Richard G. Koegel

Drying Rates of Macerated Alfalfa Mats

ABSTRACT ALFALFA was macerated and then formed into thin mats which were deposited onto the forage stubble for field drying. Drying rates of mats and control swaths having equal dry matter per unit area were determined. The macerated alfalfa mats dried to 20% (w.b.) moisture content in 6 h or less, while the control swaths did not reach this moisture content during the first day. Mat drying rate is roughly proportional to mat dry matter per unit area. The evaporation rate of water from a standard evaporation pan poorly models the moisture evaporation rate from mats or swaths.

Ammonia Treatment of Large and Small Hay Packages

ABSTRACT ALFALFA bales of 18 to 50% moisture content (w.b.) were injected with anhydrous ammonia. Temperature history, dry matter loss, and presence of mold were used to determine the adequacy of the preservative treatment. Treated, uncovered bales were adequately preserved at moisture contents up to 28% w.b. Treated bales enclosed in plastic bags were adequately preserved at higher moisture contents.

Mechanical and Chemical Treatments to Modify the Digestibility of Alfalfa Stems

ABSTRACT MACERATION, ammoniation, explosion (rapid pressure release), and combinations of these treatments to alfalfa stems caused significant (P<0.05) increases in the in vitro digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) over untreated controls. Maceration (mechanical shredding) and explosion gave increases in NDF digestion of 39% and 32%, respectively at 12 h and 39% and 17% at 24 h relative to the control. Ammoniation did not show a significant increase relative to the control until 72 h at which time it was 16% higher. For the first 24 h, maceration plus explosion was not different than maceration alone whereas maceration plus ammoniation actually resulted in slower NDF digestion than maceration alone. A combination of all three treatments resulted in increases in NDF digestion of 54%, 49%, and 43% at 12, 24, and 72 h, respectively. The water absorption rates of the macerated materials were almost three times those of the unmacerated materials, indicating that maceration altered the surface charateristics of the original material.

Factors Affecting Wet Strength of Macerated Forage Mats

ABSTRACT FAST-DRYING macerated forage mats must have adequate wet strength to allow placing them intact on the stubble. The effect on wet strength of variables including pressure and time of formation, degree of maceration, dry matter density, and fiber orientation is studied. Energy of formation is also given.

Wet Fractionation System: An Economic Analysis

ABSTRACT ECONOMIC analysis is applied to the Wet Fractiona-tion System which mechanically dewaters forages and eliminates the risk of weather damages and delays. The present value bid price determined by simulation and linear programming ranges from

Forming Mats from Macerated Alfalfa to Increase Drying Rates

32,700 for a small farm with 50 acres of alfalfa to

Future Developments in Forage Harvesting Machinery and Processing

183,900 for a large farm. Estimates of manfacturing costs are

Lactic Acid Production by Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation of Alfalfa Fiber.

60,000, indicating that the technology is feasible on large forage-dairy farms. Analysis assumes all products are used on-farm. Off-farm marketing of the protein extract will greatly in-crease the market for the technology and substantially influence the market for protein concentrate.

Effect of Shredding Alfalfa on Cellulolytic Activity, Digestibility, Rate of Passage, and Milk Production1

ABSTRACT A study of the physical parameters of mats formed from macerated forage was undertaken. The drying rate, weight loss due to flexing, bulk density and tensile strength of the forage mats were determined. Variables involved were forming pressure, maceration level and material composition with respect to maceration level of the treated forage used in the mat. The dry mats showed sufficient strength and integrity to allow mechanical handling. Mats thinner than 6.4 mm could be dried to a moisture safe for storage in as little as 4 1/2 h. Please view the PDF for the complete article. The text below is only to aid searches. It is unformatted and incomplete, lacking figures, tables, and equations.

Process and apparatus to improve the properties and value of forage crops

Forage harvesting, processing and handling equipement research is currently underway which will improve commodity quality, produce «value-added» products from forages, reduce energy and labor requirements of the equipment and improve forage marketability. Technologies are described which could increase forage quality and value by removing it from the field sooner after it is mowed to minimize the risk of weather damage