The conservation of forages in the feeding programs of the cattle herd.

In the previous publication the history of forage conservation in our country Venezuela was described and how the types of silage were evolving to preserve forages for a long time without fear of losses due to the entry of air into the silage material. In this publication we will address some aspects that justify the importance of conserving fodder to be supplied to ruminant animals in critical times, when the yield of pasture fodder decreases.

In the southern area of Lake Maracaibo Venezuela, livestock farms destined to the production of cattle, base their food plans on forage resources, to take advantage of the high capacity that ruminants have to convert fibrous foods into meat and milk, besides being the most economically viable alternative; however, there are various circumstances including climatic factors, which limit an adequate growth and development of forage species causing a shortage of biomass that can satisfy the nutritional needs of the herds.

In consideration of what was mentioned in the previous chapter, the rainy regime of the area is marked by two periods, a slightly rainy one that comprises the months of December to May and another rainy one that corresponds to the months of June to November, this situation generates times in which forage biomass may be scarce, affecting the production levels of livestock production units, in this sense, Kowalski (2020), reported a 40% decrease in dairy production in the months of February to May, in which there was a severe drought for that year, situation that infers a low yield of pastures causing a shortage of biomass at that time of year.

The situation described above could be caused by the inappropriate use of forage species, since, contrary to the dry season, in the rainy period volumes of forage biomass could be reached that exceed the feed demand of the herd on the farms, however, the surplus is most often not used for critical times, in which the yield of the pastures is not sufficient to supply the animal load.

It can be shown that agricultural ecosystems, being subject to natural factors, depend largely on climatic conditions, which present fluctuations throughout the year, which is why critical times are generated in the production of fodder that can affect food programs, considering that consumption is one of the most important variables in animal production, in such a way that considering the conservation of fodder as an alternative for feeding ruminants, it is of vital importance since such a technique could maintain the needs of food reserves for livestock, in order to give a feed of good nutritional quality and energy contributions in prolonged times.

Dear readers, therefore, given that the use of preserved forages plays a fundamental role in maintaining the daily ration of animals throughout the year, there is a need to know the current situation of the use of preserved forages in food programs, as support in critical times in production units, this in order to collect updated data on the implementation of forage conservation practices, type of forage material and the methodology for its preparation. The data that can be collected may become relevant for public or private institutions that have an affinity with the agricultural sector, since it will serve as a basis for developing support plans for producers and thus strengthen productive processes and maintain production levels throughout the year.