Crop & Livestock Feed – quality and storage.

Quick agronomy facts:
 Oilseed
Rape
Seed Rate
kg/Ha		3 – 6
Nitrogen
(N)
kg/Ha		up to 210  
Phosphate
(P)
kg/Ha		50
Potash
(K)
kg/Ha		40 
Av . Yield
t/Ha		 3.7 
Other Key Points
Typical Protein & Oil Contents
Oilseed Rape – harvested
Protein
Oil


38%
45%

Oilseed Meal = (after crushed for oil)
Oil
Protein


6-36%
28 – 45%
Storage
Recommended
Moisture Content
for long term storage		8% m.c.
at 100C
Typical Weeds, Pests, Diseases
Weedsthistles, cleavers, mayweed, and poppies
PestsSlugs, Aphids, Pollen Beetle, Flea Beetle, Pigeons
Diseases: Light leaf spot, Sclerotinia, Phoma, Alternaria. Club root
Crop and Livestock Feeds — Quality & Storage
Quick intro

Good feed = healthy animals = better performance = less stress for you at review time. Same with arable crops: if you produce to the right quality and store smart, your crop keeps its value and your options widen. This page gives the essentials: what to look for, how to assess it, and how to store things so they stay useful and saleable.

Arable Crops: quality specs & storage principles

Note: buyer specifications vary. Think of the numbers below as typical targets or starting points — always check the contract or buyer spec sheet before marketing.

Wheat (milling vs feed)

Quality points

  • Milling wheat: high hectolitre weight (plump grain), low admixture/other grains, low screenings, low protein variability, low sprout damage (good Hagberg/Falling Number).
  • Feed wheat: more tolerant on hectolitre weight and Hagberg but still expect clean grain, low dockage.

Typical targets (typical — check buyer):

  • Hectolitre weight: higher is better for milling (targets often >72 kg/hl for milling).
  • Moisture: aim ≤14–15% for safe storage.
  • Hagberg/Falling number: higher = less sprouted (milling buyers want high numbers).

Storage principles

  • Dry to safe moisture quickly; cool and ventilate.
  • Clean out old residues — pests and fungal spores love mess.
  • Monitor temperature and moisture; aerate to prevent hotspots.
  • Use first-in/first-out and segregate suspect loads.

Common problems: condensation, heating, insect activity, sprouted/fermented pockets.

Barley

Quality points

  • Variety (malting vs feed) affects spec. Malting barley needs uniform size, low screenings, low protein, specific germination energy.
  • Moisture: ≤14–15% for storage.

Storage principles

  • Same as wheat: dry, cool, monitor. Malting barley is premium — avoid admixture and maintain varietal integrity.
Oilseed rape (OSR / canola)

Quality points

  • Oil content and seed damage important; admixture and immature seed reduce price.
  • Moisture needs to be lower than cereals to avoid heating — often <9–10% recommended for longer-term storage.

Storage principles

  • Very sensitive to heating and mould because of high oil content → cool, dry storage with good air movement.
  • Beware condensation in bulk stores: surface crusting can hide heating underneath.
Peas & Beans

Quality points

  • Clean, intact seed, low splitting, low impurities and soil. Buyers will specify acceptable moisture and grading.

Storage principles

  • Dry to ~14% or lower.
  • Large-seeded pulses can be prone to bruising — handle gently and avoid pressure points in store.
  • Maintain pest control; rodents & insects love the protein.
Potatoes

Quality points

  • Intended use matters: table, chip, processing, or seed. Important attributes: size, shape, skin finish, dry matter (%) and absence of defects (bruises, late blight, scab, blackspot).
  • Wash only if buyer requires — many stores prefer unwashed to reduce rots.

Storage principles

  • Temperature control is critical. Typical ware potato storage: cool (around 4–8°C) but depends on variety and end use.
  • Humidity: high relative humidity (near saturation) to avoid weight loss, but ventilate to prevent condensation and rot.
  • Darkness to prevent greening and solanine production.
  • Sprout control: chemical or mechanical as per label and buyer requirements; follow legal/regulatory advice.

Common problems: blackspot from rough handling, greening from light, rotting from warm/wet conditions.

Sugar beet

Quality points

  • Sugar content (sucrose %), impurities (ash), and physical damage. Loss in sucrose due to respiration and microbe attack reduces value.

Storage principles

  • Often held in clamps or left in-field until lift-to-supply; keep clamps well-drained and covered to reduce frost and rain infiltration.
  • Minimise bruising and soil contamination at harvest; maintain good clamp hygiene.
Storage fundamentals for all arable crops (summary checklist)
  • Dryness: get grain/seed to buyer-spec moisture quickly.
  • Clean stores: remove old grain, sweep bins, clean conveyors.
  • Aeration & temperature control: monitor and ventilate to avoid hotspots.
  • Pest control: proof buildings, traps, inspect regularly.
  • Segregation & traceability: keep batches separate; keep records of date, variety, moisture, origin.
  • Sampling: take representative samples for testing before sale or storage.

Livestock feeds: requirements, assessment & storage

Types of on-farm feeds
  • Fresh grazing (swards) — diverse grasses and clovers.
  • Conserved forage: silage (pit/tower/bale), hay, haylage.
  • Bedded straw (filler) — low nutrition but fibre.
  • Bought-in concentrates: cereals, blends, compound rations, molasses-based feeds, proteins (soy, rape meal), minerals/vitamins.
  • By-products: brewers’ grains, potato pulp — check variability and storage requirements.
Nutritional requirements (headline guide)

(These are general target ranges — animals and systems vary)

  • Dairy (high-yielding lactating cow):
    • Metabolisable Energy (ME): typically 11–12 MJ/kg DM in total diet (depends on yield).
    • Crude Protein (CP): 14–18% of DM depending on milk yield and forage quality.
  • Beef (finishing):
    • ME: 10–12 MJ/kg DM depending on target ADG.
    • CP: 11–16% depending on stage.
  • Growing/Finishing Pigs:
    • High digestible energy diets; CP varies with growth stage (higher for growers/piglets, lower for finishers).
  • Sheep (lambing/ewe):
    • Energy & protein increase in late pregnancy and lactation. Targets depend on body condition and production goals.

Always work with ration software, nutritionist, or feeding tables for exact formulation. On-farm forage analysis is crucial.

Forages — how to assess and store
Grass & sward management (grazing)
  • Assess sward by: height, species composition (ryegrass, clover presence), bulk, and “cover” (kg DM/ha).
  • Quality declines with maturity: younger leafy swards = higher metabolisable energy and protein. Aim grazing management to maintain leaf and high digestibility for animals you’re targeting.
Silage (pit, clamp, bale)

Key quality targets & principles

  • Dry matter (DM): crucial. For pit silage, common DM target is 28–35% for good fermentation (varies with forage type). Bale silage (wrapped) usually higher DM (30–50%).
  • Fermentation: rapid pH drop and low residual sugars are signs of a stable silage. Poorly fermented silage smells putrid, is slimy, and loses energy and protein.
  • Packing & sealing: compact tightly, exclude air, seal quickly with good wrap/cover to promote anaerobic conditions.
  • Assessing silage: smell (pleasantly acidic vs rotten), colour, texture, pH test (if possible), presence of mould or slime. Laboratory analysis gives: DM, pH, ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), sugars, and energy/protein estimates.

Storage risks

  • Aerobic spoilage on feed-out face; unstable silage self-heats and loses energy.
  • Poor sealing → clostridial fermentation (butyric), high ammonia, low palatability.
Hay & haylage
  • Hay: DM typically >85% — dry well before baling to avoid mould; store under cover.
  • Haylage: intermediate DM (40–60%), wrapped/baled; needs good wrapping and storage away from rodents.

Assessment

  • Visual (mould, colour), tactile (dampness), smell. Lab test for DM, ash, crude protein, NDF/ADF (fibre fractions).
Bought-in concentrates and compound feeds — storage & handling

Principles

  • Keep dry and cool: moisture is enemy #1 (caking, mould growth, mycotoxin development). Aim for store humidity low and good ventilation.
  • Rodent & bird proof: proof bins, sealed sacks, good housekeeping.
  • FIFO: use oldest stock first; label deliveries with date and batch number.
  • Segregate medicated feeds: follow legal requirements for feeding medicated feeds and keep dedicated equipment if necessary.

Assess on delivery

  • Inspect packaging and seals.
  • Smell (musty? damp?).
  • Check delivery note vs order — composition and batch/lot numbers.
  • Sample for mycotoxin testing if cereal-based and risk factors present (wet season, damaged crop).
Species-specific feed notes (practical)
  • Dairy cows: need consistent energy and protein to support milk; poor silage → drop in yield. Provide effective fibre (rumen health) and supply minerals (Ca, P, Mg) for transition cows.
  • Beef cattle: finishing rations need energy density for FCR; monitor condition score and adjust. For store cattle, good-quality forage + modest concentrates.
  • Sheep: protein and energy increases in late pregnancy; quality forage or creep feed for lambs improves growth.
  • Pigs: rely on dense concentrates; protein quality and amino acid balance (lysine) matter; avoid mycotoxins — pigs are sensitive.
  • Poultry (if relevant): very sensitive to mycotoxins and storage hygiene; small tolerances for spoilage.
Practical on-farm procedures & checklists
Simple grain store weekly check
  • Visual inspection for dust, debris, spills.
  • Check fans, vents, and aeration systems.
  • Record temperature at several depths (hotspots?).
  • Smell for off-odours.
  • Check for insects/droppings and traps.
  • Log humidity/moisture readings if instrumented.
Silage/feed assessment quick test
  • Look: colour evenity, visible mould, slime.
  • Smell: pleasant acidic = OK; putrid/fishy = poor.
  • Touch: warm spots or slime = spoilage.
  • If suspicious: take sample for lab analysis (DM, pH, ammonia, energy, NDF).
Sampling basics (representative sampling)
  • Take multiple core samples from different parts of the store (top, middle, bottom; across the clamp or within bagged stacks). Combine to form a composite sample for lab.
  • Label clearly with date, field, clamp/stack ID, and take photographs.
Problems to spot (and quick fixes)
  • Hotspots in grain: aerate during cool evenings or run fans; if too severe, consider moving/turning the load.
  • Mouldy silage: stop feeding to high-value stock; isolate and test; improve face management and consider feeding to dry cows if safe.
  • Infested concentrates: dispose of heavily infested bags; report to supplier; improve proofing.
  • Wet grain after rain during harvest: dry or aerate fast; do not bury wet into the middle of store.
Record-keeping & legal/health notes
  • Keep records of deliveries, analysis results, treatments (e.g., preservatives), and pest control actions.
  • Follow product labels and COSHH/health & safety when using preservatives, fumigants, or sprout inhibitors.
  • For medicated feeds, follow withdrawal periods and legal storage/feeding records.
Quick reference cheat-sheet (copy for your pocket)
  • Grain moisture safe storage: aim ≤14–15% (check buyer).
  • OSR moisture: aim low (often <9–10%) to avoid heating.
  • Silage DM: target ~28–35% for clamp silage (varies). Bale silage higher.
  • Hay DM: >85% before baling.
  • Store principle: dry + cool + clean + sealed + monitor.

Final tips (apprentice-level wisdom)

  1. Ask the buyer for the spec — then meet it. Contracts beat guesswork.
  2. Test before you feed. Lab analyses are cheap compared with a performance drop.
  3. Small problems become big fast. Find hotspots, wet patches, and mould early.
  4. Good record-keeping = evidence for assessments and easier troubleshooting.
  5. When in doubt, sample + test + isolate. Don’t gamble with animal health or product quality.

Below is presentation which gives more details about Oilseeds grown in the UK.