Corn is the basic plant used for feeding dairy and beef cattle. The high nutritional value, large crops per hectare and easy ensiling make maize ensilage a commonly used high-energy feed. The increasing prices of concentrated feedstuffs make the use of moist maize an increasingly popular method of balancing the nutritional dose. The optimal moisture content of maize intended for crushing and ensiling in a silo bag should be within the range from 32 to 38% of dry mass. The application of crushing improves the physical structure of the nutritional dose. Such maize is dissolved more slowly in the rumen which results in a large part of starch reaching the small intestine and being digested there. This contributes to the better use of energy by the animals.
The best method of preserving and storing the granulated maize is a silo bag. The granulated maize, packed into the silo bag, is cut off from outside air, which makes it possible to store it for even two years. The conditions inside the silo bag are anaerobic, which results in quick lactic fermentation. Thanks to that the maize is ready for feeding purposes after four weeks.
The crushing and packing of maize intended for feed into silo bags brings, first and foremost, great savings in comparison for using dry feeds for feeding. The complex service of preparing the feed from moist maize, which consists of moist maize crushing, packing into the silo bag and operator’s labour, costs 40 Polish zlotys. In comparison to that, the cost of drying a single ton of maize is from 90 to 130 Polish zlotys, depending on its moisture content and atmospheric conditions. Additionally, in case of dried maize intended for use a feed it is necessary to take into account the necessity of granulation, which results in further costs.
We provide the services of moist maize crushing and packing it into silo bags on the whole territory of Poland. In order to do that, we use the crushing mills fitted with a silage press that are manufactured by the Renn Mill company. These machines are fitted with a pair of cylinders having different rotational speeds, which allows precise granulation of maize. A single machine is capable of both granulating the maize and packing it into the silo bag. It can also granulate other grain types, such as wheat or rye. It takes 5 hours for the machine to prepare 110 tons of feed. The crushing mill, fitted with a preservative applicator, is driven by a tractor having the minimum power of 130 KM. In order to load it there is required a telescopic loader or front end loader.