Table 1.
Nutrient and fermentation analysis of 37 and 43% DM silage (DM basis)
| Itema | 37% DM | 43% DM | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | C.V.b | Mean | C.V.b | ||
| DM, % | 37.3 | 3.2 | 42.7 | 3.9 | |
| CP, % of DM | 7.51 | 3.6 | 7.50 | 1.2 | |
| NDF, % of DM | 31.6 | 17.5 | 28.9 | 5.7 | |
| ADF, % of DM | 21.4 | 15.8 | 18.6 | 17.9 | |
| Starch, % of DM | 35.4 | 16.7 | 40.8 | 5.0 | |
| Sugar, % of DM | 2.6 | 19.6 | 2.5 | 8.7 | |
| pH | 3.88 | 1.3 | 3.85 | 1.5 | |
| Lactic acid, % of DM | 3.11 | 26.9 | 4.14 | 28.1 | |
| Acetic acid, % of DM | 3.98 | 21.5 | 2.81 | 27.1 | |
| Propionic acid, % of DM | 0.51 | 26.8 | 0.28 | 54.3 | |
| Butyric acid, % of DM | <0.01 | 0.0 | <0.01 | 0.0 | |
| Total acids, % of DM | 7.61 | 10.5 | 7.22 | 3.3 |
aDM was calculated using weekly samples and oven dried for 48 h at 60 °C. All other samples are based on monthly composites (n = 4) of weekly (n = 19) samples taken during the finishing trial, and analyzed at Dairyland Laboratories (St. Cloud, MN) and Ward Laboratories (Kearney, NE).
bC.V. = coefficient of variation and is calculated by dividing the standard deviation by the mean and is expressed as a percentage.