Fodder conservation

The preservation and storage of feedstuffs for later feeding to the own livestock is a core task for almost all livestock farms. The aim is to preserve the feed value from the harvested product to the trough. In addition to the storage of dry grain and hay, coarse fodder silages are the basis of feeding, especially in ruminant nutrition. The success of preservation depends on the starting product, the harvesting and processing technique, the microbes, ensiling additives and the storage conditions. To address research questions, silages are placed in various container volumes ranging from 1.5L jars to 120L barrels. The controllable conditions and the possibility to investigate different variants in direct comparison are advantages of these model silages. Other questions, such as the development of methods for determining the storage density, are investigated on a practical scale, e.g. on a flat silo. Especially now, when resources are scarce, from water to fertiliser to thermal energy, minimising avoidable losses is particularly important.