Alberta Ag Video: Forage and Grain Feed Testing. What do you think of this type of video?

[joedales]

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[wd40]

Hmm seems this old message has either been learned or has no interest? However: I think it is fair for you to point out the irrelevant value of testing silage.
AS you both know you don’t have a simple accurate objective test for the protein or energy value of silage.
ALL silage in conventional storage suffers heat damage; it’s just a question of how much. Even the ADIN test is a rubber yardstick. You can take 2 identical fresh (behind the chopper) silage sample sealed in a 2 quart sealer, store in the dark c/w oxygen free storage. A perfect scenario!
Take one sample and without breaking the seal place the sample in the oven and heat to 200 degrees all day long and burn it black.
Test both sample and the one that is totally burnt will probably test a bit higher for protein. And I know you know why.
With silage stored in conventional the best test for quality is your pants between your knee and your belt. Rub your silage profusely on your pants, kneel in the silage in the pit, wash your hands in it, then go into your kitchen at coffee time and invite your wife to sit on your lap and put her hands around her.
If she screws you her nose at you and runs you out of the kitchen then you have burnt silage. And unfortunately there is no simple cost effective test to tell you where your protein and energy levels are at.
Silage can test really high in crude protein and have very little if any digestible protein left. So the TRUTH lies somewhere in the mix you just don’t know where.
So if all you have is a rubber yard stick to measure your building blocks you really don’t have anything. If you must test your silage you may as well do it while silaging.
Actually energy levels are a bigger ghost. When heat occurs calories of energy are being consumed. The big question in how much is left. And only your calves can tell you that.
There is ONLY one silage storage system that lets you take out what you put in, is Oxygen Free Storage. The only place to find that is in bags.
I know you govt. types have an aged old script come back for the above, but neither have any of you (to my limited knowledge of recent years) ever experienced a thorough long term actual feeding process with a properly managed bagging scenario.
If you had you would have to re-right what you were taught in school, because you have been watching ½ truths all you life. You know that proper fermentation comes in anaerobic (oxygen free environment), and no other system can boast that. Therefore all your years of data input comes from varying degrees of derogated silage.
If and when you do (I have wished you would for 30 years) you will find amazing results that will blow your mind. Weaned auction mart calves on very wet silage reach their DM consumption in record breaking time (days). You will find it hard to grow (hold) calves at say 1.5 lb. ADG or less without jumping through hoops you’ve never jumped. Lower grain levels than you’ve ever seen, even the elimination of supplemental protein. And why not summer grazing on proper pasture management will often blow the socks off winter results even weather considered.
Cheers, next time you find some wet alfalfa or grain silage in the end of a bag, roll around in it, get it on your boots, carry some into your warm pickup, put a sample on the floor under the heater, some on the dash of your truck and notice how pleasant the ride is. Don’t do that with most pit silage or you’ll have to trade it in and the govt. has a freeze on right now. :-)
PS. Take a small tarp along and ask your farmer with the wet bagged silage to dump a bucket full into the back of your truck onto the tarp and lightly wrap it so people can’t see what you’re hauling. Might prevent your colleagues from committing you! You will find the shelf life of the silage go way, way beyond what any pit silage will go. The question that needs to be asked is “what’s the difference”.