria. The packed feed is left for 20 days to complete the reaction so that microbial protein will be produced, fibre will be degraded, energy content will be increased and the feed will be highly palatable. Depending on the formulations the feed will have 8-10% protein and 10-11 MJ/kg metabolisible energy. If the pack is left intact the feed will remain for long time.

The plant  will have the following parts like juice remover, spindle remover, chopper, digester for additives, mixer cum sprayer, hydraulic press and shrink packing. Plant will remove the excess moisture in the vegetable fibers and reduce the particles to 15mm size A mixing technology is developed to coat the liquid ingredients on the vegetable fiber evenly for bacterial and chemical treatment, Processed fodder is compressed to densified blocks of 5kg and packed air tight to prevent oxidation of nutrients. The Sweet haylage is ready to use after 28 days from packing date, with a shelf life of 2 years. The lay out of the plant is shown below.

Plant will remove the excess moisture in the vegetable fibers and reduce the particles to 15mm size A mixing technology is developed to coat the liquid ingredients on the vegetable fiber evenly for bacterial and chemical treatment, Processed fodder is compressed to densified blocks of 5kg and packed air tight to prevent oxidation of nutrients. The Sweet haylage is ready to use after 28 days from packing date, with a shelf life of 2 years.

The above technology would bring in sea changes in the feed scenario by treating the vegetable fibre to form a good quality feed for dairy cows. Since the plant is small and pact it could be installed in local areas where the fibre is plenty available. Also the electrical load is low therefore it could be available in villages. In countries where the feed resources are dear and scarce development sweet haylage technology would make sea changes in the scenario. It would convert the waste fibre to energy rich fodder feed for ruminant animals for milk and meat production.