What does the silage analysis mean?
A silage analysis indicates the nutritive value of the sample of silage at the time of arrival at the laboratory. This assumes that the sample is representative of the stack or bales to be fed, that it was not left in a hot ute for any time and that it was packaged, cooled/frozen and sent to the laboratory as quickly as possible. The majority of laboratories will provide the following tests and are measures as a percentage of dry matter (DM): • Moisture content: This is the amount of water in the sample, removed by oven drying. • Dry matter content: This is the dry material left after oven drying. 100 – Moisture content = DM% and 100 DM content = Moisture percentage. Most feedlot and total mixed rations are based on the DM percentage as feeds and costs vary greatly according to DM content. • Crude Protein: This is the amount of nitrogen measured in the sample x 6.25. High producing milking cows require a CP of 16 to 18 per cent CP in their total ration. A cow requires a minimum of 8 to
