Abstract
The objective of this project was to determine if sugar beets could be ensiled with hay or soybean meal with or without a liquid mold inhibitor and the impact on nutrient composition, pH, and aerobic stability. A 3 x 2 factorial experiment where hay (control; H) or sugar beets mixed with either hay (SBH) or soybean meal (SB) were ensiled at a rate of 50:50 (as fed) without the mold inhibitor. The mold inhibitor (T) was included to create three additional treatments: HT, SBT, and SBHT. All treatments decreased in pH over time (P < 0.01), with the lowest pH value being generated by the SB treatment. Concentrations of NDF increased between d 0 and d 90 for treatments SB and SBT (P ≤ 0.01) and increased between d 90 and d 180 for treatments H, HT, SBH, and SBHT (P ≤ 0.01). Concentrations of ADF also increased among all treatments (P ≤ 0.05). Concentrations of CP increased from d 0 to d 90 for HT and SB treatments (P ≤ 0.01), increased from d 90 to d 180 for the SBT treatment (P ≤ 0.02), increased from d 0 to d 180 for the SBH treatment (P ≤ 0.03), and decreased from d 90 to d 180 for the SB treatment (P ≤ 0.01). The data suggests that sugar beets may be ensiled with hay or soybean meal, with or without a liquid mold inhibitor, without negatively impacting nutrient quality or preservation characteristics of the ensiled mixture.
Highlights
Montana was the 5th largest producer of sugar beets in the United States in 2015 (USDA, 2015a)
A 3 x 2 factorial experimental design was utilized in our study with the following treatments: hay without the mold inhibitor (H); hay with the mold inhibitor (HT); sugar beets mixed with hay, without the mold inhibitor (SBH); sugar beets mixed with hay, with the mold inhibitor (SBHT); sugar beets mixed with soybean meal, without the mold inhibitor (SB); sugar beets mixed with soybean meal, with the mold inhibitor (SBT)
The SB treatment demonstrated the most rapid pH decline among all un-treated silages. This observation is in agreement with Ferris and Mayne (1994) as well as Moore and Kennedy (1994), who observed that ensiling unmolassed sugar beet pulp with perennial ryegrass decreased pH as the unmolassed beet pulp was added to the silage mixture
Summary
Montana was the 5th largest producer of sugar beets in the United States in 2015 (USDA, 2015a). 20.5 million kilograms (kg) of sugar beets were left unharvested after the 2014-2015 Montana sugar beet harvest (USDA, 2015b). This typically results in the sugar beets being left in the field and plowed under. 2020, Vol 8, No 4 unharvested sugar beets may be more economical for sugar beet producers by providing an additional source of revenue as a feed source for livestock. With this many sugar beets being left in the field, and their substantial energy content (81% TDN; Lardy and Schafer, 2008), sugar beets make an excellent alternative energy source for ruminant livestock. Little research has been conducted with ensiling sugar beets, much of the research has utilized sugar beet pulp
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