The development of animal husbandry necessitates an increase in the amount of feed for livestock. According to statistics, about half of the total average annual grain harvest is spent for these needs. At the same time, 15-20 million tons of the total weight falls on wheat. To reduce the cost of livestock products, instead of more expensive food grains, feed grain is used. It is intended directly for feeding livestock. Fodder is cheaper. This allows you to reduce the cost of livestock products.
Feed Grain
Almost all crops in different proportions are divided into food and feed. There are certain quality standards for the first version of cereals. Grains that do not meet these standards are used as fodder, or fodder. But this does not mean that absolutely everything that does not meet food standards is used to feed animals . The quality of feed grain is also regulated by humidity, germination, weed impurities and other factors. Feed cereals are the main diet in pig breeding, poultry farming, sheep breeding, horse breeding. Grain fodder is a concentrated feed. It is an indispensable component of the diet when raising cattle for meat.
What is the difference between feed grain and ordinary grain?
For the production of grain in agriculture, cereal, amaranth and buckwheat groups of botanical families are cultivated. The most common: wheat, barley, rye, corn, rice, oats and millet. These cereals are divided into several classes. The main agricultural crop in the world is wheat. It is used for the production of bakery, confectionery and pasta. Feed (feed) wheat is the basis of the ration in animal husbandry. Wheat serves as the foundation for the production of alcohol, beer and alcoholic beverages.
Conventionally, wheat is divided into soft and hard varieties. At the same time, the first are divided into six classes. Solid - five. The first four classes are used for food purposes. Fifth and sixth grade - for animal feed (feed grain). The class is determined in accordance with the requirements of the standard for the worst indicator of quality. In other words, feed or fodder grain is inferior to food grain by these indicators. Requirements for such a grain less. Therefore, its cost is lower. Difficulties in cultivation usually do not arise.
Classes and specifications
Technical requirements form the so-called basic conditions. They include several quantitative and qualitative indicators of grain:
- Nature (unit weight) - mass of 1 liter of grain, expressed in grams. This measure is taken only for wheat, barley, oats and rye. It characterizes the performance indicator of grain. Low-fat cereals - those that did not finish their development for certain reasons (early frosts, dry winds).
- The most important indicator of basic grain conditions is moisture. Characterizes durability during storage.
- Weediness is the limit for weed impurities.
The first three classes (highest, first and second) are the so-called strong varieties. They are used for food purposes both independently and to improve weaker varieties. The third class is valuable cereals. They are independently used in the food industry and do not require improvement. The fourth grade is applied in the industry after being improved by the first three grades. Fifth and sixth grade - feed grain.
Types of feed grain
One of the most popular feeds in the world is corn feed grain. Fodder corn stands out among other fodder cereals with a high content of starch, fat (up to 8%) and protein (about 10%). The fodder variety has the highest energy value and the best digestibility. This corn grain is great for feeding all kinds of animals. It is the main component for many mixtures and animal feed.
In feeding farm animals, wheat feed grain is no less widely used. By its total nutritional value, such cereals are second only to corn. Feed wheat also has high energy value and digestibility. Such grain is used as the basis for the preparation of feed mixtures. But that is not all.
Oat and barley grain fodder is an excellent feed for horses, dairy cattle and pigs. The chemical composition is high in fat and fiber. Feeding dairy cows with this forage improves milk quality.
Storage
Storage of feed grain is no different from food. Just need to pay attention to some factors. So, preservation depends on the preparation of the storage and the grain itself, as well as compliance with storage conditions. The main factor affecting safety is humidity. Weathered grain with an index of not more than 12% can be perfectly stored for many years without significant loss in weight. At this humidity, there are no conditions for biochemical processes. On the contrary, its increase contributes to the development of pests and heat. As a result, cereals deteriorate. By the way, the storage temperature should not exceed 10 º.