BD&BPA, FEEDING YOUR HERD PDF Print E-mail
Feeding Your Herd

Grass can be fed to cows in numerous ways.  Grass can be cut and fed fresh; this is known as green chop. Hay is grass that has been cut and allowed to ‘sun dry’ before being stored in the form of loose grass, small (40lb) or large (800lb) square bales or large round bales (800 lbs). Grass can also be cut and stored green in the form of large round bales wrapped in plastic or stored in large bunker silo pits that hold in excess of 100 tons. Grass that is stored green in oxygen free environments is considered silage. Silage is made from forages that go through a process called ensiling. Ensiling occurs when naturally occurring anaerobic bacteria utilize available carbohydrates from the grass to complete a pickling process. This silage can be stored in an airtight environment for 2 or more years.  

Concentrate is usually a high protein/energy blend of various types of grain and minerals, designed and manufactured by feed processing companies such as Roberts Manufacturing. Concentrates are usually blended to compliment the forage diets of cows with a goal of maximizing milk production as well as reproduction.