Processing and Storing Protein Food Resources

Technical articles - Protein autonomy, Work organization

Polyculture-livestock Polyculture-livestock Livestock Livestock Protein autonomy Storage Barn drying Toasting

Balls and grains of Small Spelt before husking

As part of protein autonomy, the issue of processing and storing fodder and concentrates arises because the chosen solution can help optimize this autonomy. Investments in a barn, a silo, a toaster, a flattener, or an extruder are not trivial, so it is important to clearly define objectives and keep in mind the different possible options. Here we describe methods not yet discussed in this guide, and the list is not exhaustive.

Barn drying of hay

Description

Hay barn

For barn drying, fodder must be harvested and pre-wilted. Drying continues in the barn by ventilation of warm air and allows to maximize the nutritional value of the hay. The fodder must finally reach a minimum of 85% dry matter (DM). The warm and dry air is ventilated at the base of the drying cell and circulates from bottom to top through the haystack resting on a wooden slatted floor. After 2 or 3 weeks of ventilation, the hay will be dry.

Advantages and limitations

• Hay can be stored for a very long time and is of very high nutritional quality.
• The grass is less handled and less damaged by tedding machinery than when making field-dried hay.
• Losses via leaves, especially from legumes, are reduced. This hay is thus richer in protein, very palatable and suited to ruminant physiology.
• The barn, besides serving to dry hay, also serves as a storage place.

• However, setting up the building and equipment can be very costly.

Economic aspects

The installation of a hay dryer constitutes a significant investment in buildings (drying cells, under-roofing…) and equipment (fork, self-loader, fans…). Investment costs can vary from €50,000 to over €300,000 depending on required capacity, existing buildings, and the share of self-construction.

However, operating costs (fan and fork) are relatively low (from €4 to €6 per ton of DM hay). Generally, depreciation is done over 10 to 15 years. But according to a study by livestock networks in Western France, farms using barn drying have observed savings on concentrate costs. Cash flow and income are, however, reduced during the repayment and depreciation phase of the equipment.

For dairy production, this system allows economical work with cows producing up to 8,000 L/year. Beyond this production, protein autonomy of rations based on hay is not guaranteed.

Thermal treatments

Toasting

Description

Toasting is the heating of protein crop seeds (faba bean, pea, lupin…). Once toasted, seeds must be stored in a dry and sheltered place.

Advantages/Limitations

• Toasting increases digestibility and thus the rate of proteins assimilable in the intestine. It eliminates some antinutritional factors and ensures grain preservation thanks to a high DM content. For example, toasted faba beans can be stored for 6 months while raw faba beans last one and a half months.

• The increase in DM induces an increase in protein content.

• The economic balance varies greatly, notably depending on concentrate prices and milk prices. Toasting must therefore be adapted to each situation.

Economic aspect

The most economical option is to rent the toaster from an equipped CUMA or a contractor.

Should you toast?

Yes if...	No if...
Quality fodders but deficient in rumen degradable protein (PDIE)	Unbalanced base ration
Ration with sufficient soluble nitrogen	Herd at the end of lactation
Need for bypass nitrogen (proteins and amino acids directly supplied by the ration and absorbed at the intestinal level)
Need to ensure preservation of protein crops
Objective of feed autonomy

Extrusion

Description

Extrusion systems open fat cells, warm raw materials before oil pressing, and increase oil yield during pressing. This then produces oilcake. Storage must be flat, dry, cool, protected from light, and in a ventilated place.

Advantages

• Extrusion increases digestibility of cereals and legumes from 60 to 90%.
• It eliminates harmful microorganisms.
• It allows combining a mix of fodder components into feed pellets or extruded flakes. If the raw material is soy or rapeseed, a single-screw extruder can help reduce anti-nutrients such as trypsin inhibitors, urease inhibitors, and lectins, which are harmful to animal digestion.
• Before mechanical extraction of oil, the raw material is treated inside the extruder barrel; oilseeds are compressed, crushed, and heated.

Economic aspect

Extrusion increases the economic efficiency of livestock farming.

Flattening

To valorize cereals, they can be flattened. The farmer will then have to invest in a flattener or call on a contractor or an equipped CUMA.

Ruminants appreciate flattened cereals due to the coarse structure of the flakes and better assimilate flattened grains than whole grains. Since flattened grains have better palatability, less feed is consumed. Flattening allows better digestion and better animal health. Freshly flattened cereals retain their vitamins and nutritional qualities.

Flattened cereals are stored in a dry and sheltered place.

Husking

Husking oilseed grains significantly increases the protein content in oilcakes. This is notably the case for sunflower (27% protein without husking versus 45% with husking) and rapeseed (33% protein without husking versus 42% with husking). The major problem is the difficulty of properly husking the seeds.

It is recommended to store oilcakes flat, dry, cool, protected from light, and in a ventilated place.

Silage

Silos allow storing silage to feed animals during dry and cold seasons. There are several types of silos depending on objectives. For more info on silage, click here.

Trench silo for large volumes

The trench silo is easy to build and is the most favored on farms, especially for corn. Compaction and covering are demanding but the trench silo is easier to manage daily. The average cost of a concrete trench silo 2.5m high and 10m wide ranges between €76 and €116/m².

The clamp silo, the most economical

It requires few materials : a concrete slab on the ground or a thick tarp and a fermentation tarp with weights. However, its airtightness is inferior to trench silos and management is complicated. The clamp silo is suitable for surpluses or as a buffer silo.

The tower silo remains costly

Tower silo

Well known in the United States, the tower silo is beginning to emerge in France but remains very costly. It allows storing large volumes on limited surfaces. No compaction or covering operations are necessary, which improves daily work and a single person can fill the silo.

Tube silo for small quantities

The tube silo is very costly but allows excellent preservation. The cost is about €300 excluding VAT per hectare. It can be used as a transition silo for a site other than the main one or as a summer silo when cows consume less silage.

Ration distribution

There are three ways to simplify ration distribution:

• distribution frequency,
• ration simplification,

• mechanization.

For example, one can limit the number of distributions: once a day or once every two days. It is possible to save up to 30% time for heifers or beef cows.

One can also choose ad libitum distribution. This is possible if the nutritional value of the fodder, fodder quantities, and animal groups are homogeneous.

Mechanization should be considered depending on the fodder to be distributed and the size of the herd.

Equipment to consider if mechanizing ration distribution

	- 200 animals	+ 200 animals
Straw/Hay	Unroller Rotating feeder	Mixer Unroller Rotating feeder
Wrapped bale
Grass silage	Silage bucket Silage unloader	Silage bucket Silage unloader Mixer
Corn silage
Concentrate	Silage bucket

Regarding price, organizational changes cost nothing, but if the farmer considers mechanization, it costs between €30 and €80 per livestock unit (LU) depending on choices made.

Storage strategies

• Build carry-over stocks, notably with dry fodders that keep for a long time, for periods when fodder is lacking.
• Diversify the fodder system via crops (mixed crops for example) but also via harvest periods. This diversification is beneficial when climatic conditions become difficult.

Our series of guides on protein autonomy

• Autonomie en protéines
• Appréhender les besoins protéiques des ruminants
• Valoriser les prairies pour accroitre l'autonomie protéique
• Produire des cultures fourragères riches en protéines
• Produire et consommer localement des concentrés protéiques
• Transformer et stocker les ressources alimentaires protéiques

This page was written in partnership with Pleinchamp