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The Effect of Storage Length on the Nutritive Value of Baleage in the Southeastern United States


 High quality forages produced in the southeastern U.S. can benefit from being harvested as baleage when environmental conditions are not favorable for hay production. Current recommendations are to feed baleage within 9 mo of harvesting; however, wet summers or mild winters can reduce the need for utilizing stored forage in this timely manner. Limited data exist on the nutritional value of baleage stored beyond a 9-mo period. Therefore, the objective of this research is to determine if storage length affects the nutritive value of baleage in the southeastern U.S. This study was conducted from 2016–2020 at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus, using ‘Tifton-85’ bermudagrass baleage (BG) and ‘Bulldog 805’ alfalfa-bermudagrass mixed baleage (BGA) harvested on a 28–35-d interval, baled at approximately 55% moisture, and individually wrapped for storage. Bales were marked by treatment, sampled prior to wrapping for initial determination (INT), and sampled again post fermentation at 6-wk, 9-mo and 12-mo timepoints for nutritive value analyses. Additionally, a subset of bales harvested in June and August of 2017 and 2018 were maintained and sampled at 24-mo time point. Statistical analysis was conducted using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4. Nutritive analysis showed a difference in the CP% between pre and post fermentation events for BGA (INT=22±2.39 and 6-wk, 9-mo, 12-mo=20±2.39; P < 0.01), while no difference was found for BG. TDN% was different only at 6 wk for BGA (66±0.63; P = 0.03) compared to all other timepoints, with no difference for BG. The 24mo storage analysis showed a decline in the CP% and TDN% for both BGA and BG from pre and post fermentation. Results from this study conclude there no effect on the nutritive value of baleage stored up to 12 mo post fermentation. Maintaining bale integrity can be attributed to the decline in nutritive value observed when stored longer than 12 mo.