Description
Traditionally, grain is not harvested until it is dry enough to be ground by a hammer mill. Moist grain often cannot be ground or stored without machine drying and using preservatives, which always increases costs.
In crimping, the grain is combined moist and run through the crimper machine, which will break and flatten the grains. Additives, such as certain preservatives or molasses and water (if necessary) can be added in order to ensure the protection of nutrients.
Crimped grain is stored in storage silos as a silage.
Crimped grain is dustless, thus convenient to handle, does not require any further processing, and is often preferred by the animals to drier and dustier feeds.
Practical experiments by farming and livestock research institutions in Finland, Sweden, UK and elsewhere have confirmed, that crimped feed has higher nutritional values, it increases the animals' growth and milk production, improves milk quality and the animals' health, and in addition, helps cut costs.
An important point is that crimping home-grown grain and processing the feed on the spot at the farm, the feed ingredients can be controlled and are fully traceable, thus helping in prevention of diseases, such as BSE.
Read more about this topic: Grain Crimping
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