Ensiling Oats May be the Preferred Method of Preserving Oats

 BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Producers should consider ensiling the oats crop in those areas of South Dakota where first-cutting hay yields have been dramatically reduced, a South Dakota State University specialist said.

SDSU Extension Dairy Specialist Alvaro Garcia said research at SDSU indicates that ensiling may be the preferred method of preserving oats as cattle feed.
In comparison with oat hay, cattle gains were higher for oatlage (2.28 pounds daily) than for hay (1.78 pounds daily).  The higher weight gains obtained with about the same dry matter intake for both methods of forage preservation resulted in a 21.8 percent advantage in feed efficiency for oatlage.  Leaf loss and kernel shattering contribute to quality loss in more mature small grain hay.

 Oat plants have hollow stems, which make it challenging to achieve adequate air exclusion.  Good packing requires fine chopping (three-eighths to one-half inch knife setting) in order to exclude air.

 Oat silage stored in upright silos or bags allows for better compaction when compared to piles or bunkers.  The minimum safe moisture level to ensure good oxygen exclusion is 55 percent moisture in upright or tower silos.  In horizontal silos, it is 65 percent.  A mean of 17 small-grain silage samples analyzed at SDSU laboratories yielded 65.4 percent moisture and 12.5 percent protein.

 Another problem with oats is that stage of maturity progresses very rapidly, making it sometimes difficult to harvest at the most nutritious stage. A tight plastic cover is also very important to ensure adequate fermentation and preservation, Garcia said.

Oat silage characteristics according to stage of maturity:

Heading to flowering: Quality is equal to or better than early cut grass forage.

Milk-stage: Poor palatability. Usually slower gains than dough-stage silage.

Dough-stage: Greatest forage and total digestible nutrient yields per acre.

Early dough: Harvest at this stage when there is low tonnage of forage to take advantage of the grain produced.

Nitrate Potential

Nitrates can accumulate in potentially toxic amounts in small grain forages.  Circumstances that disrupt normal plant development, such as drought, contribute to nitrate accumulation.  Rain episodes after a drought increase nitrogen plant uptake and the risk of nitrate poisoning during the next four to five days.

Oats appear to accumulate more nitrates than other small grain crops.  During fermentation in the silo, 40 to 60 percent of the original nitrate can disappear, making ensiling the preservation method of choice when high nitrates are suspected.  Supplementing the oat silage with grain at feed out will also decrease the chances of nitrate poisoning.

A North Dakota State University publication on oats for feed can be found online at
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/ansci/beef/as1020w.htm.  A University of Nebraska publication on using small grains for silage or hay is available online at
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/beef/g696.htm.
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Contact: Alvaro Garcia, (605) 688-5488
** For links to other sites showcasing SDSU's work in teaching, research, and Extension, visit http://sdces.sdstate.edu.

Wendy Mohrhauser, Intern
AgBio Communications Unit
South Dakota State University
ACC, Box 2231, Rm 200
Brookings, SD 57007
Telephone: (605) 688-5795