Forage analysis is key to optimizing animal nutrition and crop pricing.
The latest near infrared, or NIR, technology provides cattle producers with immediate in-field analysis, cutting days off conventional feed-lab turnaround.
To preserve optimal rumen function, forages should make up 60 to 75 percent of the diet. Animal well-being and productivity depends on high quality forage that meets established nutritional requirements.
Forage analysis is crucial for every farmer who uses or produces forage. The quality of forage impacts both the payment a farmer will receive for their hay and the health and well-being of the animals consuming it.
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Moisture and dry matter are the two main factors to be measured. Recommended moisture levels for low quality hay are 15 percent to 18 percent.
Baleage should be 40 percent to 60 percent. Silage can be up to 65 percent. Wrong moisture levels can cause nutrient loss, mould spoilage and heat damage.
Although wet chemistry was used in the past, it was time-consuming and required qualified personal.
There was always the risk of bad results caused by human error.
In response to this situation, cattle producers and commercial forage producers are turning to near-infrared spectroscopy, or NIRS.
NIRS has been used in laboratories since the 1950s. It’s described as a spectroscopic method that uses the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum (from 780 nm to 2500 nm). In layman’s terms, it can analyze anything from brainwaves to forage moisture.
NIRS fires a specific light wave at a forage sample. Molecules in the sample absorb the specific wavelengths depending on the chemical bonds present. The spectrometer then traces the light reflected back to the emitter and determines the wavelengths of light absorbed by the forage sample. This determines the chemical bonds and components in the sample.
When analyzing forage samples, the spectrum of the sample is compared to a string of known constituents. This establishes nutritional values such as moisture, protein, sugars, starch, dry matter, fibre and digestibility.
Forage analysis with NIR began in the 1970s. Early NIR spectrometers were cumbersome, expensive and too fragile to use in the field. Wet chemistry in the lab continued as the main process until recently with the advent of small, lightweight, durable NIR devices.
Tec5USA is one of the leaders in portable NIR technology. It produces spectrometers durable enough to mount on forage harvesting equipment to provide constant forage quality readings as it’s harvested in the field.
For forage growers, the tec5USA CompactSpec and NIRON II head uses unique cementing, a sapphire window and permanently calibrated optics with no moving parts. This makes them able to resist significant vibrations. The housing is IP69K rated to resist heat, dust and high-pressure steam cleaning, making them robust enough to be mounted on forage harvesters.
The IP rating is internationally recognized, developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission to provide detailed information about how devices hold up against punishing factors.
The NIRON II active measurement head can be mounted on the chute of the harvester. When used in parallel with the tec5USA CompactSpec, it offers real-time measurements for moisture, dry matter, protein, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fiber, starch and sugars.
