WO1992017071A1

WO1992017071A1 - Method and apparatus relating to improvements in the manufacture of silage fodder

Info

Publication number: WO1992017071A1
Application number: PCT/AU1992/000140
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kenneth Donald Williamson
Original assignee: Eighth Milieu Nominees Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 1991-04-04
Filing date: 1992-04-02
Publication date: 1992-10-15

Abstract

A process of treatment of freshly harvested straw fodder such as rice herbage or rice straw fodder effective to preserve the fodder and to increase its nutrient value and improve its digestibility to ruminant animals comprising the steps of adding prior to or during the formation of a bale of said freshly harvested fodder a mixture of urea, protected fats and/or protected proteins depending upon the desired diet of the ruminant to be fed, packaging the bale in a wrapping of plastic to substantially hermetically seal the baled mixture of fodder, urea and protected fat and/or proteins thereby allowing a chemical reaction with the sealed package between the fodder and additives without chemically affecting said protective fat/protein in the process. The arrangement being such that fodder is preserved for long periods with little or no deterioration in the food value but a substantial increase in food value after a relatively short period in said sealed condition.

Description

Method and apparatus relating to improvements in the manufacture of silage fodder.

The present invention relates to the production of silage fodder and in particular fat and protein enriched silage fodder having rice herbage as the primary ingredients plus additives. As has already been disclosed in the prior art, for example our own Australian Patent

Application No. 48337/90 there are difficulties in the effective and efficient treatment o rice herbage to render it suitable as animal fodder.

The major problem is the difficulty in breaking down cellulose/silica scale in the stalk material and to preserve the fodder for an extended period of time. Furthermore, even with known treatments of urea the food value in the treated fodder remains relatively low.

The present invention has as its objective to overcome at least some of the above-mentioned problems and in particular to provide an edible preservable silage fodder which has relatively high levels of food value compared with the base material.

Attempts have been made to provide animal fodder with addition complexes of unsubstituted urea for example see US Patent No. 3189735. Thus a food supplement (dry) is provided including various nutrients.

German Specification No. DE3633219 describes a process of conversion into silage fodder plants such as maize and other plants comprising edible stalks by wrapping pressed bales of the fodder in an airtight package. Australian Patent No. 546946 discloses a process for preserving moist bio-mass for use as an animal feed stuff by adding a mixture of urea phosphate and urea to the bio-mass, storing the mass in a silo or under plastic sheeting.

Australian laid open Specification No. 57535/86 discloses the treatment of iigno cellosic material with a paniculate mixture of an ammonia salt and a base and added water. Australian Patent Specification No. 490664 discloses a silage for ruminants of low protein content by treatment of silage (green crops) by addition of urea and preservatives such as sulphuric acid.

US Patent No. 3585043 discloses a urea composition for use as a silage additive. The urea component includes urea calcium, phosphorous trace elements which composition is treated to form a free flowing granular additive.

Australian Patent Specification No. 516750 utilises fluid ammonia with a food stuff confined in a hermetic flexible bag partly evacuated of air. There is no disclosure of moisture content in the fodder. US Patent Specification 4450178 discloses direct ammonia injection treatment into round bales of straw to convert the straw into a feed stuff with the compact outer bale layer acting to retain the injected ammonia in the bale.

US Patent Specification No. 3063839 discloses a process of increasing amino acid content of green leaved forage material by supplying urea just after harvesting and then subjecting the urea treated plant to dehydration treatment to secure a dry stabilised product.

Japanese Specification No. 58/056645 discloses rice straw cut to greater than 5 mm with moisture content of 40-60% mixing with raw lees and nutrients and storing in a gas barrier material for 4-40 days for inexpensive conversion to feed stuff. Japanese No. 58/11983 discloses fermentation of rice straw or wheat straw with powdered skin of citrus fruits in a plastic bag.

Apart from its own disclosures in Australian Application No. 48337/90, the applicant is unaware of any direct treatment of freshly harvested straw particularly rice herbage and rice straw with paniculate granulated urea, forming a bale of the mixture and subsequently packaging the bale in tightly wrapped plastic film to increase the protein/starch content to preserve, and to improve the digestibility of the straw.

WO 89/10066 discloses a procedure for improving digestibility of animal feed containing ligno cellulose fodder by treating with the aid of a lignic modifying enzyme.

WO 89/00007 discloses equipment for controlled injection of ammonia into straw bales.

There is provided according to the present invention an improved process of treatment of freshly harvested straw fodder particularly rice herbage or rice straw fodder to preserve the fodder, to increase its nutrient value and to improve its digestibility to ruminant animals comprising the steps of adding prior to or during the formation of a bale of said freshly harvested fodder a mixture of granulated urea, protected fats and/or protected proteins depending upon the desired diet of the ruminant to be fed, packaging the bale in a tightly wrapped plastic to substantially hermetically seal the baled mixture of fodder urea and protected fat/protein thereby allowing a chemical reaction with the sealed package between the fodder and urea to increase the protein/starch content in the fodder without chemically affecting the said protective fat/protein in the process, the arrangement being such that the fodder is preserved for long periods with little or no deterioration in the food value. Conveniently the protected fat/proteins are so called by-pass proteins and long chain fatty acids administered specifically for selective digestion by ruminant animals.

It has been surprisingly discovered that the reaction leading to the silage production during the process does not adversely affect the protected fat/protein in the additive. The additives according to the inventive process are preferably added during the bale forming process by suitable metering devices mounted on the bale forming chamber of the baling apparatus.

Conveniently the straw fodder is baled soon after harvesting and should contain moisture in the range between 20-80% preferably 20-40% moisture during injection of additives and baling.

The urea is added in the range of 2-6% by weight of the harvested straw fodder the resulting mixture of urea and moist straw fodder in the sealed environment reacting to form ammonia gas which in turn converts the cellulose/silica to protein/starch and also acts to preserve the resultant silage product.

The protected protein/fats are added in the range of 0-50% preferably 40-30% protein and 10-15% fat with the remainder filler in the amount up to 1 kilogram per bale preferably of the order of half a kilogram per bale, the bale having a size 700 mm long x 500 mm diameter. The ammonia creates a chemical reaction with the cellulose/silica scales in the straw fodder resulting in formation of protein/starch enriched fodder and serving to preserve the natural sugars in the straw fodder which would normally quickly breakdown in a normal silage reaction.

The straw fodder may be any non-woody herbaceous material that has relatively high moisture content in the range of about 20-80% by weight. The inventive process may be used in a range of applications including a mobile or stationary round baling machine or directly into fodder wind rows just prior to baling.

To ensure that an adequate amount of moisture is present in the fodder (particularly where the cut fodder has been allowed to dry), just prior to, or in the bale chamber during a baling step of the fodder, water is added to the fodder. Alternatively, the water may be added to the bale during the wrapping step.

In a further modification the invention may be performed utilising a loose plastic wrapping or bagging technique, the essential feature being that at completion of the wrapping or bagging step the contents are sealed against ingress of outside air to ensure preservation of the enclosed contents and to allow chemical reaction with the additives to occur.

The addition of moisture to the fodder to be treated, includes water spraying equipment for spraying water directly on to fodder windrows where they lay in the field or injection of moisture into the bale-forming chamber during a baling operation or into the bale during wrapping or bagging. The protected fat and/or protein additive may be applied at the same time as application of moisture or alone without added moisture in the situation where moisture content is judged to be adequate.

Various types of baling machinery may be used for carrying out the invention. The baler may be static with fodder being brought to it and treated prior to baling or alternatively treated as it lays in the field.

The fodder may be any form of straw fodder such as is obtainable from a harvested rice field or other cereal such as wheat or oats. Alternatively the machinery may include a combination of a known baler motor trailer mounted plastic wrapper for baling and wrapping in the field in a single operation.

The invention will be described having reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 are schematic views of the front end of a baling machine fitted with control switch and additive feeding apparatus showing the switch in operative and inoperative positions. The baler 20 is a standard small round bale baler suitable for baling straw fodder, particularly rice straw fodder. The straw fodder is gathered by a pick up reel 21 and is carried to the bale chamber 22. The baler is modified in providing a limit switch 23 mounted adjacent pivotal actuating members 24 and 25 which are sensitive to the existence of fodder on the reel 21 whereby pivoting of the actuating member to activate the limit switch occurs. The limit switch is electrically or hydraulically connected to a dosing apparatus 26 suitable for injecting a liquid/powder mix of additive such as urea and other ingredients, for example coated protein and/or fat products into the bale forming chamber. The arrangement is such that the additive is injected only whilst fodder is actually being harvested and is entering the bale forming chamber. Thus the addition of urea, protected fat and/or protein and moisture can be simply controlled by the fodder flow sensing device 24,25 such that flow of additive is controlled proportional to the volume of flow of fodder impinging upon the actuating member.

Thus little or no flow of fodder will result in no flow of additive and thus provides a simple automatic arrangement for sensing fodder flow into the bale-forming chamber. With the inventive arrangement relatively dry fodder may be harvested to which adequate water is added to achieve sufficient moisture content in the dry fodder in conjunction with urea and protected fat and/or protein to achieve the desired chemical reaction with the urea under hermetically sealed conditions in a plastic wrap or plastic bag but with the protected fat/protein remaining unaffected. After formation of the round bale it must be wrapped immediately or soon after baling by self-sealing and self-adhering plastic film or sheeting to entirely enclose the bale thereby hermetically sealing the bale from the atmosphere.

A machine suitable for this purpose is marketed under the Trade Marks SILAWRAP and SBS SILAWRAP.

It is well known that protected fats/protein supplements play a vital role in nutrition for ruminants. The present invention in supplementing what traditionally has been considered a poor quality fodder used only sparingly as an animal food has been found to surprisingly transform the fodder into a food having moderate to high food value suitable for feeding to milk producing ruminants.

It has been found that protected fats marketed under the Trade Mark MEGALAC by Volac Limited (UK) is suitable for use with the inventive process. MEGALAC is a dry free-flowing granule that has the following typical analysis: ANALYSIS: Oil 84%

Protein Nil

Fibre Nil

Ash 1 6%

Calcium 9% Moisture 5%

Calculated MER - 30MJ/kg as fed Calculated SE - 200

Fattv Acid Profile (approximated C14 1.5%

C16 44.0% C18 5.0% C18:1 40.0% C18:2 9.5% The fat is taken from palm oil but can be taken from tallow. The fats are a combination of fatty acids and calcium linked together to form a salt which is insoluble in the rumen, and passes on to the abomasum where at a lower pH the calcium and fatty acid become dissociated leaving both free to be utilized in the normal digestive process. R-COO ^

Ca R-COO ^

A typical protected protein is marketed under the Trade Mark MEGAPRO by Volac

Limited (UK) and is suitable for use with the inventive process and contains a balance of minerals and vitamins. The protected protein is usually from a high protein source such as rape seed

(canoia), lupin or cotton seed. Protected protein pellets are created under heat and pressure by extrusion to form a protective skin working in use in the same way as the protected fat product previously described to delay ingestion of the contents of the protected fats and proteins in the stomach of the ruminant animal. EXAMPLE 1

Freshly harvested rice straw having a moisture content in the range of 20-80%

(typically 20 to 30%) is formed into a small round bale. During the formation of the bale a mixture of urea in the range of 2-6% by weight, 40-30% protected proteins such as that marketed under the trade mark MEGAPRO and 10-15% protected fat such as that marketed under the trade mark MEGALAC with filler up to a total weight of protein fat filler mix of 1 kilogram per bale, the bale has a size of 700 mm long and 500 mm diameter.

Wrapping or sealing the treated bale hermetically from the atmosphere by wrapping with self adhering thin plastic film storing the sealed bale for at least 5 to 6 days at normal ambient temperature. The resultant product constitutes animal fodder having moderate to htght food values suitable for feeding to milk producing ruminants. No degradation of the fodder such as by rancidity or fermentation was detected. Furthermore the coated protein and protected fat components of the additive retained their integrity even with sealed bales that had been kept in the sealed condition for almost 12 months.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple and effective method of improving the nutrient value of straw type fodder particularly rice straw also leading to improved preservation techniques and improved digestibility.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1 . A process of treatment of harvested straw fodder, particularly rice herbage or rice straw fodder, to preserve the fodder and to increase its nutrient value and improve its digestibility to ruminant animals comprising the steps of adding prior to or during the formation of a bale of said harvested fodder a mixture of urea, protected fats and/or protected proteins depending upon the desired diet of the ruminant to be fed, packaging the bale in a plastic to substantially hermetically seal the bale to mixture, allowing a chemical reaction within the sealed package between the fodder and urea to increase the protein/starch content in the fodder without chemically affecting said protective fat/protein in the process, the arrangement being such that fodder is preserved for long periods with little or no deterioration in the food value of the fodder.

2. A process of treatment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the straw fodder is freshly harvested.

3. A process of treatment as claimed in claim 1 wherein water is added to the fodder during the baling step of the fodder.

4. A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the bale and additive is hermetically sealed in a loose plastic wrapping or loose plastic bag.

5. A process of treatment as claimed in claim 1 wherein moisture is added to the fodder by water spraying equipment directly onto fodder windrows prior to a baling operation.

6. Apparatus for carrying out the process as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a round baling machine including actuating members at or near a pick up reel for fodder being harvested and additive dosing means associated with said actuating members whereby the actuating members are adapted to sense the existence of fodder entering the bale forming chamber to activate injection of additive to the bale forming chamber and for inclusion in the fodder bale.