Claas has bought the intellectual and marketing rights for the Shredlage maize silage process, which is designed to improve the availability and digestibility of starch and fibre.
The German company acquired the international distribution rights for the technology last year for use in its Jaguar forage harvesters.
The process was developed over the past decade by two American dairy nutritionists, Roger Olsen and Ross Dale, who were looking for a more efficient silage process suitable for high-ratio forage diets.
“The process intensively processes both the kernel and ‘long chop’ stalk using two specially-designed Loren Cut rollers that fit into the Multi Crop Cracker (MCC-L) processor found in Claas Jaguar forage harvesters,” Claas says.
“Claas V-Max V20 and V-Classic V24 chopping cylinders are used to produce a chop length of 26mm to 30mm, about 10mm longer than conventional silage.”
The kernels are broken to a fraction of their normal size and the stalks are shedded into planks and strings by the two Loren Cut rollers, which have 110 and 145 teeth set in opposing spiral grooves and a 50 per cent speed differential.
Claas Greenline group product manager Luke Wheeler says the Shredlage process significantly improves the availability and digestibility of starch and fibre by exposing the inner cells of the kernels and stalks to microbial activity in the rumen.
“University studies have shown small but significant improvements in dry matter intake, digestibility and milk production,” he says. “In addition, the rumen-friendly silage structure is believed to improve the health of cows.
“The need to supplement with other fibre sources, such as straw, can also be reduced or even eliminated, producing even greater savings.”
Wheeler says all Jaguar forage harvesters are equipped with a uniform Claas MCC processor that can now be equipped with three quick-change corn cracker rollers.
“The availability of MCC Classic, MCC Max and MCC Shredlage rollers means contractors can now deliver a one-stop solution for short-cut silage, long-cut silage and Shredlage, respectively.”
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